The Sequin Ambrosia mix series dips into all things house, from the purist sounds of mid-‘80s Chicago to the click action of modern-day Berlin.

00:00: Murat Tepeli (w/ Prosumer) – “Rides” (Playhouse, 2005)

As exemplified in “Rides,” nothing identifies quality purist, throwback house music like a perky minor key acid squelch. Speaking of throwback house, newcomer Murat Tepeli may just lead the pack in ‘06 in facilitating an actual “scene” in this trend. It’s happening for disco, so house may get the nostalgia treatment in the near future. Fingers crossed.

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04:51: George Demure – “New Confrontation” (Output, 2005)

Production wise, “New Confrontation” may keep its foundation in house, but it’s vocally rooted in the goth-rock of Bauhaus and Gene Loves Jezebel. Sequin Ambrosia II has a generally darker feel than round one did, and George Demure provides a good indication of this.

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07:56: M&M – “Get off Your Butt” (Trax, 1989)

Trax will likely always nab at least one slot in each of the Sequin chronicles. The label not only first brought the budding scene to wax in the 1980s but still harbors some of the best joints in the genre. OK, so “Get off Your Butt” may not be a downright classic, but it’s a delightful hip-hop crossover gem with enough block party MC spunk to power your strobe setup.

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11:20: Out Hud – “It’s for You (Rub n’ Tug’s Panarava Mix)” (Kranky, 2005)

A Bay Area dance-rock outfit may not be a default entry into the annals of Sequin, but Rub n’ Tug provides a remix with just enough spacious production—the tinkling pianos don’t hurt either—to make the cut.

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17:59: Adjuster vs. Tonka – “All Over Again (Tonka Mix)” (Disco Inc., 2005)

Adjuster and Tonka provide the only blatant “feel good” track of the bunch. It comes off something like a more digital-leaning version of Mylo’s “In Your Arms,” proof that Disco Inc. may just be the eventual saviors of this house thing.

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22:36: Maurice – “This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze) (S&T Mix)” (Breakout, 1988)

“This Is Acid” is one of the most obvious songs in recorded history. It partakes in a notorious, undying trend in house music: repeating a vocal sample declaring the genre of music at hand over and over. In this case, “acid” is the unfaltering avowal. “So many questions have been made about this new dance craze called acid / What people really want to know is how the story really goes about acid.” Verses like these are interluded by such pivotal phrases as, “This is acid / I’m giving you acid,” and, “Can you feel it? / Acid’s in the air.” Eventually, Maurice feels compelled to belt out a, “Jack the house.” Not only is the song lyrically palpable, it sounds exactly like what comes to mind when one thinks of acid house. Nevertheless, it’s still a nice little number, and it fits our pursuit.

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29:00: Michael Mayer & Matias Aguayo – “Slow” (Kompakt, 2005)

Sequin Ambrosia II includes a brief stint of Kylie mania in two parts. Part one is Kompakt heroes Michael Mayer and Matias Aguayo’s take on the aging starlet’s late 2003 single, “Slow.” It’s a fine cover, extrapolating on the dark nature of Kylie’s original.

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34:45: Kylie Minogue – “Giving You Up (Riton Re-Rub Vox)” (Parlophone, 2005)

Part two sees Riton recrafting this ‘05-released Ultimate Kylie single. Here’s proof that while Kylie’s not busy giving breast cancer the curbside elbow drop, she’s commissioning some amazing remixes. It’s a shocker Parlophone deemed this particular one as marketably appropriate.

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40:15: Salamandos – “Jack That Dick” (Clone, 2005)

It’s no secret that Salamandos is making fun of tracks like the aforementioned “This Is Acid” as much as he’s paying homage to them. With rosy lines like, “Jack that dick / That’s right / Smack yo’ thang,” Salamandos rightfully accentuates the goofy annals of house history.

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45:23: Matias Aguayo – “Are You Really Lost” (Kompakt, 2005)

Aguayo’s second appearance sees him breaking the long tradition of the perpetual, unyielding 4/4 kickdrum in house music. Somehow, even without this crucial element, the song is still very much a house track. (Perhaps it’s the homoerotic grunts and woofs.)

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48:27: Unai – “Oh You and I (Unai 12-Inch Mix)” (Disco Inc., 2005)

Upon participating in the grueling process of compiling year-end singles lists (reap the benefits here), many dance music enthusiasts snuck in “Oh You and I” at the last possible minute. It’s quite simply the best house single of the year, and it’s been sadly overlooked by stateside and British audiences. With any luck, Unai’s debut full length, A Love Medicine, will turn this injustice around.

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54:27: Ray Charles – “I Got a Woman (Diplo Remix)” (Self Released, 2005)

This is the point in which many of you will stop listening. No offense taken here. It’s a stupidly ballsy move on my part. Firstly, it’s not really a house track at all. (It has its house tendencies, and it’s perhaps the closest Diplo has come to house, but it’s just not house.) Secondly, it’s a remix of “Gold Digger,” a love-it-or-hate-it future relic of 2005, a song that will be soon forgotten and seldom missed. But, well, it makes me chuckle. So I squeezed it in. (Sorry.)

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