"This Is Acid," also known by its full title, "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)", is the name of a #1 Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Hot Dance Club Play

Hot Dance Club Play

The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...

 chart single by Chicago house music

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

 DJ and producer Maurice Joshua

Maurice Joshua

Maurice Joshua, also known just as Maurice, born in Chicago, Illinois, is a record producer who is most known for his laid back and soulful House music style remixes.-Career:...

, who recorded the track under his first name "Maurice." It reached the top spot in April 1989 and stayed there for two weeks.

The song contains spoken lyrics performed by male singer "Hot Hands" Hula Mahone. The lyrics introduce the listener to the acid house

Acid house

Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...

 sound.

Versions

The original 4:56 version—made with only a Roland TR-808

Roland TR-808

The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...

 drum machine, Roland TB-303

Roland TB-303

The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:...

 bass synthesizer, reverb, and vocals—was first released as a B-side track on the Maurice Joshua with Hot Hands Hula single "I Gotta Big Dick" in 1988, and only Mahone and producer Lidell Townsell

Lidell Townsell

Lidell Townsell was a house-music artist from Chicago, Illinois. He originally released numerous singles on the Trax and D.J. International labels. He released one album, Harmony, on Mercury/PolyGram Records as Lidell Townsell in 1992...

 were given writing credits.

When the song was later released as a separate single, the artist name was changed to just Maurice and the song was subtitled "A New Dance Craze". Most editions featured only sample-laden Les Adams remixes, the most popular of which makes repeated use of sirens and sexual screams in the background. These releases didn't mention Mahone or Townsell; they only credited Joshua as the only producer and writer, plus Les Adams and keyboardist Mike Stevens for the remixes.

Legacy

"This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)" was Joshua's only hit single, but he did go on to be a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

-winning producer and remixer.

"This Is Acid" was covered

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 by German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 duo VooDoo & Serano

VooDoo & Serano

VooDoo & Serano are a duo of DJs and producers/remixers from Germany. They are made up of DJ VooDoo and Tommy Serano.-Discography:Albums*2004 - Back For MoreSingles*1997 - Kick Da Groove...

 off their album Radikal Techno 6.

The song can be heard in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...

on the in-game radio station SF-UR.

Original version

(on Maurice Joshua with Hot Hands Hula - "I Gotta Big Dick" - Trax Records

Trax Records

Trax Records is a house-music record label based in Chicago. It played a major part in the development of house music with records such as Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love."...

 TX169):

• A1 - "I Gotta Big Dick" (6:20)
• A2 - "I Gotta Big Dick (Instrumental)" (5:23)
• B1 - "This Is Acid" (4:56)
• B2 - "Feel the Mood" (4:15)

12" Maxi (US)

(on Maurice - "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)" - Vendetta Records

Vendetta Records

Vendetta Records was a dance record label subsidiary of A&M Records. It was launched in 1988, but it was shut down in 1990, shortly after its parent was purchased by PolyGram Records.-Artists:*Brat Pack*Denise Lopez*Reimy*Dirty South*The 28th Street Crew...

VE-7016):

• A1 - "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze) (S & T Mix)" (7:22)
• A2 - "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze) (Deep Dub)" (5:58)
• B - "This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze) (K & T Mix)" (6:24)