Moodswings - Spiritual High (12" Moodfood Megamix)

Moodswings - Spiritual High (Moodfood Megamix) / 12 Inch Extended Remix (HQ Audio)

When Spiritual High first appeared in 1990, it seemed like just another underground 12-inch single from a mysterious dance act - another extended ambient track perfect for soundtracking the sunrise at Ibiza’s Café Del Mar.

However, a revised 1991 version featuring Chrissie Hynde on vocals hinted that there was more depth to this electronic project, and indeed there was.

Grant Showbiz spent the 1980s as a roadie and guitar tech before moving into production, working on albums for The Fall, Billy Bragg, and The Smiths’ 1988 live album Rank. In 1989, he teamed up with James F.T. Hood to form Moodswings.

Hood had worked as a drummer for The Pretenders, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, and Jeff Beck. He later became an innovator in ambient music, blending his compositions with animations in his highly successful 8K immersive projection show, Beautifica 360, which continues to intrigue audiences across the UK and Canada.

Moodswings’ highly accomplished 1992 debut album, Moodfood, further highlighted the duo’s experience.

At the time, dance acts were generally singles-oriented, but Moodfood set Moodswings apart.

The album opens with three versions of Spiritual High blended together, including the 1991 version featuring Chrissie Hynde, before taking the listener on a journey through soundscapes and grooves, almost like a film soundtrack (Spiritual High itself was featured in the closing credits of the 1992 film Single White Female).

In addition to Hynde, Showbiz and Hood brought in Johnny Marr for engineering and additional guitar work, and Jeff Beck even contributed a guitar solo on one track.

Spiritual High merges Moodswings’ own groove with Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech and concludes with the choir from Donna Summer’s epic Jon and Vangelis composition State of Independence.

For the 1991 release, Hynde introduced Summer’s original vocal back into the mix, resulting in a track much closer to a cover version of State of Independence than the original Spiritual High.

Despite the richness of the project and Spiritual High’s underground popularity in the early ’90s, Moodswings never had a Top 40 record. This was their most successful track, peaking at No. 47 in the UK.

Featured here is the Moodfood Megamix - an extended version from the 1991 release, clocking in at just over 9 minutes.

The 12” also includes the Chrissie Hynde version and the original 1990 edit.

Year: 1992 Label: Arista Cat no: 664 528