Trained neither as a musician or producer, Mark Moore was instead a young DJ deeply involved in Britain’s dance scene. In the spring of 1988, his aggressively erotic British No. 1 hit “Theme from S’Express,” along with debut hits by Bomb the Bass and Coldcut, opened the doors for a whole legion of young DJs to not just play, but provide, the music for the forthcoming acid house explosion.
Much of Original Soundtrack — a remarkably self-assured debut — harks back to ’70s disco, as titles like “Superfly Guy” and “Pimps, Pushers, Prostitutes” would indicate. It could be argued that S’Express has little relevance to the history of rock’n’roll, but it can’t be denied that the group played a major role in diverting a nation’s youth away from guitar-driven songs and towards beat-heavy dance collages.