Voguing and The House Ballroom Scene of New York 1976-96 (Soul Jazz Records)

A highly stylized dance initially developed in New York’s ballrooms during the 1960s, Voguing enjoyed a renaissance with the city’s gay black and Hispanic crowd at the beginning of the 1990s. Until now, treatment of Voguing has largely been confined to the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning or more widely through Madonna’s ‘Vogue’ released in the same year. While focus has often been on fashion or dance routines, Soul Jazz have sought to curate a soundtrack of the period, offering a musical introduction to a vibrant period at the dawn of modern, New York dance music.

Rather than focusing solely upon material released during the period (1989-92) covered by the corresponding photo book released in December 2011, Soul Jazz’s collection ranges from commercial 1970s disco to underground 1990s house. Initially, this may prove disorienting for the listener, but its aim is to encapsulate the free-for-all which took place in the ballroom’s DJ booths.

Diana Ross’ ‘Love Hangover’, which reached Billboard Number 1 in 1976, really benefits from being presented in its extended, 12” format, unravelling from a steamy ballad into a groove-led conversation between guitar and bass before eventually reuniting with the sweeping string section over eight decadent and dramatic minutes. While ‘Love Hangover’ sits comfortably amid a broad compilation, Cheryl Lynn’s familiar disco hit ‘Got To Be Real’ drags in its lengthier form and is perhaps the least engaging track on the record.

More intriguing is Loose Joints’ funky ‘Is It All Over My Face?’. Clipped drums and the untidy scuffle of guitar and synthesiser subside as the strutting female vocal emerges and the groove slots in around it. Iconic and recognisable yet lacking Diana Ross’ chart-ready Motown sass, Loose Joints was a collaborative project between DJ Steve D’Acquisto and downtown darling Arthur Russell. If the 1970s was disco’s sunshine decade, then this track signals the genre’s return underground. In his biography of Russell, Hold On To Your Dreams, Tim Lawrence notes that while it was overlooked by NYC’s white gay scene, ‘Is It All Over My Face?’ found a home with the typically black and Hispanic voguing crowd. Like so much of Russell’s extensive catalogue, it’s a track with a foot in both the musical past and future.

If disco depicts the flamboyant, nostalgic glamour of the ballroom then the tougher house music emerging from New York during the period was its contemporary soundtrack. ‘The Ha Dance’ by Masters at Work is seven minutes of pounding percussion, wailing synth and a snipped vocal (apparently sampling Eddie Murphy). This straight up, unswung romp feels at home beside plenty of house releases from more recent times.

‘Witch Doktor’ by a youthful Armand van Helden follows in similar fashion. No-nonsense drumming and a rave siren make for a raucous opening, but “Witch Doktor” comes unstuck as the manipulated vocal just sounds too similar to the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ barked throughout van Helden’s more recent output as half of electro-house duo Duck Sauce.

Deservedly given centre stage on this release, the hugely influential Junior Vasquez held residency in the ballrooms’ DJ booths throughout the period. His track ‘X’ samples Jose Xtravaganza: one of the scene’s most prominent figures as depicted in documentary Paris is Burning. Junior Vasquez went on to a high profile career as a remixer, but has rarely strayed from his New York Underground roots as a DJ. His subsequent inclusion on the LP is coupled with a full-length mixtape to coincide with the record’s release.

As Voguing’s most mainstream exponent, Madonna seems a sensitive subject for those within the community. Whether or not she pilfered and magpied as is insinuated, her involvement in the scene doesn’t extend beyond 1990. Soul Jazz instead elect Malcolm Maclaren’s ‘Deep in Vogue’ as their era-defining anthem. With house piano and several excerpts from Paris is Burning, Maclaren’s signature touches of pop sensibility are scattered brilliantly across the recording.

While the juxtaposition of house and disco sometimes jars, Voguing contains enough high quality material to be highly recommended. Listeners can be assured that alongside the accompanying photo book produced by Soul Jazz, this LP provides a rich and multi-dimensional vantage upon a wild era in New York’s long nightlife history. Soul Jazz have given this often overlooked period in dance music history all the glittering attention it deserves.

Buy it HERE.