In 2005, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia began to pervade the club/dance scene.
Madonna released Confessions on a Dance Floor, an overt homage to her '80s reign as the queen of the clubs, ex-
Bronski Beat singer
Jimmy Somerville released his strongest record since the demise of the
Communards, and
Erasure resurfaced for a world tour. The seeming desire to return to the mid-'80s even began to filter through to new artists like
Jason Rylan. The Las Vegas-based singer/producer's first EP is an unabashed return to the glorious decadence of the mid-'80s club scene, a libidinous paean to dancefloor hotties that's as erotically charged as a classic
Soft Cell single but also ultra-catchy in the bubblegummy dance-pop style of
Stacey Q. "Go Go Boyz (Maori Mix)" even reintroduces that instantly familiar piano sample that was the hallmark of house music for close to a decade. A taster for
Rylan's full-length debut Walk Away, due in 2006,
Go-Go Boyz heralds what could be an interesting new talent to a previously moribund form. ~ Stewart Mason