Move Your Body Part 2

Marshall Jefferson, "Move Your Body"

Ralph Rosario, "You Used to Hold Me"

Hercules, "7 Ways To Jack"

Farley Jackmaster Funk, "Love Can't Turn Around"

As promised, here is the look at the second disc of Move Your Body: The Evolution of Chicago House. It's another great mix, although I'm not sure that here the same evolution on this disc, as most of the music sounds similar throughout. Whatever, that doesn't take away from how good some of these songs are. It's only fitting that the song the compilation is named for, made by the man who put together the compilation, "Move Your Body" by Marshall Jefferson, is a standout.

It's a really amazing compilation, but I must say that it doesn't seem to be as representative of the Chicago house sound as I thought. There seems to be much more of a post-disco sound than anything, as a lot of the tracks have that lush, ecstatic sound that one associates with disco. While that was a huge part of the early house sound, the European influences like Kraftwerk are not evident on these 2 CDs, and that was one of the big additions that guys like Frankie Knuckles brought to the disco. In fact, it's one of the parts that most appeals to me, as house began to become more mechanical and robotic, away from the humanity of disco. It sits right between disco and techno, simultaneously human and machine, emotional and distant, I think the next compilation, Trax Records: The 20th Anniversary Collection, will show a little more of that side, and give us a chance to discuss the history of the music and scene more.