Dance Mania

This label was on fire in the mid 90's. It wasn't uncommon to get 3-5 new Dance Mania records per MONTH, every month!

I calling my record shop and just said to my dealer "I'll take them all", every week. They were all white label copies too.
I think it was either Hardwax or Neuton that was pushing Dance Manias by the bulk in Europe. I'm glad they did!
Within couple of years one could hear the progression from, say -95 to 98, from classic ghetto house to more juke sounding style.

I also reading from some interview in -95, some classic guy, maybe Glenn Underground or DJ Sneak laughing at Dance Mania sound and calling it "ghetto house" that kids listen to in Chicago. This was as opposed to more "mature" sounds of Relief, Cajual or Guidance. I just thought; Immature or not, this is some jackin' shit and I want to hear all of it!

If you are in the lovely business of crate digging and chasing used records, the ones most beaten up will almost always be from DM. Hands down. It's frustrating at times, but you gotta hand it to them: it means these rekkits are played!!
What a label, one of the few ones that started one way and then slowly reinvented itself to become a cult label.
And if you ever see some piece of destroyed DM wax, it doesn't matter, buy it anyways. Those treasures have stories to tell.

dance mania for life, kept the roland sound alive. best year was 95. tunes blew my mind ...Chicago house will never die

If there was an award for most records in circulation with DJ names and BPMs written on the labels, that award would certainly go to Dance Mania. :)

my best label with GHETTOMANIA RECORDS! Save the VINYLS! Manatane

Big props liltal!! Well said on behalf of dance mania AND ghetto houz (juke)
I grew up in Austin Texas but because of Walter @ CW Paas, plus friends from Chicago was exposed to all of this from my child hood circa 1987.. all the way up to now..

Jackin always.. Jammin joel V.

I laugh when people whom don't do there homework and think they know how ghetto houz muzik was born and only go by there opinion and not giving the real truth!!! I went by the name Slick Master Rick in 1987 sign my first record deal with Dj International Records. The name of my trax "Brother's and sister's house on 13th street! Aka Halloween House" this trax lunched the foundation and planted the seed of "GHETTO HOUZ"
The style of Ghetto Houz is universal mix with House,Techno,Electro,Acid house, and Hiphouse it's not mainly about doing explicit music
Mixing House and Techno, Houz'Mon created and founded the style we all know now as ghetto house muzik,The style was born at The Factory Nite Club on the west side of Chicago... that sound and this sense of crossing boundaries has made his music so appealing and enduring to many people across different musical scenes.
I'm the man who gave dj funk his first start he came out with his first release in the late 93 after i release my ep before him not 92 on dance mania???

One of the greatest, most unique/original labels in house music. I'm late on this page but have been ing since the early 90's. An unusual thing I noticed with Dance Mania original pressings (Metropolis Mastering) is that if you play in reverse, the needle will end in a locked groove at the outer edges of the record, so just like it does in the centre when played correctly... Worth ing this tip if you think you might have bought any of the counterfeit's out there & want to check...

does anyone know a good place to get dance mania records in london?

Does anyone know what Ray Barney is doing now?
Is he still active?

My comment on DM: this is a truly legendary house label, one of the most influential. In my opinion, only Trax can cope. DM has always (except for very few early releases) featured a raw and intense style of house, in different flavors. Stomping, clever, simple, trashy (in a good sense), raw and funky. Thank you, everyone of the producers, for the music, and thanks to Ray Barney!