Gat Decor (or Gat Décor) is a house music act best known for its 1992 song "Passion", which is considered to be one of the best-known works of the early progressive house genre. The main contributor of the act is the British DJ and producer, Simon Slater. The name 'Gat Decor' was derived from an anagram of 'Tag Records', a record store based in Soho, London.
Although Gat Decor does not have an extensive catalog (two proper singles and a handful of remixes), the act and "Passion" are widely considered influential to dance music in the early 1990s; and Slater still operates a Gat Decor website and continues to license "Passion".
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"Passion" is Gat Decor's best-known work. 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 (this was Emerson's first remix). The 1992 release was an immediate success in underground dance clubs, and eventually became a hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 29.[1] "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 subtitled the "Do You Want It Right Now Mix", featuring a vocal recorded by Beverley Skeete peaked at number six in the UK.[1] The remix was a 4 minute version of the 1992 seven minute instrumental with a re-recording of the vocal of "Do You Want It Right Now?" by Degrees of Motion featuring Biti. A bootleg with the original vocal from Degrees of Motion sang by Biti Strauchn[2] mixed over Passion had been in circulation for some time before.
As of 2008, 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.