Released 1988 Recorded 1987 | Format 12" Label Vendetta/A&M | |
Genre Chicago house
acid house Length 4:38 (radio edit version) | ||
"This Is Acid," also known by its full title, "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)", is a number one Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart single by Chicago house music DJ and record producer Maurice Joshua, who recorded the track under his first name "Maurice." It reached the top spot in April 1989 and stayed there for two weeks.
Contents
The song contains spoken lyrics performed by male singer "Hot Hands" Hula Mahone. The lyrics introduce the listener to the Chicago acid house sound.
Versions
The original 4:56 version—made with only a Roland TR-808 drum machine, Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer, reverb, and vocals—was first released as a B-side track on the Maurice Joshua with Hot Hands Hula single "I Gotta Big Dick" in 1988, and only Mahone and producer Lidell Townsell were given writing credits.
When the song was later released as a separate single, the artist name was changed to just Maurice and the song was subtitled "A New Dance Craze". Most editions featured only sample-laden Les Adams remixes, the most popular of which makes repeated use of sirens and sexual screams in the background. These releases didn't mention Mahone or Townsell; they only credited Joshua as the only producer and writer, plus Les Adams and keyboardist Mike Stevens for the remixes. This version would later be included in the Trax Records' 20th Anniversary compilation set in 2006.
Legacy
"This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)" was Joshua's only hit single, but he did go on to be a Grammy Award-winning producer and remixer.
"This Is Acid" was covered by German duo VooDoo & Serano off their album Radikal Techno 6.
The song can be heard in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the in-game radio station SF-UR.
Original version
(on Maurice Joshua with Hot Hands Hula – "I Gotta Big Dick" – Trax Records TX169):
12" maxi (US)
(on Maurice – "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)" – Vendetta Records VE-7016):