Think about the future!

Happy Mondays in their earlier days. Photo via their Bandcamp page.

In 1990 I would have been scrambling to find anything Madchester-related, following my exposure to The Stone Roses the year before, and reading the descriptions in music magazines and newspapers of other like-minded rock bands playing even heavier music over drums grounded in funkier, dance rhythms. 

So when I finally got my hands on Happy Mondays’ Hallelujah EP, my first exposure to their sound after reading thousands of words describing it, I remember being slightly underwhelmed, hoping for more of a small army of dance-able drums layered over each other (based on what I’d read). But as I played the tape it grew on me, and when I got to the final track on side B, my jaw dropped. It was as if all the original versions and remixes had been building up to “W.F.L. (Think About The Future Mix).” The dance beat felt massive to me (at the time) and the use of a sample from Tim Burton’s Batman—easily my most anticipated cinematic event of the prior year—was just an extra cherry on top.

Over 36 years later I still return to “W.F.L. (Think About The Future Mix)” and it’s always remained just as potent a hip-shaker and groove-strutter as it was the first time I heard it. 

Ready to dace in 3…2…1…