Tune #102: Chicago House Syndrome - Work It

Straight from the vault!

CHICAGO HOUSE SYNDROME - WORK IT

DJ Deep (Cyril Etienne des Rosaies) is a true music miner. On a daily quest to wander in record shops, he has not lost his appetite in search of lost gems. His City To City compilation series is worth having for the proponents of obscure house/techno music, originated in New York, Detroit and Chicago. In the third part of the series, a primitive yet catchy and groovy track can be found.

Chicago House Syndrome was an alias used by Richie Jones and Rich Tancredi for the production of an EP (Work It), back in 1987 (Dance-Sing Records).
 
Richie Jones is an American producer, starting his career as a remixer in 1983. He is known as the mastermind producer behind the Degrees Of Motion, an early 90's NY house group with instant success; the first single Do You Want It Right Now, a remake of Siedah Garrett's track, hit the UK National Charts, after being signed to Pete Tong's label, FFRR.

Rich Tancredi is a keyboard player, focused on house music. He provided his technical expertise in several house tracks of the 80's and later he became a producer for popular artists (Taylor Dane, Mariah Carey, Laura Branigan, Celine Dion).

I am not a big fan of the early Chicago house music (though I respect classics such as Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It). However, Work It actually works for me. It is a simple composition production-wise, but its simplicity and funky jam are the elements that make the track addictive for non-stop listening. I believe the fact that it was released on small independent NY label prevented it from being a classic track of that era!