Trax Classix: Master C & J Featuring Liz Torres [Digipak] (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Liz Torres.

In the annals of electronic music folklore, Master C & J and their vocalist, Liz Torres, have become neglected and are often a footnote in dance music culture. This is an unfortunate situation, as the group was one of the few from Chicago that performed not only in such meccas as the Power Plant, Warehouse, and Music Box, but also in the highly esteemed clubs of New York (Paradise Garage) and London (Ministry of Sound). Thankfully, Trax has polished up and assembled many of the highlights of their career that were previously only available on vinyl and put them together in the latest installment of the label's reissue campaign. Of course, the tracks were skeletal bare-bones Chicago house of the highest order, and Torres' sexual delivery is rivaled by few in her field (perhaps Robert Owens at his peak). Although the skeletal arrangements of the songs makes them tend to run together in somewhat monotonous fashion, these tracks weren't designed for home or background listening. Like most releases in this series, this is another essential document of the history of Chicago house. ~ Rob Theakston minimize