Catalogue Number CSRT003
There’s an ethereal magic to this track that connects it to the very early days of rave and lifts it above many other tracks of the time. It would have endured anyway but ‘Obsession’ has taken on a new poignancy following the devastating death of Ultra-Sonic frontman Mallorca Lee in early 2024.
It immediately acquired ‘anthem’ status on its white label release and along with ‘Energy Rush’ and early tracks by TTF licensed to other labels built the very foundations of Clubscene Records itself, exceeding expectations of what a fairly low budget track with its roots in small towns in Scotland could achieve. In short, this track took on the world.
‘Obsession’ is the first official release where we see Mallorca, Rodger Hughes and producer Andy Haldane working together. They would do so for many years to come, on dozens of tracks, enjoying phenomenal success. Andy gave some excellent insight into the making of the track when he appeared on Episode 20 of Mallorca Lee’s XL Podcast and I think it’s fair to say he played a key role harnessing Mallorca and Rodger’s ideas into a more coherent structure and helping translate their creativity and passion into something that works incredibly well as a recorded piece of music. Like every young band in Scotland at that time, there was a limit to the equipment available to them and pressures of time. They were moving so fast and life was changing so quickly, they almost had to work on instinct. Haldane was an experienced hand but I think enjoyed the challenge of the restrictions they were under. The song benefits from a few slightly rough edges – it’s almost as if, rather than compromise on the original vision, the team have accepted one or two imperfections. As it turns out, these actually enhance the track.
It spans genres and defies easy categorisation as it works its way through elements of trance, techno, very early hardcore, piano house and even touches of pop. This fusion represents what was known as the early ‘rave’ sound. It was about people and styles coming together. That’s where the magic was. Mallorca would later say that ‘Obsession’ (its title inspired by a Calvin Klein advert) was his way of attempting to capture the way he felt about the dance music or rave events he was attending around 1990/91.
The vocals must surely rank as among the greatest ever recorded on a dance track. Heather Allan (now Heather Allan Finnie) was in her mid teens when she delivered an outstanding performance which at times reaches almost spiritual heights. Her vocals and in particular the soaring ‘come on and dance with me’ refrain are in a league of their own. Listen to the section from 2’42 to 3’04 for an example that very few tracks can match. There’s a grit and experience in her voice in places, and an almost angelic tone in others. Her vocals capture perfectly the energy, emotion and life changing spiritual cleansing many would say they experienced in the midst of rave events. I find it incredibly offensive when some people attribute that simply to illegal substances. Yes, they played a role for some, of course they did. But there’s something else going on with this song that has enabled it to endure for well over 30 years. Simply, it connects to something deep inside us.
What made Ultra-Sonic such a force was that not only could they deliver an outstanding genre defying anthem like ‘Obsession’, they backed it up with harder, crowd pleasing rave anthems on the B-side of this release in the form of ‘React’ and ‘Amnesia’. These tunes which ran seamlessly together were supported by live crowd noise and were the first time we heard Mallorca’s MC skills. ‘Amnesia’ is the harder and darker of the two. It’s a formula US would revisit to ever increasing success and helped cement their status as a ‘must book’ PA at venues around the world. The foundations are here.
It would have been so easy for Ultra-Sonic to pick a lane and stick with it. Instead, right from the start, they are intent on challenging their audience, taking them to places no-one else in the scene was prepared to, taking risks and refusing to compromise.
Following the terribly sad passing of Mallorca Lee, these songs provide a lasting memory of his creative force and approach to life. But there’s also a cultural importance to these songs which should not be overlooked. This is the sound of motivated and talented young people working together, communicating how they were feeling at the time and in the process, connecting many thousands of others, all around the world.
‘Obsession’ would be reissued and licensed several times, as we’ll discover on our journey. All 3 tracks on this release feature on the ‘Essential Clubscene Volume 1’ compilation album, ensuring their availability on CD.