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"You Better Work" by Kai Fikentscher - Book Review
If the "History of House Music" was an elective course in college, Kai Fikentscher's book "You Better Work", published in 2000 from Wesleyan University Press, would be required reading. "You Better Work", at 160 pages is the first educated account of this world we call House music. No, the title is not derived from Ru Paul's dance track back in the mid-nineties. I had the opportunity the meet with Kai in his New York apartment. He was introduced to UDM (underground dance music), or House music, through a friend who had some 12" records of the early Chicago style of the genre. Kai then fully exposed himself to House music at none other than the legendary Paradise Garage. While attending Columbia University, Kai did his dissertation on Underground Dance Music in New York City, earning his degree in ethnomusicology. This gave birth to the book that put Kai in the Mecca of New York clubbing days to perform research. Receiving much skepticism from Academics, (who gets a PH.D in House Music?), he continued his research with bags under eyes, as a student in the New York nightlife. The Underground Scene in New York gave Kai much grief about his studies too. Finding and getting feedback from the mysterious NY dance community prior to 1996 was true detective work. A turning point for his research was writing for Dance Music Report, giving him direct association and respect from the scene. He eventually received open arms and minds from Francois Kevorkian, Tony Humphries, Roger Sanchez, Mel Cheren, Louie Vega, Danny Tenaglia, Frankie Knuckles and Todd Terry to name a few. Kai realized that to truly understand House music, he had to understand Disco. He felt it was a responsibility to study Disco, paying respect to the roots of House. What he found was that most of the innovations in recording and format associated with House music had already been discovered and used in the days of Disco, it was just that no one bothered to notice then. Disco had so many negative associations, cutting its life short. Kai had also found that cultural studies merging music and dance together were lacking in general, which is strange considering the two have gone hand in hand since the first beat of a drum. "You Better Work", is filling a void, offering insight to the collective experience between music and dance. The book is not only a comprehensive history of house, but an explanation of its roots in the gay, black and Latino communities and a guide to the interaction between the DJ and the dance floor. As he delves further into dance music, and the reader further into his text the book might be considered verbally heavy for some. If you should read, "You Better Work", keep in mind that no such study has been attempted that is this focused and insightful. There is much to be said, to be exposed and to be studied, in the cultural significance of Dance music, especially House and its spin-offs. The content may be more suited for, say a scholar, or a student of music, but if you want a broader, more in depth understanding of the music and the people, this is essential reading. During parts of our conversation, Kai played rare gems of classic house, one of which was the first commercial release of a 12" single, 10 Per Cent, on Salsoul Records, 1976. This led us to talk about Tom Moulton, an influential engineer/mixer/producer. Moulton, within some circles, is credited for the technical invention of the 12" single, the format that is a standard today. Moulton's contribution paved the way for Walter Gibbons to make the 12" single a mainstay of DJ culture. With such a wealth of wisdom before me, I had to ask Kai to play his all time favorite tracks. As with any house aficionado, this is not an easy task. Regardless, he dutifully started digging in the organized piles of records consuming his apartment. In writing You Better Work, Kai acquired a passion for DJing too, so he blended together his favorite tracks consisting of Mr. Fingers', Mystery of Love, The Fog's, Been a Long Time on Miami Soul, Liberty City's, If you really love some one, Back Room Music's, Definition of a track, among other classics. Expect to see more from Kai as his contribution to the music and dance shelves of academia as well as the clubbers' library will make him a sought after expert. Wesleyan University Press gets kudos for realizing that this music is not a passing fad, but a way of life. Two other titles from Wesleyan of interest are Sarah Thornton's Club Cultures, and Paul Theberge's Any Sound You Can Imagine. Club Cultures is a breakdown of youth culture in clubs and raves. Thornton, somewhat detached from the subject, has several accounts of her clubbing and raving documented in the book. It still reads like an outsider looking in. The content is interesting and understandable, but if you are an avid clubber/raver it will be nothing new except for the sociological points. The book gives proper attention to the European Rave scene, but not much conclusive theory is offered. Theberge's book was a tough book to pick, because I knew I couldn't put it down. Any Sound... can be considered the study of the DJ/Producer as a consumer. Full of industry tales and tidbits; this book is testament to the knob-twisting and flip-switching culture of gear head producers. In the end, these books bring some refinement, substance and brains to the otherwise sweaty, booty grinding imagery of club culture. Originally published in BPM Culture Magazine
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Contributor's Note
When the past meets future for Jason, the moment is fueled by a creative background in music, writing, film and philosophy providing a nexus of the complex world to come. He is currently a freelance writer and ghostwriter of books, articles and screenplays.
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Underground Dance Music in New York City
| BPM Magazine
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