The birth point of ecstasy in British music is usually credited to acid house and the second summer of love: a cemented vision of kids sweating and vibrating in clubs, fields and warehouses in 1988, united by universal empathy and mind-popping sounds. However, in 1981, a couple of young men from Leeds went to New York, discovered the drug in its infancy, fused its gritty synth pop to acid houses squelchy 303 groove and recorded an album: Soft Cells Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. The rest, as they say, is history.

Shortly before that Soft Cells debut single Memorabilia was born. Originally recorded a decade before the explosion of acid house and rooted in predominantly black NYC, Chicago and Detroit gay clubs, Memorabilia is a seminal early prelude to rave culture. Merging a strutting disco bass line with a futuristic proto acid-techno beat, Marc Almond has past described Memorabilia as the first acid house techno record ever.

Dave Ball remembers: Memorabilia got to about number 99 in the charts, but the clubs picked up on it. In NME or Sounds they had a chart for the Danceteria in New York, and we were in it. Our label Phonogram saw this and thought: why is this weird little duo from Leeds that no ones heard of suddenly getting played in one of the hippest clubs in New York? So I think they thought: well give them another chance.

Berlins very own upcomers Wally Funk round off the remix package, upping the original tempo slightly, while combining elements the of original production with the later Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing version to create a new hybrid, best played extremely loud!

A1. Memorabilia (Daniel Miller 2023 Remix)
A2. Memorabilia (Daniel Miller 2023 Remix Instrumental)
B1. Memorabilia (The Hacker 2023 Remix)
B2. Memorabilia (Wally Funk 2023 Remix)