You couldn’t move for the sheer number of iconic dance records dropped on us in the 90s. As such, there are so many, many brilliant tunes absent from this issue’s essential playlist that, frankly, it’s giving us sleepless nights, but there’s no escape – we’ve simply had to come to terms with the fact that it’s impossible to namecheck every great record from a decade cramme with literally thousands of contenders. Our approach has been to assemble an inclusive playlist that highlights just some of the bigger tracks of the period – some underground rave cuts that crossed over, plus others that just made a huge mark. It’s a snapshot of the decade’s dance anthems whether tied to blurry memories of fields of ravers and warehouse revelry, or just those unashamed Eurodance records that were guaranteed to fill the floor.
It shouldn’t matter which camp you belong to; indeed, if there’s one thing the 90s proved, it’s that once you get good music out to the masses, they often cherish it as much as those who discovered it.