One Nation Under a Groove

Sessions is Union Square Music’s 2CD urban and dance music range. Aimed at both the hardened dance music fan and the impulse purchaser, each Sessions title is packed full of hit singles, big club tracks and a choice selection of forgotten gems and underground classics picked out by our expert crate-digging compilers. Strong generic packaging including an outer slipcase, informative sleeve notes and a low price in the shops have made Sessions one of our most popular labels.

Disco and funk combine on Phat Trax: The Best of Old School, Vol. 2, which pays tribute to the sounds that inspired hip-hop. Rolling, voluptuous basslines, uptight guitars, and vibrant brass sections drive tracks like Funkadelic's "One Nation Under a Groove," Fatback's "Backstrokin'," and Tom Browne's "Thighs High (Grip Your Hips and Move)," bridging the gap between funk and disco and providing countless rap and hip-hop artists ample material for sampling. Sun's "Sun Is Here," Faze-O's "Riding High," and T.S. Monk's "Bon Bon Vie" are among the other highlights of this funky, stylish compilation, which also documents just how integral these songs were to hip-hop's development.

ALL SHE WROTE is a breezy good time and a good document of the state of popular dancehall in the early '90s. The rest of the songs, including the #1 U.K. hit version of "Twist & Shout" and "Tease Me," cover various pop reggae styles. The record also includes some of their earlier hits, like "Gal Wine," as well as a reworking of Funkadelic's "One Nation Under a Groove." And while these songs have pleasures all their own, they pale next to a masterpiece like "Murder She Wrote." Oh well, one perfect song per album is still a good percentage.