My latest album “No Samples Were Harmed In The Making Of This Record” is filled with covers of classic house and disco tracks. Mainly because the originals are owned by major labels who have either no idea they own them, no original parts or no interest in releasing new versions. If I was to do the same with chill out tracks, these are 8 I would love to do…
Norah Jones – Sunrise (Radio Slave Remix)
Before Matt took Radio Slave into the deepest, darkest confines of Berghain, he and Serge Santiago used to make more populist edits & reworks under the RS name. All the tracks they did were huge at Salt Lick, the club night I set up to showcase what my Breastfed label was doing with Mylo and Linus Loves, and Matt & Serge played their last ever gig together in Glasgow for me at that night. I think this one is Matt on his own. Here he takes Norah Jones’s delicate, soulful vocals and transforms them into an elongated head-nodding jam for the early hours after a big night out.
John Miles – Stranger In The City (Pilooski Edit)
John Miles is an English rock vocalist and guitarist who is most famous for his 1976 hit “Music” (…was my first love…). “Stranger In The City” is the opening cut from his second solo album. Here Parisian edit supremo Pilooski (from the DIRTY edits collective) turns his slow-burning original into a moody tripped-out percussive jam.
Phil Collins – I’m Not Moving (Dan Idjut Boy Edit)
The original is from Phil’s “Face Value” album and is easily the most underrated Phil Collins track. Dan Tyler from the Idjut Boys operating as Vitesse Naywad (meaning a speedy way of getting from having no money) takes it, extends it and adds a beat and some filter delays to create a perfect afterparty groove.
Fingerpaint – Lunar
Fingerpaint is one half of Classixx and this track owes its vocals to Arthur Russell’s “This Is How We Walk On The Moon”. The Russell original is a haunting work with just his vocals and cello for accompaniment. Russell was a regular at Dave Mancuso’s Loft parties in the 70s and his band Dinosaur L covered all the club stuff while his solo stuff was a lot more ethereal. Here Tyler Blake takes the Russell vocal and imagines what it would be like on a dance-floor. The result is this beautiful, low slung groover.
Midlake – Roscoe [Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Remix]
I love what Erol Alkan & Richard Norris (from 90s house & techno outfit The Grid) did with BYTWS. This is my favourite rework of theirs and it adds just the right amount of thump to Midlake’s Americana.
Sister Sledge – Thinking About You / Sister S – Living Ecstasy (Norinton Remix)
Nile Rodgers is one of my favourite producers and it takes a special person to re-work his stuff into something that competes with the original but Norinton does that and more on this wicked mid-tempo bumper.
Bill Withers – Lovely Day (’88 Remix) / The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M. – It’s Gonna Be A Lovely Day
This song is just one of the 80s best and again when it was a banger again when reworked in the 90s by Robert Clivilles & Dave Cole (as Soul System). Karizma did a really cool house version that mashed both of these up and I’d love to do the same at a more laid back tempo.
Dolly Parton – Jolene (Todd Terje Mix)
It would be impossible for me to do an afterparty playlist without mentioning Todd Terje. The man is the king of the slo-mo rework! This and his Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes remix are my two favourites. This is the one on the list where I’d like to get it revocalled and up the tempo and make a real party anthem.
