"Is It All Over My Face" is one of the most classic underground dance tracks ever. Its winning combination of insanely funky, minimal proto-house percussion, bass and keyboard work (courtesy of leftfield disco genius Arthur Russell) and great sleazy, double-entendre lyrics - "Is it all over my face?/You caught me love dancin'" made it an instant favorite with New York and Chicago DJs like Larry Levan and Ron Hardy, and it has endured ever since. This version contains both the rarely heard Male Vocal version which is heavier on percussion, and the sweeter, more widely known Female Vocal. Like so many of my favorite disco records, this was one those situations where the drummer was paid in coke before the session, instead of afterwards, resulting in an open drum break at the beginning of the track and many moments of spontaneous cumbustion along the way. In Chicago, dancers scream back "hell yeah" in response when the DJ cuts out the song after the question "Is it all over my face?" The first time a fellow DJ showed me that trick while I was playing it out in Chicago to a packed house party, and I heard 100 people screaming that back at me in unison, my career fate was sealed. Buy it already - it's an absolutely essential dance classic. Remastered 2014 pressing, recommended.

• music label: West End 1980 / 2014

reviewed by Language 05/2009