djzyonseven
Before I became the DJ I am today, I was already trying to mix records back in the early 1980s.
I was in my early teens.
Now, was I good at it yet?
Not really.
But that did not stop me from making mixtapes, experimenting with songs, and trying to figure out which records sounded good together.
Shannon’s Let the Music Play was one of those songs I kept reaching for.
It was one of the first grooves that I fell in 💜 with.
That beat was impossible to ignore. 🎧
Released in 1983, Let the Music Play was Shannon’s debut single.
It later appeared on her 1984 debut album, also titled Let the Music Play.
The song was written by Chris Barbosa and Ed Chisolm and produced by Barbosa and Mark Liggett.
The track reached number one on Billboard’s Dance chart and number two on the R&B chart.
It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
That is a serious crossover moment for a brand new artist.
The song also helped introduce what became known as electronic freestyle music.
At the time, dance music was changing.
Disco had faded from the mainstream, but people were not about to stop dancing.
The sound became more electronic, more rhythmic, and more influenced by Black and Latino club culture.
Let the Music Play was right in the middle of that change. 💃🏾🕺🏾
The production mixed drum machines, synthesizers, electro funk, R&B, and Latin-inspired rhythms.
People eventually started calling that style the “Shannon Sound.”
You can hear its influence in many freestyle records that came afterward.
The lyrics tell a simple but very relatable story.
A woman meets somebody while dancing.
Things seem good, but then she sees him with someone else.
Instead of losing it in the middle of the club, she keeps dancing and lets the music do the talking.
In other words, stay in the groove, keep your dignity, and let him realize what he is missing.
Honestly, that is not bad advice. 😏
The video keeps things simple.
Shannon prepares in a dressing room, walks onto a theater stage, and performs with dancers.
No huge storyline.
No wild effects.
Just movement, style, and a song strong enough to carry the whole visual. 📺✨
For me, though, this record is connected to my own growth as a DJ.
When I first tried mixing it, I did not fully understand timing, phrasing, or how to make transitions sound smooth.
I just knew the song felt right.
That Beat!
That Groove!
Those Lyrics!
It sounded perfect for mixing.
As I got older and became better at mixing, I started using it again in some of my later sets.
By then, I understood why it worked so well.
It blends beautifully with R&B, dance music, electro funk, and old school freestyle.
It has energy, but it still has soul.
That is probably why it has lasted for more than forty years. 🎶
Let the Music Play is more than an 80s dance hit.
It is one of the records that helped shape freestyle music and introduced Shannon to the world.
And gave young DJs like me something to practice with.
And Boy, did I practice!
And Boy, did I learn!
Some of those early transitions may have been a little rough, but the record never was.
djz7
#TheSoundtrackOfWhoIBecame, #Shannon, #LetTheMusicPlay, #FreestyleMusic, #80sMusic, #80sRnB, #DanceMusic, #OldSchoolMusic, #ClassicRnB, #DJLife, #MusicHistory,
