Lansure's Music Paraphernalia: DIMITRI FROM PARIS

Thursday, June 9, 2011

DIMITRI FROM PARIS | Press Kits

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Sacrebleu

EastWest
6|11|1996

[EUROPEAN EDITION]

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Love Love Mode [CD]

EastWest
6|10|1997

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Sacrebleu

EastWest
8|10|1997

[JAPANESE 2CD EDITION]

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Sacré Francais [UK CD1 & CD2]

EastWest
9|22|1997

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Sacreble

Atlantic
8|10|1997

[U.S. EDITION]

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Live Jazz Theme And Other Music From Dimitri From Paris [U.S. Promo CD]

Atlantic
1998

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Dirty Larry [UK CD]

EastWest
4|7|1998

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Sacrebleu

Yellow Productions
11|29|1998

[FRENCH 2CD LA EDITION SPÉCIALE]

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Une Very Stylish Fille [French Promo CD]

Yellow Productions
1998

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
[In My Life: Metal Machine Music]
CMJ New Music Monthly

1|2000

DIMITRI FROM PARIS

A Night At The Playboy Mansion

Astralwerks
4|25|2000

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
After The Playboy Mansion

Astralwerks
2002

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Cruising Attitude [Special Passport Edition]
Discograph
2003

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
In The House [3CD]
ITH Records|Defected
1|26|2004

DIMITRI FROM PARIS [Featuring SAITO CHIWA]
Neko Mimi Mode
Victor
10|21|2004

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Cocktail Disco
BBE
6|4|2007

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Return To The Playboy Mansion [2CD]
Defected
4|21|2008

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Presents
ELECTRA 80
Rock This Town
d:vision
2009

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Night Dubbin'
BBE
5|25|2009

Night Dubbin'

About Nightdubbin'

One of the first 12 inch singles I bought was D-Train's "You're the one for me". Back in the early 80's when it was released, it came close to being a crossover radio hit in many countries.

I was used to hearing the short radio mix but became amazed at the extended remix I found on the 12" pressing. Back then I did not to care much for b-side instrumental versions which were usually the same as the A side with just the vocal removed. This made the track less exciting to me.　However, this particular "instrumental" was a totally different version. It was far more eventful than the vocal. It had a new arrangement, extra breaks and also vocal parts in various sound effects states. I instantly looked at the label to see who had crafted this amazing piece and saw the name of François Kevorkian.　I had just heard my first Dub mix as I found out it was called. I had never come across such a creative remix before and it literally changed my life.　From then on I was chasing all of François K's mixes and decided, I too wanted to become a remixer.

When searching for records I would go straight for the instrumental b-sides and discovered that other producers were "dubbing" out the songs. 　Along with François: Larry Levan, Paul Simpson, John Morales (as M&M) Shep Pettibone, Tee Scott and Nick Martinelli, a few others were making those instrumental dubs much more interesting than the plain vocal versions.　I very soon started splicing parts of the dubs and vocals together on my cassette recorder hence creating my first re-edits. This eventually led me to get my first remix job in 1986 and started my career in production and DJing.　This compilation features my selection of the most creative Dub mixes in my opinion. It is by no means exhaustive or definitive and there hopefully will be more volumes to come.　Although the art of the dub mix in itself has become somewhat lost, it seems many of its elements have been absorbed by today's electronic music.

Pioneering UK duo -The Idjut Boys were the first to incorporate the spirit of the Dub mix into the realms of House music.　In the mid 90's along with DJ Harvey, they were at the helm of the so - called London "Nu Disco" scene. With numerous and elusive releases through the now cult U-Star, Noid or Black Cock labels they all gave the Dub sound a new lease of life and paved the way for a new generation of producers and fans.　Current acts like Metro Area, Chicken Lips, Todd Terje & Prins Thomas, Rub & Tug, Munk, and even pop darlings Justice to name a few, owe something to the sound of the 80's dub mixes.　The Idjut Boys were the first producers I ever asked to remix a track of mine - (Dirty Larry,1996) and the first I invited to DJ with me in Paris (Respect is Burning @ Queen Club).　They were also the first to release my re-edits on their Noid Label (Noid 066, 1996) so it is quite fair to say the three of us have some history.　When I was putting this compilation together, I immediately thought of asking them to further dub out the selection I was making.　Their clever use of vintage techniques and live old school mixing bring these Dub versions to life in one continuous spaced out trip.

