Lamerica In Association With Cool House Present ........
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Frankie Knuckles
He’s universally credited as a pioneer of dance music and was famously crowned “The Godfather of House Music” for his role in creating modern dance music’s global DJ culture. But ask Frankie Knuckles about his tenure in Chicago at the groundbreaking nightclub The Warehouse in the 1980s or his friendship with legendary Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan and Knuckles will likely reply by flashing a polite smile and changing the subject. Complimenting Knuckles for his 1998 Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year or his work with mainstream pop and R&B superstars such as the Diana Ross, The Pet Shop Boys and WHAT will likely only get you a blush and a polite “thank you.” Don’t take it personal, though; Frankie Knuckles isn’t one to dwell on the past.
If he were less humble, he could regale you with tales of his days as an up-and-coming turntable talent. He could tell you about life growing up on the mean streets of 1970s Harlem. He could talk about how he sat on the dusty floor of a ghetto apartment at 13 years of age alongside his equally unknown friend Larry Levan, stringing beads for a gown to be worn by one of the local drag queens in an upcoming ball. Then, just getting by day-to-day on the harsh streets of New York was difficult enough; the thought of a career behind the turntables wasn’t even a part of the adolescent Knuckles’ consciousness. All of that changed, however, when Knuckles and his partner-in-crime Levan snuck into a party at the historic nightspot The Loft. There, Knuckles was seduced by the club’s resident DJ David Mancuso and his destiny of a lifetime on the decks was cemented.
But it wasn’t until Knuckles journeyed to Chicago to helm the decks of a burgeoning nightclub called The Warehouse that his stardom rose to heights never before witnessed by a DJ. Packing the club week after week, thousands of revelers bowed down to Knuckles and his one-of-a-kind turntable wizardry. And following the closure of The Warehouse in 1983 Knuckles supercharged his career throughout the 1990s with a string of DJ residencies at some of the world’s most famous clubs. His triumphant return to the tables of New York City at the still-revered Sound Factory was later matched with equally lauded (and ongoing) mainstays at Montreal’s Club Stereo and Pacha in Ibiza.
It was only a matter of time before Knuckles took his love for playing music and translated it into a career making music. With a gargantuan list of remixes and original productions to his credit with artists as celebrated as Diana Ross, The Pet Shop Boys, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Toni Braxton, Knuckles quickly became a go-to for mainstream artists seeking to infuse the undeniable drumbeat of house music into their sound. Knuckles’ high profile in the realm of dance music brought him to the attention of Virgin Records in the 1990s, where Knuckles delivered a pair of albums (Beyond the Mix and Welcome to the Real World).
His comprehensive work as a producer reached the height of its glory in 1997 when Knuckles became the first DJ to be crowned with the newly created Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year. It was an honor echoed more recently when the Chicago Mayor
Richard M. Daley officially declared August 26, 2004 “Frankie Knuckles Day” in the DJ’s adoptive hometown of Chicago. State Senator Barack Obama, was responsible for walking through the ordinance to a vote that changed the name of the street where the legendary Warehouse once stood to “Frankie Knuckles Way”
But that’s all in the past—a past Knuckles doesn’t have time to worry about today. Emerging from his studio in 2004 with A New Reality, his first album of completely original material in seven years, Knuckles proved that he hasn’t skipped a beat. The CD’s warmly complex songs resonated with dancers around the world, and gave Knuckles his latest Billboard Number One with “Back n da Day.” Now, with a new artist album due this year, DubJ ’s D’Light and production of iconic house music vocalist Jamie Principle, Knuckles continues to prove that he’s more relevant to dance music’s present day than ever before.
Re-imagining the music from A New Reality with the aid of some of the most talented veterans in the biz such as David Morales, Blaze, The Groovejunkies, Shapeshifters, Quentin Harris, Eric Kupper and others, Knuckles’ DubJ ’s D’Light is a disc created with Dub-style disc jocks in mind. “Actually, I coined the phrase ‘DubJ’ years ago to denote DJs who base the programming of their sets around playing dubs,” Knuckles says. “I thought creating an entire album with them in mind would be fun. New singles will include a new full production of The Whistle Song ’06 and Disco Shimmy.
And while Jamie Principle has endured for decades as one of house music’s most formidable vocalists, it took the keen ear and generous spirit of Knuckles to bring a Principle full length to life. “I’ve known Jamie since we did ‘You Love’ together back in 1984,” Knuckles reflects. “That boy is nothing short of a genius. He’s a great writer and truly one of the pioneering legends of house music. I felt there needed to be a definitive Jamie Principle project, and the timing was right for me to produce it.”
