Who could have anticipated the cultural impact of these recordings some 25 years ago? Originating in the basements and underground clubs of Chicago, often amateurishly recorded and badly pressed on low-grade vinyl, these tracks not only took to the charts at the time - much to most people's surprise - but defined dance music for the decades to come.

Every single modern day house music track is based on the templates these early pioneers have devised from the roots of disco, soul, and synth-pop, and the original productions have long become part of the pop music canon.

Take this compilation's opener for instance, Mr. Finger's 'Can You Feel It', which just recently entered mainstream culture again through its inclusion in the 'Grand Theft Auto' video game series. The same goes true for Frankie Knuckles & Jamie Pinciple's 'Your Love', which was famously mashed up with Candi Staton's acappella of 'You've Got The Love'. Or 'Love Can't Turn Around' by Farley 'Jackmaster' Funk, the first house music track to enter the UK singles chart, peaking at number 10.

And these are only the first three tracks of a selection in which every track constitutes a defining moment of house music history. Whether you have simply been born too late, in which case we urgently recommend catching up with the classics, or your vinyl has slowly withered away over the years - you need this essential compilation.