What does it sound like?:
Last year’s untimely death of Frankie Knuckles caused an outbreak of ignorance on the Afterword board, but I’d point any lingering doubters in the direction of this new two-disc compilation, a worthy tribute to a man who not only practically invented house music but remained one its leading lights until the end of his life.
On offer are two discs of remixes and original productions chosen by the man himself, and though you may know many already (Your Love, Tears, Where Love Lives and Baby Wants To Ride are all present and correct) they sound absolutely spiffing here, buffed up and leaping out at you with fresh sparkle.
Meanwhile there’s a ton of stuff that you (and by you, I mean me) probably haven’t heard before: a tremendous, piano-led re-rub of the Pet Shop Boy’s Left To My Own Devices, which over eight minutes builds from its skeletal, jack-track beginnings into a full-on, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mini-opera, and a gorgeous remix of Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody that feels like a sensuous, otherworldly echo-memory of the original track. His mix of First Choice’s Let No Man Put Asunder repositions a 1970s disco number for the mid-1980s and still sounds ahead of its time. The worst of Frankie’s productions are elsewhere; the best of them are here, ripe with grandiose, yearning beauty.
What does it all *mean*?
That he really was one in a million.
Goes well with…
Feeling uplifted.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
House music. Soul.
I’ve really missed your Nights In, Poppy, but my wallet hasn’t.
*Roots down back of sofa for loose change*
Didn’t know this was out. Thank you Poppy!
Purchased.
Oh heck Poppy, that’s a tenner you owe me 🙂
“Outbreak of ignorance” – I remember that. “Who is this person who doesn’t play a guitar?”etc….
Oooo….that was a great thread
I remember the “outbreak”. Our ignorance was more than a little embarrassing.
So thanks for sticking to your guns, Poppy. Slowly but surely you are dragging some of us out of our former comfort zone.
Nice one Poppy. Hadn’t realised this was out. It would’ve been nice if Defected had done a vinyl release, though.
Thank you so much, all. It really is a lovely thing. Already this morning I’ve been wallowing in the sun-up lushness of The Whistle Song.
A couple of words of warning. The packaging is nice but a fiddly, and — massive crime, this one — the sleevenotes rhapsodise about at least one track not actually on the compilation (maybe more, but I stopped reading in protest).
Yep me too
Well, in the interests of self-education, I bought this (and Rhiannon Giddens) in HMV yesterday while waiting on a friend. Intrigued, cos I know little about (what I would call) US dance music, being more a casual browser of brit techno (which is what you probably wouldn’t call it).
I wouldn’t describe Rhiannon Giddens as U.S. dance music. You must get LCD Soundsystem, the self-titled album, if you haven’t already.
Had this on in the car this morning on the drive in to work.
The version of “Baby Wants To Ride” that’s on this collection isn’t one I’ve heard before. My eyes nearly popped out of their socks and rolled down the M11.
Mr Principle here leaving everyone in no doubt just what exactly he wanted the nomencular “Baby” to ride on…
Of course, it’s always been heavily implied and never needed a rocket scientist to have a good guess but to hear, for the first time, some 26 years (bloody hell!) after first hearing this tune, to hear “I want to fuck you” boom out of the speakers at 10:00am left me spluttering. I thought it was safe for my younger kids who wouldn’t get the allusion and allow me some nostalgia time in the car. Oh no. This was a shocker on the scale of the first listen to “French Kiss”.
Anyway – Underworld’s corking version of the same tune…
Listening now, under my cans. Some of it’s making me feel all rude an that, and it’s not even 7 o’clock yet.
That’s not saying much. Last time it was Val Doonican Sings Gilbert & Sullivan But Irishly.