I’ve interviewed countless old school producers and to a person, every one of them talks with a kind of existential dread about living in the past. The irony is that it’s often their youngest fans – and not some zoot suit wearing fossil from another age – who want the old shit. There are people who have only a little interest in what Ron Trent has done since “Altered States,” and that says a everything about their limited taste and little about the quality of Ron Trent’s catalog since.
So it’s a rare treat to hear Louie Vega go back to touch up a disco track, and even moreso a disco classic. “Bourgie’, Bourgie'” was released by John Davis & The Monster Orchestra in 1979. Though Davis had been a session player with MFSB, this one was penned by Ashford & Simpson and would later be performed by both A&S (on Warner in 1980) and Gladys Knight and The Pips (and MUCH later by Watergates in a straight-up House version in 1993).
And while people say music isn’t a competition, “Bourgie’, Bourgie'” has also been edited countless times: Catz ‘n Dogz (2011) and the A&S version by Joe Claussell and by Director’s Cut in a (still) unreleased version a few years ago. So doing it again, people have a measuring stick handy…
The vinyl features two cuts and the digital version five. Louie Vega’s main mix preserves that thick, heavy bass and it actually sounds like he added a full live bass to the mix. It’s more than 12 minutes long and I think it’s pretty much the law that you’re gonna have to play this start to finish. It’s interesting in terms of what Vega left in: despite nearly 40 years time, this sounds fuller and more vivid than thousands of records made in the last few years. Whether it was Davis’ ear for sound, beautiful studio engineering or exceptional preservation of the master tapes, you can’t really deny how GOOD it sounds.
The vinyl features Louie’s Dance Ritual Dub on the flip. On the bonus side, the digital features a couple of instrumentals and the “Louie Vega Ruff Mix @ Daddy’s Workshop” – a hyped-up, seemingly off the cuff edit built around that incomparable guitar strum.
Support! This was originally published in 5 Magazine Issue 137 featuring Demuir, Igor Jadranin, Apollo Music Group with DJ Heather, Lil’Mark and Dan X, a DJ’s guide to music streaming and more. Support Real House Music and become a member of 5 Magazine for First & Full access to everything House Music for just $1 an issue!
[…] I've interviewed countless old school producers and to a person, every one of them talks with a kind of existential dread about living in the past. The irony is that it's often their youngest fans – and not some zoot suit wearing fossil from another age – who want the old shit. There are people who have only a little interest in what Ron Trent has done since Altered States, and that says a everything about their limited taste and little about the quality of Ron Trent's catalog since. So it's a rare treat to hear Louie Vega go back to touch up a disco track, and even moreso a disco classic. Bourgie', Bourgie' was released by John Davis & The Monster Orchestra in 1979. Though Davis had been a session player with MFSB, this one was penned by Ashford & Simpson and would later be performed by both A&S (on Warner in 1980) and Gladys Knight and The Pips (and MUCH later by Watergates in a straight-up House version in 1993).Original Article […]
[…] Davis & The Monster Orchestra made some of the most popular discotheque treats of the 1970s. “Bourgie’ Bourgie'” has been remixed by everyone and their mother, but Louie still found something new in his 2016 […]