Gat Decor is the moniker of London-born Simon Slater, and is an anagram of “Tag Records”, a London-based store where Slater worked.
He used to be Resident DJ for the Xenon nightclub from 1984 to 1990, and for the Valbonne nightclub from 1990 to 1993. His first single ‘Feel So Good/Life’ was released the summer of ‘89 on Prophet Records, but it wasn’t as big a success as Passion (released in the winter of ‘92) was.
Originally released in 1992 on Effective Records, the 12-inch single contained the original, instrumental version (“The Naked Mix”) along with Darren Emerson’s remix on the B-side (incidentally this was Emerson’s first remix). The 1992 release was an immediate sensation in underground dance clubs, and eventually became a mid-charting hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 29.
“Passion” is notably one of the first songs to be referred to as “progressive house”, utilizing a heavy bassline and a distinctive “piano-house” progression in its second half.
Since its original release, “Passion” has been officially and unofficially re-issued several times. A 1996 version featuring a newly-recorded vocal peaked at number six in the UK.
Additionally, the track is known for its 1996 “Do You Want It Right Now?” mix, which was a mash-up of the 1992 instrumental with the vocals of “Do You Want It Right Now?” by Degrees of Motion.
As of 2007, countless bootlegs have been released, consisting of remixes and other mash-ups. The track has appeared on an abundance of compilation albums and DJ-mix sets (both official and unofficial). Other producers who have mixed the song throughout the years include Junior Vasquez and DJ Chus.
In 1996 Mixmag magazine ranked the 1992 single number 33 on their list of the “50 Most Influential Records of All Time”. In addition, Mixmag (and their readers) ranked “Passion” number 22 on Mixmag’s list of “100 Best Dance Singles of All Time”.
The track, in both its original and various bootleg forms, is still widely played in nightclubs to this day.
Check out his website on http://www.gatdecor.com.
