A friend showed me this record and I just had to get it! The Beatmasters released “Hey DJ! (I Can’t Dance To That Music You’re Playin’)”, introducing Betty Boo, in 1989 and landed no.7 on UKs charts. The song sounds to me like some sort of mashup of everything it needed to become hit back then. Some elements sound like something from an EMF song, others are typical RAP and early Technotronic.
But the reason why I am writing this is the b-side. Ska Train is an absolute must for people who like the dancing side of dub! It sounds like the not so old father of Yamaha vs. Eletricos “Phoenix City”. A mixture of house and ska that should have been on one of those “Serious Dropout” compilations released by DJ Reverend in the mid-nineties. I actually find the combination of these two songs remarkable. It explains where musicians like the Freestylers have their roots, combining electro sounds with reggea and ska elements.
I wish I could have heard this stuff back when it was produced. I was only 12 years old back then, long hairs and listening to heavy metal, but this sure would have inspired me. Anyway, it will enter my set now, 20 years after its first release. Call it sustainable rockwellopement :-)