Tags: Classic House

Review: In 2009, longtime collaborators Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper made their production partnership official via the Director's Cut project. This epic retrospective gathers together the best tracks and remixes the duo completed prior to Knuckles' death in 2014. Disc one offers up original productions, including ear-catching re-makes of some of Knuckles' most famous early works (we're particularly fond of the versions of "The Whistle Song", "Your Love" and "I'll Take U There"). On the second disc you'll find the best of their remix work, with standouts including a sublime take on Candi Staton's "Hallelujah Anyway" and a storming, previously unreleased version of Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine". As a bonus, the third disc mixes the best of the lot together in one suitably gorgeous, non-stop journey.

Review: Defected's House Masters series tribute to Frankie Knuckles is being released as two double LPs, but it could have easily been four or five, such is the quality of the tracks and remixes that the 'Godfather of House' produced during his lifetime. Naturally this second and final part is full to bursting with colourful, tactile and wonderfully saucer-eyed classics - many familiar, some slightly less so - which deserve a place in your collection. Picking highlights is naturally tough, but for proof of Knuckles' unassailable musical majesty and dancefloor magic it's hard to beat the Sound Factory mix of 'The Whistle Song', the low-tempo house bliss of his remix of Inner City's 'Whatcha Do With My Lovin', the Satoshi Tomiie/Robert Owens hook-up 'Tears' and his incredible revision of Electribe 101's 'Talking With Myself'.

Review: Just a week after the first volume of this bumper collection of house gold lands, we're treated to the second volume via Sosure Music. The Director's Cut Collection is an assemblage of remixes by the one and only Frankie Knuckles aka The Godfather of House alongside his frequent musical sparring partner Eric Kupper. They turned out many vital tunes in their time as this eight track selection shows with everything from their take on 'The Look' to a 'Director's Cut' Classic club mix of 'Let's Stay Home' via a 'Re-Directed' mix of the stone cold classic 'Baby Wants To Ride' featuring Jamie Principle.

Review: Happy 40th birthday to TRAX Records, the imprint that arguably did more than any other to spread the sound of Chicago house around the world in the 80s and early 90s. This anniversary EP gathers together a mix of stone cold classics, obscurities and more recent gems. So while there's a chance to savour remastered versions of early house classics by Frankie Knuckles (the simply peerless 'Your Love') and Marshall Jefferson (the piano-powered 'house music anthem' that is the equally brilliant 'Move Your Body'), we also get Willie Wonka's less-celebrated 1986 gem 'What Is House' (featuring a spoken word vocal does a great job in explaining the origins of house music) and the chunkier, more recent Jacques & Gregory and Screamin' Rachael deep house cut 'I'll Take You There'.