Today, almost 30 years after their creation these musical milestones sound fresh as ever.

- Dimitri From Paris, 2009

Dimitri From Paris
As the French Ambassador of house music, Dimitri from Paris is everything his nation could be proud of: a DJ, producer, and remixer of the highest standard, and a stylish snake-hipped pin-up with French reserve. In a nutshell, there are two distinct sides to Dimitri: a undeniable dandy and, a devoted dance music fanatic.

In February 2005 the French government awarded him the very official rank of Knight of the Arts and Letters. Along with Air and Cassius he was the first artist from the Electronica field to be given such a distinction.

Born in Turkey to Greek parents, Dimitri grew up in France where 25 years ago he discovered DJing at home, using whatever he could find to "cut and paste" samples from disco hits heard on the radio, blending them together to make tapes. This early experimentation helped him launch his DJ career, beginning at French station Radio 7, before moving in 1987 to Radio NRJ, Europe's largest FM network where he hosted a cult show until 1998.

He has followed a somewhat glamorous musical path by recording soundtracks and advertising campaigns for fashion houses Chanel, Jean-Paul Gautier and Yves Saint Laurent and remixing hundreds of artists as diverse as Björk, the Cardigans, James Brown, New Order and Quincy Jones.

It wasn't until 1997 however, that Dimitri became world famous with the release of his first album Sacrebleu released on Yellow Productions. A blend of diverse influences including original film soundtracks, jazzy samba and organic house, Sacrebleu sold several hundred thousand copies and was named one of the ten top Albums Of The Year by UKs influential Mixmag.

In 2000 Dimitri followed his album's success with several compilations including Disco Forever (BBE) and the infamous A Night At The Playboy Mansion (Virgin) lately charted in Mixmag's top 100 of best compilations ever. A second artist album, Cruising Attitude was released in 2004 to be closely followed by his first outing on UK's premier dance music label Defected: Dimitri from Paris In the House.

2005 saw Dimitri go back to his Funk and Disco roots, with Japanese hip hop producer and über collector DJ Muro for Super Disco Friends a double CD mixdown. In 2006 he offered his House of Love outing to Valentine Day's lovers. Later on Dimitri produced Los Amigos Invisibles "Super Pop Venezuela" album which grabbed a nomination for a grammy award !

2007 will see the release of the Cocktail Disco project with long time partner BBE, a handful of Disco classics remixes and other surprises down the line.

Over the course of his 10 year spanning discography our man from Paris has sold over a million copies of his eclectic outings, mostly on independent labels. Monsieur Dimitri can be found every week end in a different city of the globe, spinning his trademark blend of classy groovy sounds, he was lately handpicked by Madonna to open her Parisian show, rumour has it she knows a fair bit about DJs.

The Idjut Boys

Dan Tyler and Conrad McDonnell, aka Idjut Boys, are an English duo whose music formula includes combining a sense of humor with music. With tracks entitled “Frogs Arrrse” and “Life: The Shoeing You Deserve,” its clear that Tyler and McDonnell keep the pressure and often seriousness of the hectic music industry in perspective.Tyler and McDonnell met in the late ’80s in Cambridge while Conrad was working as a lifeguard and McDonnell was studying at university. Both men met at Brighton’s “Tonka” night events, where they discovered a shared passion for similar music. Soon after, both moved to London and established the U-Star parties. In addition to lending their own talents, Tyler and McDonnell hosted New York DJs Hector Romero and Ted Patterson. The Idjut’s combination of classic house and a touch of techno soon caught on and landed the duo gigs DJing all over the world. After the release of their fourth 12” in 1994, McDonnell and Tyler established U-Star Records. Their release “Not Reggae” was admired by such production legends as Francois Kevorkian. The Idjut Boys have produced and remixed the likes of Lighthouse Family, Sound 5, and Dimitri From Paris.

DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Get Down With The Philly Sound

BBE
5|17|2010

Get Down With The Philly Sound

About

BBE Records proudly presents its 5^th and arguably most exciting compilation with the French dj and ambassador of disco, Dimitri from Paris. This compilation focuses on Dimitri’s essential disco era tracks - made in Philadelphia, that feature the core of the rhythm section that created and defined the sound of the genre. For this compilation Dimitri has exclusively reworked 5 tracks from the original multitrack tapes of Gamble and Huff with a further 4 being edited from the original 2 track stereo masters.