And so the beat goes on—in the DJ booth, in the studio and in the legacy of dance that Knuckles continues to create. Frankie Knuckles is more than a DJ; he’s more than The Godfather of House; even terming him an icon of the underground doesn’t do justice to his landmark accomplishments and career longevity. Simply put: Frankie Knuckles is timeless. So forget what you think you know about Frankie Knuckles; do yourself the favor of spending a night on his dance floor today. “Leave the past at the door,” Knuckles smiles, “and I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
AME
Where do connections to Detroit, Chicago, New York, Berlin and Paris all emerge? No, it is not the Frankfurt airport because this city is even another part of it. Geographically it might not make any sense but music-wise we are definitely talking about Karlsruhe here. In the little town in very western Germany all these cities influences join forces in the studio of Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer, together forming the duo Âme (speak: Ahm, = French for soul). Their soulful mission to explore far beyond the borders of house music already captured the attention all major peeps involved in present club music. Delivering constant quality with 12's that are rocking house, techno and broken beat floors alike it seems like a logical move to proceed to the next step of releasing a collection of their winners.
6 years ago Kristian and Frank first met up through Kristians recordshop "Plattentasche" and various gigs in the area. Frank already experienced with his former project Soul FC (release on FSOJ) and Kristian being a scientific music nerd in a positive way, they one day decided to tweak the knobs together. As a third occasional member and to make the circle complete Berlin based Eren Solak is helping out with additional keys and parts of the composition from time to time. Kristian has always been turned on by the voices shouting out of motor city by the likes of Moodyman, Underground Resistance and Carl Craig as well as the New York City Sound of Blaze and Metro Area, whereas Frank’s broad spectrum of influences ranges from Chateau Flight, John Tejada over to IG Culture and Jazzanova.
Ame´s sound is easily accessible without ever loosing deepness, complexity and a distinct twist. Their inspirations, how diverse they might be, are clevery quoted but never copied. What started of with a B-Side on a Sampler for Soulbrother Dixon´s Off Limits Series has since then shot off to become a coherent success story. First remix requests from the Trüby Trio, Simone Serritella, Jazzanova, Nigel Hayes, Random Factor, Wahoo and Roy Ayers enabled the duo to show their various disguises under the rooftop of Deep House. As we speak the story of Âme continues with pushing the boundaries of new sounds, patterns and arrangements.
Where do connections to Detroit, Chicago, New York, Berlin and Paris all emerge? No, it is not the Frankfurt airport because this city is even another part of it. Geographically it might not make any sense but music-wise we are definitely talking about Karlsruhe here. In the little town in very western Germany all these cities influences join forces in the studio of Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer, together forming the duo Âme (speak: Ahm, = French for soul). Their soulful mission to explore far beyond the borders of house music already captured the attention all major peeps involved in present club music. Delivering constant quality with 12's that are rocking house, techno and broken beat floors alike it seems like a logical move to proceed to the next step of releasing a collection of their winners.
6 years ago Kristian and Frank first met up through Kristians recordshop "Plattentasche" and various gigs in the area. Frank already experienced with his former project Soul FC (release on FSOJ) and Kristian being a scientific music nerd in a positive way, they one day decided to tweak the knobs together. As a third occasional member and to make the circle complete Berlin based Eren Solak is helping out with additional keys and parts of the composition from time to time. Kristian has always been turned on by the voices shouting out of motor city by the likes of Moodyman, Underground Resistance and Carl Craig as well as the New York City Sound of Blaze and Metro Area, whereas Frank’s broad spectrum of influences ranges from Chateau Flight, John Tejada over to IG Culture and Jazzanova.
Ame´s sound is easily accessible without ever loosing deepness, complexity and a distinct twist. Their inspirations, how diverse they might be, are clevery quoted but never copied. What started of with a B-Side on a Sampler for Soulbrother Dixon´s Off Limits Series has since then shot off to become a coherent success story. First remix requests from the Trüby Trio, Simone Serritella, Jazzanova, Nigel Hayes, Random Factor, Wahoo and Roy Ayers enabled the duo to show their various disguises under the rooftop of Deep House. As we speak the story of Âme continues with pushing the boundaries of new sounds, patterns and arrangements.