Calvin Harris - Acceptable in the 80's

by Adrian Huggins

published: 23 / 3 / 2007

Label: Columbia
Format: CDS

Home made dance music from live DJ Calvin Harris with a strong emphasis on fun

Review

With his home made version of dance music Calvin Harris is a contender for the prize of the most contradictory song title in the world. ‘Acceptable in the 80’s’ ? Well, yes mate, pretty much everything was acceptable then because it was rubbish. This was the decade that spawned Bon Jovi, polka dot leggings, men in make-up, Kraftwerk, and more spandex than a cycling event after all. There wasn’t much that got left out in the 80’s other than a general disregard for taste. For some unknown reason far too much of that decade is coming back, probably due to the fact that the up-and-coming trend setting youth of today weren’t dressed by their parents in the 80's and, therefore, have little knowledge of how vile an era it was. At 23 Calvin Harris could hardly be accused of this, but he’s certainly making a name for himself around the live DJ circuit of the UK. The great thing about Harris’ brand of unique dance music is that it was made in his own way. He is intent on being far more than just another slightly balding bloke who plays the latest ‘Creamfields’ or ‘Ministry of Sound’ album in his local nightclub while saving for another summer in Ibiza. Harris, who live plays with a full band, is clearly concerned with both having fun and being inventive, and these traits are what made things exciting back in the days of the early rave scene. Rather than being music based on image or posing, this is good fun dance music, which should have a lot of dance fans rushing out to buy a copy.