Maybe one out of every ten remixes of a classic record really gets enough traction to be put alongside the original. Probably half of the ones that get pushed by the press and circuit DJs are – not to put too fine a point on it – trash. They’re meant to stake out a chart position and maybe make it easier for management to score a few festival bookings (and on the big stage this time). For that they do their job, but the first boss we serve is the music itself and they don’t serve it very well.
Without these external pressures, the Director’s Cut remixes and singles that have been put out so far by Sosure Music have been tasteful and well-executed. Maybe most importantly of all, they serve the music. The people involved are simpatico with the sound palette of Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper and not merely fattening up the bass and tossing some effects on top so people on patios in Ibiza will have livelier music to snort molly to.
SoSure’s “Baby Wants To Ride” remix 12″ featured Jimmy Edgar’s stomping edit that made the rounds as tribute to FK after Frankie passed away in 2014. “I’ll Take You There” features the Director cut Classic Signature mix from the original Director’s Cut Collection LP, plus a new remix by Moplen, who uses the original to showcase virtuoso work on the keys; The Shapeshifters, who frequently worked with Frankie in his final decade; and from Dimitri From Paris, who made the best of the bunch. Frankie had tremendous respect for Dimitri, and it’s not hard to see why. Dimitri makes the chords gleam, punches up the mix with a bit more swing but maintains, like a translator of precious manuscripts, the overall melancholic mood of Jamie Principle‘s take. I love the original and I love what Dimitri did with it.
Frankie Knuckles Presents Director’s Cut ft Jamie Principle: I’ll Take You There (Dimitri from Paris Remix) / Sosure
A1. Frankie Knuckles Presents Director’s Cut ft Jamie Principle: “I’ll Take You There” (Moplen remix) (7:18)
A2. Frankie Knuckles Presents Director’s Cut ft Jamie Principle: “I’ll Take You There” (Directors cut Classic Signature remix) (7:48)
B1. Frankie Knuckles Presents Director’s Cut ft Jamie Principle: “I’ll Take You There” (Dimitri From Paris re-edit) (7:48)
B2. Frankie Knuckles Presents Director’s Cut ft Jamie Principle: “I’ll Take You There” (The Shapeshifters remix) (7:42)
Love for the Underground: Originally published in 5 Mag issue 173 with Timmy Regisford, Bonobo, Soul Clap, A Man Called Adam, Rocksteady Disco & more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
