Mark Moore’s S’Express project returns in the more or less traditional all new mixes format. Essentially reworkings from 1989’s Original Soundtrack and 1990’s friskily titled Intercourse it is, as you’d expect with 15 different re-interpretations, a mixed bag. Some are pretty radical such as the cover of ‘Nothing to Lose’ by Fragile Souls whereas others like the remix of exciting debut ‘Theme From S’Express‘ by Tom Furse of The Horrors fame basically beef up the sound for today’s more expansive sound systems without being too outre.
With origins on 1980s dancefloors such as the Mud Club, S’Express sprang fully into life after the first wave of Chicago house and Detroit techno hit the UK shores. Moore was an early supporter of the sound and the band was always a far more important proposition than perhaps given credit for. Being one of the earliest UK bands to really exploit sampling technology in a truly effective as opposed to tentative way, the early appearances on Top Of The Pops did a great deal to push forward the acid house revolution. And a revolution it was with pie-eyed young upstarts realising there’s buckets of fun to be had dancing till dawn in various hell holes around the country as opposed to giving money to some fag end of the 80’s band with little or nothing to say beyond tired cliche. S’Express may have presented a user-friendly part of that movement – and the often camp television performances exemplified that – but the craft and above all dancefloor destruction caused by the first album, in particular, deserve their place in history.
‘Mantra For a State of Mind‘, presented here remixed by Monarchy and also Ray Mang retains its thrill as the hardest hitting and disorientating record they ever did. That power possibly being what seduced Primal Scream into releasing a cover version this year. It’s recognisably them with its disco stabs and sexy vocal hook but the beeps and synths still resonate powerfully in the excellent, if a touch short, Monarchy rework in particular. No such problem with the Jagz Kooner version of ‘Superfly Guy‘. It truly makes for a relevant record now, with rough and heavy percussion with the vocal samples and piano becoming really quite delirious, dare one say it, ecstatic even. It’s the highlight of the album.
All this may have a touch more heft but it perhaps doesn’t have the punkish thrill of the original release. Whilst surely not being punk in the way we understand that term, first time around these tracks surely exemplified that spirit. Indeed, John Lydon has this to say about them: “Mark from S’Express used to come round to my house in the early PiL days. They made very good dance records. I was quite pleased and surprised that they said I influenced them. There is no similarity in sound and approach at all, but that’s where they are getting it right. They didn’t copy.” Perhaps that is the destiny of many projects such as this: to make one wish to hear them for the first time again. To feel that atmosphere of excitement and creativity in a particular time and a place. Make no mistake, there’s some fine music here: a joy and sense of life breathes over the record but whether overall it improves substantively on the originals… that is another matter entirely.
