Celebrating Club Hitz: Mark Moore, Graeme Park and Jeff Young reminisce about their favourite 80s dance tracks

Virgin Radio

22 Sep 2023, 09:56

All day on Virgin Radio 80s Plus, we’re taking it back to the dance tracks that made the UK club scene so iconic during the decade. 

Today (22nd September) is Club Hitz day on Virgin Radio 80s Plus, where we’ll be playing some of the biggest tunes to hit dance floors across the country. 

Not only that, but some of the biggest DJs who were vital to the club, dance and house music scene in the 80s stopped by to chat to host Steve Denyer, including the likes of S Express’ Mark Moore, Graeme Park and Black Box DJ Daniele Davoli. 

First up to chat to Virgin Radio 80s Plus host Steve Denyer was music maestro and A&R rep Jeff Young, who picked A Guy Called Gerald as one of his biggest dance tracks of the decade. 

Voodoo Ray was the very first single by Gerald Simpson, otherwise known as A Guy Called Ray. 

The single, released in 1988, spent a whopping 12 weeks in the UK charts, and was recognised as being the best-selling independent single of that year. 

Speaking about the dance club release, Jeff, who helped bring up artists like Neneh Cherry and Texas, said: “What's good for me is that it was part of the Manchester scene and all the things that were going on up there with guys like 808 State who Gerald was actually part of at one point. An absolutely superb piece of UK dance.”

Next up, and Graeme Park is perhaps best known for being one of the original founders of the UK rave and club scene, and was a notable figure at the Hacienda Club in Manchester. 

He picked Farley 'Jackmaster' Funk and Jesse Saunders with Love Can't Turn Around as well as Steve 'Silk' Hurley’s Jack Your Body.

Graeme explained: “They both came out in 1986, and we're pretty much on-the-ground club hits for a couple years before the Summer of love 1988, and they exploded and became international pop hits. They still sound incredible and they're just full of so much energy.”

Mark Moore started his career in the early 80s in the London club scene, launching S’Express in 1988. The dance act's debut single, Theme From S’Express, went straight to number one in the same year.

One of his favourite 80s club tracks was Rock Da House by Beatmasters ft. Cookie Crew, who he actually helped get signed to their first record label 

“It’s so close to my heart,” Mark explained. “I was playing it in clubs when I was DJing and everyone would go crazy and I thought it's mad that this hasn't been signed.”

Finally, Italian DJ and producer Daniele Davoli found huge international success with Black Box, who released their seminal hit, Ride on Time, in 1989. 

The infectious dance track shot straight up to number one, and as shared by Daniele, it helped to “open the door to the rest of the world.”

He told host Steve: “I've got a special relationship with the UK music market. If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't be speaking English today.”

On the iconic sampling that made the track so iconic, Daniele revealed it happened, “accidentally,” adding: “You don't have a plan, you just do things and throw them out and see what happens. So that's what we did.”

You can listen to Virgin Radio 80 Plus HERE. You can also listen on DAB+ in London and Central Scotland and on smart speakers across the UK, as well as via the Virgin Radio UK app.