- A rare Chicago gem, available again on Palms Trax's new label.
- To really know what was going on in Chicago during the early days of house music, you need someone close to the source—an informal archivist like Gene Hunt, or a straight-up private eye. Take "Body Fidelity," for instance, the 1987 track from Rog'e, AKA Reginald Rodgers, and vocalist Tanya Stevens. The bassline absolutely slams. It also bears a clear resemblance to the bass on Adonis's "No Way Back," released the year before. This collective inspiration is typical of the period. Every DJ had a take, putting their own spin on the rapidly developing genre.
"Body Fidelity" was the first release on the short-lived label Jack Street, run by Rodgers and his frequent collaborator Solomon Bramlett. It's easy to see why Palms Trax plucked "Body Fidelity" from obscurity for a slick new reissue on his label, CWPT. The sensual vocal house track is both of its time and anomalous.
The "House Club Mix" pairs the Adonis-style bassline and Stevens' sexy vocal—a kind of spiritual predecessor to Megan Thee Stallion's "Body"—with a jacking percussion breakdown and an outro synth lead that has more in common with the alien soundscapes of Detroit techno than Windy City house. All the mixes are outstanding and well suited to their given purpose. There's more of that wild percussion on the "Percussapella Mix," a focus on the Roland bassline on the "Bass-Ment Mix" and a poppier vocal-forward arrangement on the "Radio Mix." Though they hark back to the early days of house music, you could rock any one of them today.
Tracklist01. Rog'e - Body Fidelity feat. Tanya Stevens (House Club Mix)
02. Rog'e - Body Fidelity feat. Tanya Stevens (Percussapella Mix)
03. Rog'e - Body Fidelity feat. Tanya Stevens (Bass-Ment Mix)
04. Rog'e - Body Fidelity feat. Tanya Stevens (Radio MIx)