The Welcome to the World of Marshall Jefferson collection is more of an historical anthology than a generic compilation, from the godfather of house and expert of the genre in its purest form. The first disc titled "House Music: the Beginning" is an exploratory selection of some classic tunes, rife with rolling pianos, electro basses and 909 hand-claps. Alison Limerick's "Where Love Lives" is the epitome of the vibe at the time with a strong melody and pulsating groove under her soulful vocal. Another great track is the progressive "Give it to Me" from Bam Bam which opens with a veritable symphony of electro stabs, wiggles and samples then breaks down to a squelchy wash of synth, drum and sparse vocal. Disc 2 "Marshall Jefferson: 2001" is a set of new anthems from the 21st century, still with a funky vibe by latter day standards but lacking in the nostalgic electro-crunch of the first disc. Bel Amour's self-titled track appears in its Rhythm Masters mix and bounds well into Jesse Saunders' "Body Music", a slice of funky progressive house onto which Jefferson throws some lines though sadly only as an introduction and not a live jam. Welcome to the World of Marshall Jefferson is a great overview of house music as it was then and as it is in 2001. And it does open up possibilities for a more comprehensive series or box set to follow, of which Jefferson would be the perfect curator. --Georgina Collins
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