Old Skool Sunday : Way Out West - The Gift

If you were a club kid in Florida in the mid to late to nineties you undoubtedly went to (or at least heard of) the Club at Firestone. If not, it was the epicenter of the Florida rave scene, with a steady stream of top-notch DJs passing through its hallowed halls... leaving throngs of unsuspecting party people awestruck in their wake.

Yesterday I attended the Firestone Reunion/15th Anniversary party, and while it isn't exactly the epicenter of clubdom anymore, I nonetheless got to hear some great classic tracks... When it struck me - wouldn't it be great to feature music from 'back in the day'?

So without further ado, I'm kicking of Old Skool Sundays. Each Sunday I'll post a quick review of a song that stands out in my mind as a precursor to the progressive breaks of today.

While I was at Firestone I heard the perfect fit for our first Old Skool Sunday. A song that - no matter where or when I hear it - takes me back to some of the most fun times of my life and brings a smile to my face. Way Out West's "The Gift" contains many quintessential progbreaks elements: a classic groove, layers of dreamy pads and sound effects, haunting, uplifting vocals... All joining together to form a euphoric wave of sound that carries you out to sea to a deserted island where you contemplate life under a blanket of iridescent stars...

Okay so maybe that's just me, heh. In my opinion, though, that is the signature of a good song. It takes you on a journey far away from your everyday life. And the boys of Way Out West are masters of their craft. They truly bestowed upon us a 'gift' 14 years ago, and continue to do so to this very day.

Update: As fate would have it, WOW has just released a series of remixes of "The Gift" for 2010. Check them out on Beatport!