But then again, maybe this was the best label of the 80s. It’s hard to understate their influence on the current dance-punk scene, at the very least. But unlike that dead end genre that hasn’t produced a truly defining album yet, ZE produced a number of them with their secret weapon: diversity. Check these three tracks for proof…

Was (Not Was)– Out Come The Freaks, [Was (Not Was)]

Let’s start off easy. Was (Not Was) was exactly what you might’ve expected from ZE Records. Funky, sometimes horn-driven, disco. You can, of course, hear the difference from the beginning, though, from normal disco production methods. But it’s at nearly the five minute mark that it becomes obvious that something strange and wonderful is going on here. The breakdown uses a ton of echo, sending the track into a weird dub territory for a moment, before regaining its balance and heading off into the already subversive groove that it had set out for itself. Unstoppable.

[visit ZE Records’ website here, buy Was (Not Was) here]

Cristina– Ticket to the Tropics, [Sleep It Off]

This one was produced by Don Was. And it couldn’t be further from the track up above. Instead of the stomping disco beat, we have a standard rock backbeat and (gasp) driving guitars, luckily he makes himself known on the keyboard solo during the bridge (phew). Released as the first single from Cristina’s gorgeous Sleep It Off, it seemed like it’d be destined for success. Nothing could be more of its time, right? Cristina double-tracked almost sounds like the Go-Go’s! Alas, it bombed and Cristina subsequently quit the business. Rumor has it, though, that Gwen Stefani was offered the track to re-record for her forthcoming solo album. One can only hope…

[buy Sleep It Off here, read Stylus’ review of Doll In A Box/Sleep It Off here]

Lizzy Mercier Descloux– Room Mate, [Mambo Nassau]

Inspired by world music, Descloux departed for Nassau to record her second album, the aptly titled Mambo Nassau. It was a radical departure from her debut in sound, but was clearly the work of the inventive and curious mind of Descloux who experimented much in the same manner of the Talking Heads in creating a funky world music hybrid made out of a traditional rock instrumentation. The bass is the key here, wriggling around while locking the whole track easily into place. But don’t discount Descloux’s vocals, which express the sheer joy of being in Nassau. With the beginning of winter not far off, I can see why she’s so happy.

[buy Mambo Nassau here, read a short article on Lizzy here]