One from the past... The Stone Roses go dance

I Am The Resurrection. In my mind, this song will always stand as the pinacle of everything the Stone Roses were about. In its full eight minute long version, it represents a towering accomplishment of musicality and skill, blending influences and sounds to create a riotious stormer of a track that still sounds just as fresh and innovative now as it did twenty years ago.

On one hand you have the first part of the song, the part you still hear played now and again on the radio - this in its own right is a cracking bit of Brit-pop. The hooks are all there, added to a stomping beat - the very ultimate in toe-tapping bliss from the heart of Madchester.

And then there is the immense instrumental outro. As the first part ends, slamming into that infectious bassline, you're reminded that the Stone Roses were as much a band for the dancefloor as they were for the sweaty indie venues and crowded fields of stoned revelers. Which draws me on to the 'Extended 16:9 Ratio Club Mix' which originally appeared as the A-side of the single's 12" release.

You need only look at the current midweek Number One - Wretch 32's Unorthodox - to see the Stone Roses' dance heritage in full health, the tune sampling as it does the band's iconic Fools Gold riff. But listening to the 12" extended mix of I Am The Resurrection, the dance vibes are just as strong here too. The beat gets a few tweaks, the bass is brought forward in the mix. Whereas the original was certainly danceable, that side of affairs felt secondary to the big, beating rock heart of the track; the mix places that emphasis firmly back on the other foot. 1992 or 2011, this remains a bloody good track.

Wretch 32 feat. Example - Unorthodox

When devising a future smash hit set to dominate the airwaves, it’s all about the hook.  That key element to every song, that snatch of musical magic that will stick in someone’s head and get them parting with their hard-earned cash to download a piece of that pure delight.  And in terms of brilliant hooks, you don’t get much better than the bassline from The Stone Roses’ 1989 classic Fools Gold.

Enter Wretch 32, AKA Jermaine Scott, the latest hyper-talented youngster to burst onto the UK rap scene.  Taking up that irresistible Stone Roses hook, he’s crafted it onto a classy slice of urban lyricism.  With Example helping out on vocal duties in the chorus, it’s a winning formula that would be just at home blaring out of the car speakers on a sunny day as it would pounding away in a club.  The perfect follow up to previous single Traktor, which shot straight into the UK top ten.

Growing up in Tottenham, Wretch 32 honed his marketing skills early; selling over 15,000 copies of mixtapes.  Clearly he’d make an ideal candidate on The Apprentice.  Wretch 32’s credentials come with some hefty references too; man of the moment Tinie Tempah hails him as ‘one of the best lyricists in the game’.  Strong praise, but with tracks as good as Unorthodox, Wretch 32 is definitely deserving of it.