- A house music classic that set the standard and shaped the genre.
- There are many myths and revisionist fantasies about the history of dance music. Some are created in the minds of those who study it, but even those who lived it naturally have skewed perspectives. For people who came from the world of traditional musicianship, the DJ has been a disaster for modern music. Individualism replaced entire bands and industries. On the other hand, contemporary dance music artists often try to adhere to some idea of the "underground." This usually means an aversion to any sort of mainstream popularity and a need to do-it-yourself to the degree that collaboration and business norms are shunned. Ten City's 1989 debut LP, Foundation, stands as a riposte to these myths.
Although house has its roots in the late '70s and the innovative DJ styles of Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy, it was the youth of Chicago who came up after that truly crafted the sound. As house music became the de facto Windy City youth culture, a myriad of groups and labels sprung up across the city. The music would soon become an international sensation. Inevitably, corporate interest was not far behind.
A young Raymond Barney, founder of Dance Mania, ran Barney's Records, which was a key record store and early distributor for electronic music out of Chicago. Bright Star Records, one of his sub-labels, put out a smattering of 12-inches in the late '80s, including a few by a group called Ragtyme. They were masterminded by Marshall Jefferson, who played a pivotal role in shaping house music. Atlantic Records, one of the biggest record labels of the post-World War II era (and home to many jazz and soul artists) was interested in developing Ragtyme's vocalist, Byron Stingily, for a major label deal. This would be the catalyst for the formation of Ten City.
Guitarist Herb Lawson and synth-savvy DJ Byron "B. Rude" Burke were friends of Stingily, and occasionally did session work for Ragtyme. When Atlantic approached Stingily about signing as a solo artist, he insisted on bringing Lawson and Burke along. Thus Ten City was formed. The group's debut, Foundation, is full of massive songs that remain dance floor staples today: "Devotion," "Right Back To You" and one of the tunes that arguably set the standard for what deep house could be, "That's The Way Love Is."
The album itself is a time capsule, a glimpse into what artists were aiming for during this fledgling period of electronic music. In addition to those dance singles—which appear on Foundation as edits of the longer 12-inch versions—there are a number of lesser-known club tracks and some downtempo material. "Where Do We Go?" is the strongest ballad of the bunch, a New Jack Swing-style tune draped in the style of late '80s-early '90s R&B and mixed by Steve "Silk" Hurley. In another world, it could have been an easy radio tune.
"Suspicious," "For You" and "Satisfaction," meanwhile, are classic Marshall Jefferson club cuts. The other ballads, "Foundation" and "Close And Slow," are weaker in spite of the stunning vocal and guitar performances from Stingily and Lawson. Hurley comes back around for mixing duties on "You Must Be The One", another club cut that feels slept-on in hindsight.
Foundation's club classics further solidify Jefferson's outsized influence on houses music. You can draw a direct, evolutionary line between his groundbreaking debut, "Move Your Body," and these Ten City hits. With major label money came access to studios and equipment far beyond the genre's bedroom-and-basement origins. "Devotion," "Right Back To You" and "That's The Way Love Is" are not only functional tools for DJs, but fully-produced songs that stand tall alongside modern soul music.
Although they all have the emotional and lyrical depth of classic love songs, it's the "That's The Way Love Is" that has transcended generations. There are many Chicago classics that get played around the world to this day, but few elicit the massive response of "That's The Way Love Is"—instant, euphoric recognition. "Silk" Hurley provides the mix for the album version, but 12-inch single mixes by Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis are also heavily rinsed on dance floors. It even reached Number 1 on the Billboard U.S. Dance chart.
Rarely do dance music albums achieve the unifying, universal feelings embodied by Foundation. It's clear Ten City was trying to transcend the underground and succeed by conventional music industry standards instead. Rather than function within the lone genius stereotype often romanticized by modern producers, Ten City brought in a host of collaborators to bring their vision to life. Kenny Bobien, who would go on to contribute vocals for numerous house music projects, sang backup, while the 15-strong "Ten City Orchestra" filled out the arrangements on a variety of instruments. The orchestra included percussion from Earl Young, a Philadelphia artist credited with inventing the four-on-the-floor, an innovation he made while working as a session musician for Gamble and Huff.
Although experimentation was essential to the development of house, preaching to a limited audience of the converted was not considered a virtue as the movement went global. Ten City and Farley "Jackmaster" Funk famously appeared on Top Of The Pops, and with good reason. Uplifting hits like "That's The Way Love Is" and "Promised Land" came from the underground but were meant for the masses. On Foundation, ambition—and the lack of a strict template—allowed Ten City's artistic expression to flourish. This unifying intent makes Foundation a timeless classic.
Tracklist01. That's The Way Love Is (Underground Mix/Edited Version)
02. Where Do We Go?
03. Suspicious
04. Foundation
05. Right Back To You (Edited Version)
06. Satisfaction
07. You Must Be The One
08. For You
09. Close And Slow
10. Devotion (Edited Version)