It should be noted that nearly all of the disco output from Philadelphia between 1973-1980 featured the work of the same studio musicians known as –The Family, MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother), The Salsoul Orchestra, Baker - Harris -Young Productions, The John Davis Monster Orchestra or the Montana Sextet depending on who the recording was for. The classic line up of musicians included Karl Chambers and Earl Young (Founder of The Trammps and creator of the disco drum pattern which laid the template for every dance record since) on drums; Norman Harris, Roland Chambers, Bobby Eli (Original MFSB member), and TJ Tindall on guitar; Winnie Wilford and Ronnie Baker on bass; Vince Montana (vibes/arranger and founder of the Salsoul Orchestra) and Larry Washington on percussion and Leon Huff, Thom Bell and Ron Kersey on keyboards. Don Renaldo taking care of strings and horns featuring soloist John Bonnie Rocco Bene on Trumpet.

Last but not least the remixers and Tom Moulton (Pioneer of the Disco Mix, the 12 inch vinyl format, the break down sections of records and supplier of missing masters for this compilation) who influenced the popularity of songs with his legendary mixes. For Salsoul Walter Gibbons was the owners choice. Honorable mentions go to Larry Levan and Shep Pettibone for their contributions in this field.

These guys were the bridge between the labels and the club dancers and understood how to make a record work in a club.

Undisputedly, as producer’s Thom Bell and Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia soul sound evolved from the simpler arrangements of the late 1960s into a style featuring lush strings, thumping basslines and sliding hi-hat rhythms;　 Philadelphia gave birth to and defined the brand new Disco genre. The anthemic “The Love I Lost” is recognised as the first commercial disco record and was recorded at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia in 1973. Recording engineer, Joe Tarsia founded Sigma Sound in 1968 where virtually of all the disco recordings on Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International, Salsoul, Philly World, Gold Mind, Atlantic were made, thereby maintaining the unique sound of Philadelphia. Located at 212 N. 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was the second studio in the USA to offer 24-track recording and the first in the country to use console automation. David Bowie recorded his Young Americans album at this legendary studio as was Dusty Springfields - A Brand New Me, while Elton John's 1977 Philadelphia sessions were in such demand recently that they provided a hit single ('Are You Ready For Love') and CD re-issue 3 decades after the recordings were first made.

By 1975, Philadelphia International and the Philadelphia soul and disco genre’s it helped define had largely eclipsed Motown and the Motown Sound in popularity and Gamble and Huff were the premiere producers of soul with nearly 200 gold and platinum records to their credit. Salsoul capitalized on the success of the sound by employing the same musicians whilst focusing on club music predominantly.

In a recent Blues and Soul interview Kenny Gamble admits to passing over Prince’s demo. Other acts for whom Philly collaborations didn’t happen were Miles Davis, Bob Marley, Barry White and Earth Wind and Fire. Time simply didn’t allow these to happen.

Notable acts rushed to Philadelphia to capture the sound. Ex Motown cohorts The Jacksons and Eddie Kendricks utilized the above classic line of musicians up to embrace the new sound and extend their careers. Simultaneously, Salsoul Orchestra and the John Davis Orchestra were essentially basically a moniker core rhythm section of MFSB and recorded several disco hits outside of the PIR umbrella.

Now for the first time ever Gamble and Huff have given a label access to the multi track tapes of some Philly International platinum selling classics such as The Love I Lost, Bad Luck featuring the vocals of the late great Teddy Pendergrass, the first black male to release 5 consecutive platinum albums in the United States.

Dimitri's selection on CD1 traces the　evolution of the 70’s disco groove from the first ever disco hit record, to the rejuvenation of the Jackson 5’s career. Interspersed with obscurities such as Charles Mann to the magnificent Teddy Pendergrass, Philly International’s answer to Marvin Gaye. CD2 of the compilation pays homage to the original creators and innovators of the remix and extended edits with reworkings exclusively by Dimitri from Paris.

This tribute to the creators of disco is presented on a limited edition 10,000 copies double cd. Multiple deluxe vinyl exclusively featuring Dimitris remixes and edits.