S’Express were one of the biggest British acts to emerge out of the dance explosion of the late 80’s, but despite a series of massive hits they never got the same respect as homespun contemporaries like M/A/R/R/S, Baby Ford, Coldcut and LFO.
Their flamboyant mastermind Mark Moore has been a constant figure on the electronic underground ever since, both as a DJ and an esteemed writer. With a forthcoming remix LP Enjoy This Trip scheduled to emerge in May, he seems determined to get his much-deserved slice of the recognition cake.
Moore’s legendary DJ sets at the Mud Club and Shoom were famous for bridging the gap between the Euro-synth sound of Yello and Soft Cell and the early house creations from Chicago and Detroit. In keeping with that eye for dance music tradition, here he hands over the remix controls to Chris & Cosey of 70’s industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle in what proves to be an inspired choice.
On paper, it sounds somewhat of a museum piece, but C&C rapidly sweep aside that worry with a cascade of throbbing electro pulsations and cleverly woven samples from 70’s horror flicks, 50’s b-movies and God knows where else. It’s bewildering, but blissfully so, and every bit as relevant to the dancefloor of an East London warehouse party as the original S’Express were to their forerunners happening under the Westway three decades before.
