On & On
Jesse Saunders is US DJ, music and film producer, and entrepreneur. He is one of the pioneers of house music, often cited as "the originator of house music". Written and recorded by Saunders in 1983, (released in March 1984) "Fantasy" for "Mitchbal Records". After that, he founded his record label "Jes Say Records," where he placed "On And On".
"On And On" was produced by Jesse Saunders and Vince Lawrence. When you listen to the song's structure, you can tell that Italo Disco influenced them, and with the original approach and a different set of instruments, they have produced "On and On," which is one of the first house record ever released.
The timing for "On and On" was perfect due to the Disco scene's oversaturation in the US.
Many years before this, Jesse had been editing and recording on tape machines. He was also the founder of Chicago's Dance Mania before handing it over to Raymond Barney in 1986.
The EP was pressed in a limited edition of 500 copies with the black label, though it's unknown how many white label ones were printed.
The sound legacy continues as Saunders reissued the original EP in 2003 on his label "Broken Records". In 2013 there was another reissue by electro, techno, and house enthusiasts from the Netherlands, "Rush Hour" label and record store. There are also many remixes of the song released on various compilations and mixes.
The price for the original pressing nowadays can go up to $200.
It's a classic, a strait forward boogie house tune with a cosmic touch to say about this piece. It set the ground for the new sound and motivated artists to innovate existing genres, creating different fusions like Hip House, Acid House, Garage, and so on.
On the first listening, you will catch that TR-808 sound with the programmed beats that weren't only some eclectic style, but strait 4x4 in the central parts and electro beat like Imperial Brothers.
Looped discoish sequenced bass, shiny pads, kraftwerkish chords, and strings with freaky "hip-ish" vocals made this one hypnotic dance piece that you'll love listening to on repeat.
Some will argue if this is the first House record to be released; maybe it isn't, but the existence of this project by Jesse Saunders and Vince Lawrence is of great importance for House music. On and On influenced Larry Sherman, an owner of the pressing plant where Jesse and Vince pressed the record. A year later, Sherman started "Trax Records," which is without any doubt an essential record label for House music.