In the beginning, there was Jack, and Jack had a groove. And from this groove came the groove of all grooves. And while one day viciously throwing down on his box, Jack boldly declared, "Let there be house!"
Thus preached the Reverend Chuck Roberts in 1987. And if the gospel of Jack still commands the faithful on international dancefloors today, it has more than just a little to do with a certain international apostle with famous golden locks, who goes by the name of Heidi.
From her early days as a resident DJ on BBC Radio 1, breaking the hottest new jacking house records, to her world-famous Jackathon parties and eponymous label, Heidi has emerged as the indisputable Queen of Jack.
See also: Heidi on Bass: "I'm a Sucker For All Things That Hit Me Below the Belt"
"It's pretty straight forward for me," Heidi tells Crossfade about her musical leanings. "An 808 or 909 drum machine. A deep man's voice saying something about house music, dancing, or anything related to that. And a wicked bassline that makes me get low to the floor. Basically, anything that hits the pelvic region."
Go jack it with Heidi at Treehouse on Friday. But first, brush up on some of the classics and more contemporary scorchers with her top ten jacking jams.
10. Steve Silk Hurley's "Jack Yo Body"
"I have to put the most infamous jack track in my list. It doesn't get much better than this. Original gangsta."
9. Jesse Perez's "Interracial Booty Call" (Jimmy Edgar Remix)
"This one came out on my Jackathon Jams label, and it simply destroys the dancefloor. Jesse and Jimmy are the perfect combo to make you jack. It's a butt-shaker for sure."
See also: Best of Miami 2013's Best Record Label: Jesse Perez's Mr. Nice Guy
8. Serge & Tyrell's "Pump-O-Matic"
"Clone Records are the new-age jack masters. They produce some of the best house tracks around. If you ain't Dutch, you ain't much. Pump it."
7. DJ Deeon's "Da Bomb"
"Dance mania record label would probably be considered booty or ghetto house, but personally, I think it's one of the best tracks to bust some serious moves to. Face down, ass up."
See also: Uncle Luke's Top Ten Booty Jams of All Time
6. Kim Ann Foxman's "Creature"
"This is track that came out in 2010. Former frontlady of Hercules & Love Affair came out solo with a bang. This has all the elements of what a brilliant New York house jam should sound like. She is my new favorite producer."
5. Robotman's "Do Da Do"
"This was one of Richie Hawtin's earlier aliases. I have fallen back in love with this track. It's simple, but packs the right amount of punch. It has the swing."
See also: Ten Acts That Could Save EDM
4. DBX's "Electric Shock"
"Dan Bell is another man that made so many amazing tracks in the '90s. This was one of my favorites. Another one of Detroit's finest."
3. Cajmere's "Percolator"
"It's hard to only choose one of Cajmere's tracks, as I play so many of them in my sets, but this one has been there since the beginning and will never leave my sets. It always makes the crowd go wild and it's absolutely timeless. He can do no wrong in my eyes."
2. Derrick Carter's "Where You At?"
"When I first heard this record, I went wild. Such a jam. And the person who made it is even more special. Derrick Carter is one of the reasons why I love house music as much as I do, and one of the funniest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."
1. MD X-Spress feat. Mike Dunn's "God Made Me Phunky"
"This one always makes me nuts. I absolutely love Mike Dunn's voice. Every track he has produced or featured on, I play to death."
Heidi and Tiefschwarz. Presented by LINK and Miami Rebels. Friday, November 1. Treehouse, 323 23rd St., Miami Beach. The party starts at 11 p.m. Call 305-674-7447 or
visit treehousemiami.com.
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