From Kent Williams Sent Thu, Nov 19th 1998, 04:03
DJ Milton from DanceMania has moved to Iowa, and I was up to his house to help him sort out his computer last night. For those that don't know, Dancemania has put out the classic ghetto house tracks over the years. Milton is a great guy and has contributed to the scene in Iowa since his move here. Anyway, he flipped me a couple of his mixtapes and a mix CD, and I thought I'd say a few words about them: Ghetto House is not 'intelligent dance music.' But it is tremendously fun stuff, and Milton's quick-cut style makes these mixes very entertaining. Booty House is the party sound of south side Chicago, and guys like Milton, Deeon, Funk, and Slugo are legends there. It also involves graphically sexual, sometimes misogynistic chants. If you take this sort of thing seriously it can set your teeth on edge, but if you spend some time around these guys you can't see it as anything other than humorous. It's very much out of the tradition of Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and 2Live Crew. And musically there is something to hear and enjoy. It is very basic and raw, but in the context of Milton's mixes is never monotonous -- the beats jump back and forth between 4 on the floor, electro, and hiphop style beats, sometimes in the same 16 bars. Bleeps, honks and sped up vocal samples flit in and out constantly. And there is always that undeniable funk underneath, that's meant to keep your body moving. Milton's CD's and records are available at finer music emporiums, or if you don't have access, drop me a line and I'll hook you up. Kent williams -- xxxx@xxxxxx.xxx email my pager at xxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxxx.xxx