The Twelve Inch 220 : Domino Dancing : Freestyle/Synth-Funk/Eurodance - 1988

Domino Dancing wasn’t the first time the Pet Shop Boys experimented with Latin rhythms, but it was by far their most successful attempt. In this week’s Substack, I tell the full story behind this fascinating outlier in the club scene of 1988. Freestyle may never have become a major force in Europe, but it certainly had its fans. The two records that follow Domino Dancing reflect that influence.

The unmistakable Freestyle blueprint runs through the first half hour of this week’s mix before making way for late-eighties synth-funk from Atlantic Starr, Tramaine, Jody Watley and George Benson.

The finale shifts into house territory, although these are still the slower, late-eighties grooves where disco remained firmly in the DNA. Sumphonia and Kariya perfectly illustrate how house music was built on a disco foundation, something the Pet Shop Boys understood better than most. They both open and close this week’s mix, the latter with the delightfully quirky I Want a Dog,
Enjoy