The year was 1989, a time when the world was experiencing a musical revolution that would shape the future of electronic dance music. Acid house had erupted onto the scene, and its pulsating beats and mind-bending synths were captivating the hearts and souls of young music enthusiasts worldwide.
This was a trans-formative period when I was quite young and tender, and seduced by songs that sang about Ecstasy. Plaza's "YO YO," does this, counts, and has an unforgettable bass line that still resonates with me to this day.
It was a typical evening in Manchester, the city where musical innovation often found its home. Acid Alan, my father, was known through many decades as he spanned them looking for tunes, and he still is. At the time he had an uncanny knack for discovering hidden Acid House, Belgium, New Beat and just rare audio jewels. On this particular night, he was set to spin the turntables at a wedding reception held in a large hotel along the A6 road near Heaton Moor, Stockport.
The details of the hotel have faded
The memories of that night remain vivid in my mind. As the bass rumbled through the speakers, and the strobe lights painted the room in electric hues, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation. It was a crazy time, Acid House music was in the charts, and people were very open to new music of this kind. The dance floor was alive with energy, and the crowd ready for a journey. And then, it happened. From the depths of the speakers emerged "YO YO" by Plaza. It was a track that seemed to encapsulate the very essence of the POP side of the New Beat movement, a genre that was forging its own path up the cobbled roads into the North of England and direct at high volume into the brain space of those lucky dancers.
Its simplicity is a paradox – a hypnotic rhythm slammed the listener with a count down, and change and very few were able to to surrender to its New Beat solid groove. The massive sound from Belgium, with and still is infectious and pulsing baseline, it was like a new musical revelation back then. It struck a chord deep within me, resonating with a power that could only be likened to the impact of a hammer striking an anvil. It was as if Plaza had crafted a sonic elixir, one that had the power to transport us to a different dimension. James Leyland Kirby, and I always acknowledged Plaza Yo Yo - and at the time it was one of the many 12 inch records we bought and have kept in our record collections.
What truly warmed my heart
After four decades, others like us, who were smashed with its sound back in the 80s and 90s, are going back and unearthing the "YO YO" spirit again. on platforms like YouTube. Reading the comments, it is still clear that this track had left an indelible mark on countless souls, just as it had on mine.
As we journey back to the New Beat past, Plaza's "YO YO" remains a fun and treasured relic, a Belgium nougat for any old time aficionados, kids born in the 70’s and 80s around the world.
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