80’s Flashback

Raze, Break 4 Love, 1988. A sexy classic of the early days of house music, Break 4 Love was a global smash, reaching #1 on the U.S. dance charts and topping out at #28 on the UK pop chart. Vocalist Keith Thompson had a falling out with producer Vaughan Mason (whom you might recall from his 1979 roller-disco hit Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll), leaving Mason to lip-sync Thompson’s vocals in the below video. According to a comment he left on YouTube, Thompson never knew of the video’s existence until last year. I’ve heard (but can’t confirm) that Thompson is gay and in 2007 he performed his update of Break 4 Love for 100,000 gay pride revelers at Paris’ Bastille. In 2001, Pet Shop Boys collaborated with DJ/producer Peter Rauhofer on a speeded up cover of Break 4 Love, taking their version to #1 on the U.S. dance charts as well. Today you can often hear Raze’s original during morning music sets at gay clubs.