WORDS BY NICK GORDON BROWN
There are house tracks that, when played right time and place, knock you for six… only to be forgotten by the time you’re in the cab home. And there are those that remain indelibly etched on your soul.
More often than not, the latter will be vocal cuts. There have been singers who have featured on a global house smash then never been heard of again; equally there have been a few ‘rent a voices’ along the way. Then there are those who pick and choose their projects carefully, their involvement thus acting as a benchmark of quality.
Which brings us to India, and the euphoria induced by her gloriously impassioned (yet when necessary, impeccably restrained) vocals. Teaming up with the inimitable Masters at Work and introducing herself to the house world with these two tracks set that aforementioned benchmark pretty high:
Masters At Work featuring India - I Can’t Get No Sleep
River Ocean featuring India - Love & Happiness (Yemeya Y Ochun)
However India was no newcomer. She was already making waves in the Latin / salsa scene, and had debuted with Louie Vega with the 1989 freestyle hit The Lover Who Rocks You (All Night) under the name La India. If you’re thinking the mix here doesn’t sound like an '89 freestyle jam, that’s because it’s a mysterious noughties version. A staple of Dimitri From Paris’ sets, this bootleg owes more than a little to Strings of Life:
La India - The Lover Who Rocks You (All Night) (Strings Of Life Vox)
…the early noughties had already seen the MAW / India combo back in the spotlight with Backfired:
Masters At Work featuring India - Backfired (Main MAW Mix)
India adds depth to the simplest words, igniting a dancefloor. Take Voices In My Mind (part of a heavyweight collaboration under the artist moniker Voices), where “I hear the voice of freedom, oh yes I do“ gets the spine tingling:
Voices - Voices In My Mind (Master-Vox Down Mix)
…while the moment the words “to be in love with you is everything” drop has set dancefloor pulses racing for over two decades now:
Masters At Work featuring India - To Be In Love (Original MAW Mix)
India was a shoo-in for vocal duties on MAW’s genre/generation-straddling Nuyorican Soul project in 1996. Their faithful interpretation of the Salsoul classic Runaway was ripe for a contemporary remix, and few were hotter at that moment than Armand Van Helden. His mix here showcases his trademark style, including chopped vocal snippets, but even AVH couldn’t resist an epic breakdown to showcase India’s stunning performance:
Nuyorican Soul featuring India - Runaway (Armand Van Helden Remix)
Our final selection sees India team up with Tito Puente Jr. to update his father’s Latin classic Oye Como Va – the hugely underrated Joey Musaphia on remix duty:
Tito Puente Jr. & The Latin Rhythm featuring India - Oye Como Va (Joey Musaphia Main Mix)
You can catch India performing some of these classics LIVE at Defected London FSTVL on Saturday 14th September and for Glitterbox at Hï Ibiza on Sunday 15th September. Tickets and info HERE.
