“We Got To Hit It Off”: Millie Jackson gets the Dimitri From Paris & Opolopo remix treatment

This Acid Jazz release of “We Got To Hit It Off” is a set of remixes of a classic 1979 disco/funk chugger from Millie Jackson and both new versions have fucked with the OG in various ways. If you’re a soul purist and you want to walk away now I’d understand; but I’m every bit as much of a soul music snob as you and I’ve got to say, these remakes do a pretty good job of updating things.

Dimitri From Paris delivers a Liberated Woman Mix and a dub; in both he ups the tempo, gives it a 4 to the floor kick drum and makes it pump, but what really works is the main string riff which he’s makes the most of, and when its sped up and discofied it sounds almost like the song should have been this speed in the first place. It’s a great job because it keeps lots of the original instrumentation, so feels like it’s kind of faithful to the OG version, while substantially increasing the pace and drama in a way that has big dancefloor potential. Loving it.

Opolopo, meanwhile, delivers two remixes, the first keeps the disco strings but rebuilds most of the rest of the track into a perfectly serviceable nu-disco-ish vibe, which is cool, but it’s his Deeper Mix which gets my vote. Dumping most of the original apart from the vocal, he’s built a churning machine-funk soulful house groove with a nice plastic sounding semi-square wave running underneath some expertly programmed beats and synths.

Both sets of mixes are really strong in very different ways, and out of the ten million old soul tracks that had a kick drum stuck under them this week, this package is easily one of the best.

⚪️ We Got To Hit It Off (Remixes) Tracklisting

Millie Jackson: We Got To Hit It Off (Remixes) (Acid Jazz / 12" Vinyl + Digital)
1. We Got To Hit It Off (Dimitri From Paris Liberated Woman Mix) (06:36)
2. We Got To Hit It Off (Dimitri From Paris Liberated Woman Dub) (06:44)
3. We Got To Hit It Off (OPOLOPO Deeper Mix) (07:40)
4. We Got To Hit It Off (OPOLOPO Mix) (05:43)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement

This record was not submitted as a promo.

⚪️ Previous Coverage

❇   Features: Disco Forever: Dimitri from Paris on the Rise and Fall of Philly Disco (2010)
❇   Features: When Guetta Was Underground: Up and Away by David Guetta and Robert Owens (2013)
✳   New Music: Dimitri from Paris Remixes Frankie Knuckles & Jamie Principle’s I’ll Take You There (2019)
✳   New Music: #ListenUp Dimitri from Paris & DJ Rocca’s New Disco Jams (2019)
❇   Features: A Tom Moulton Interview (2012)
❇   Features: Dimitri from Paris: The 5 Magazine Interview (2009)

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MADE IN CHICAGO: First published in 5 Mag Issue #220 featuring Jamie 3:26, Ryan Sadorus, Alexander Flood, James Duncan on Canada’s Collective Rhythm Network and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right now…

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