Dimitri From Paris Goes Deep Inside the Philly Sound

Published Mar 30, 2010

Since the release of A Night at the Playboy Mansion ten years ago, the name Dimitri From Paris has equalled a classy, disco-fuelled good time on aluminized plastic. He's known for his re-edits as much as his mixing, and with his new collection, he's taking the process further by working with the multitrack master tapes of the Philadelphia International empire.

BBE Records has announced it will release Dimitri's celebration of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's productions entitled Get Down With the Philly Sound on May 18. As is typical for Dimitri's work, it's a multiple CD affair.

This set showcases the incredible production environment of Sigma Sounds studio in Philadelphia with Gamble and Huff at the controls during the 1970s. Countless hit records by Teddy Pendergrass, the Jacksons, Elton John and the Trammps employed a surprisingly cohesive team of engineers, arrangers and musicians to create the magic.

A further ingredient was Tom Moulton, who was the first person to do re-edits in dance music, extending grooves upwards of ten minutes, and heightening drama within the orchestral productions. This environment resulted in the most important creative environment of "symphonic soul," which became known as disco by the mid-'70s.

The first disc of Get Down With the Philly Sound collects hits and obscurities from several different labels and artists such as Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & Blue Notes, Charles Mann and the Jacksons. But the real attraction is the remixes of songs that had never been given an extended treatment back in the day.

Dimitri told recently Eye Weekly, "This is why I picked classics like "You Can't Hide From Yourself "by Teddy Pendergrass. It's a song that's been played in so many clubs around the world, in New York, and it's still played today. And it's just a four-minute thing, and I was always missing not having a long version because I wanted to hear more of it".

The multitrack tapes had never previously been loaned to anyone. These ingredients resulted in five entirely new remixes, which lead off disc two, and are followed by more of Dimitri's trademark re-edits.

If you buy physical copies of this set, BBE offers download codes for a new mixtape that Moulton has done in his mid-'70s style. A further bonus is a limited edition vinyl-only release with new re-edits by Moulton and fellow veteran mixers John Morales and Francois K.

Get Down With the Philly Sound:

Disc 1: Original Tracks

1. Harold Melvin & Blue Notes - "The Love I Lost"
2. The Jacksons - "Living Together"
3. Teddy Pendergrass - "You Can't Hide From Yourself"
4. Carl Bean - "I Was Born This Way"
5. John Davis - "Night & Day"
6. The Trammps - "The Night The Lights Went Out"
7. Teddy Pendergrass - "The More I Get The More I Want"
8. TJM - "I Don't Need No Music"
9. Charles Mann - "Do It Again"
10. Eddie Kendricks - "He's a Friend"
11. Harold Melvin & Blue Notes - "Tell The World How I Feel About 'Cha Baby"
12. Harold Melvin & Blue Notes - "Bad Luck (Pt. 1 & 2)"
13. Philly Devotions - "Hurt So Bad"
14. The Girls (Brown Sugar) - "I'm Going Through Changes"

Disc 2: Remixes and Edits  

1. Harold Melvin & Blue Notes - The Love I Lost (DFP remix) 
2. The Jacksons - Living Together (DFP edit) 
3. The Trammps -The Night The Lights Went Out (DFP edit) 
4. Teddy Pendergrass-You Can't Hide From Yourself (DFP remix) 
5. Teddy Pendergrass-The More I Get The More I Want (DFP remix) 
6. Eddie Kendricks-He's a Friend (DFP remix) 8mn
7. Harold Melvin & Blue Notes-Tell The World How I Feel About 'Cha (DFP edit) 
8. Harold Melvin & Blue Notes-Bad Luck (Pt. 1 & 2) (DFP edit) 
9. Philly Devotions-Hurt So Bad (DFP remix) 

 

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