Buy One Step Ahead here (Apple Music)
Read all of my Debbie Gibson (& related) remixes-from-the-vaults posts here
Everything old is new again. As the follow up to her sizzling club smash, Girls Night Out, Debbie Gibson is diving back into the vaults to unearth her 1991 single, One Step Ahead. It is clear the aim is to give fans a trip down memory lane whilst delivering something fresh and exciting for those who have the exhilarating task of discovering the embarrassment of riches that is Ms Gibson's back catalogue. What is incredible about hearing these Masters At Work mixes 30 years later is how fresh they still sound. No small part of that is due to the fact that a classic pop composition will always stand the test of time. Written in 1990 alongside Motown legend Lamont Dozier, this is a rallying call to arms to follow your dreams, march to the beat of your own drum and go where your passion leads you. It was already a sassy dance groove on the NRG Up side of her luminary Anything Is Possible album, Masters At Work gave it club rhythms so sharp you could cut yourself on them. A good remix always brings out new nuance from the original template and certainly Louie Vega and Kenny Gonzales were skilled at that.
I remember Larry Flick heralding the upcoming single in Billboard magazine by declaring it "a state of the chart affair... that house-jocks will savour". He also noted it was a euphoric vocal from Ms Gibson and he wasn't wrong in any of his assesssments. Whether you listened to the Hot Radio Edit in 1991 or are discovering it for the first time now, you can't help but become immersed in the textured score which swathes Debbie's ebullient singing. Powered by simmering percussive grooves and vibrant electro-horn blasts, the remix was a potent blend of nu-disco strings and italo-house piano; all of which served to buoy the irrepressible refrain as well as help you work up a lather on the dance floor. Meanwhile, the club mix (which hit top 30 on both the Billboard 12" Sales and Club Play charts) extended the alluring vibe for a decadent 7 minutes. Those sumptuous piano breaks are just as thrilling now - a true testament to how enduring the positivity and music of this song really are.
(A small coda - my favourite memory of this song is my dad walking in while I was listening to it and saying (in his broad Birmingham accent) "Blooming 'eck, is that Debbie Gibson rapping? I've heard everything now"!!)
Top 25 songs of the week:
25 ~ The Fizz, Storm
24 ~ Jason Mraz (ft Tiffany Haddish), You Do You (NE)
23 ~ Johnny Hates Jazz, New Day Ahead (NE)
22 ~ Fly By Midnight (ft Clara Mae), Lost Without You
21 ~ Maroon 5, Nobody's Love
20 ~ Alanis Morrisette, Reckoning
19 ~ Same Difference, One Life One Love
18 ~ Smith & Thell, Year Of The Young
17 ~ Tyler Glenn, Somebody To Tell Me
16 ~ The Killers, My Own Soul's Warning
15 ~ Walk The Moon, Lost In The Wild
14 ~ McFly, Happiness
13 ~ Sabrina Carpenter, Let Me Move You
12 ~ Kylie, Say Something
11 ~ Go Go's, Club Zero
10 ~ Bright Light Bright Light, I Used To Be Cool
09 ~ Erasure, Nerves of Steel
08 ~ Swayday, Disconnecting
07 ~ Mariah Carey, Save The Day
06 ~ Christopher, Leap of Faith
05 ~ Ava Max, Who's Laughing Now
04 ~ Robbie Williams & The Struts, Strange Days
03 ~ Dua Lipa, Levitating (Blessed Madonna Remix)
02 ~ Beware The Bear ft Sean Smith, Wishing On The Water
01 ~ Steps, What The Future Holds (1 week)
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