Dimitri from Paris is set to return lovers of quality underground house and disco to the Playboy Mansion with another deluxe musical journey. The Greek born, French raised DJ/producer has been responsible for some of house music’s most iconic releases, namely 2000’s A Night At The Playboy Mansion along with a slew of sought-after disco remixes and re-edits. His previous work for Defected Records, one of the undisputed dance music giants, also includes his much heralded compilations In The House in ‘04 and In The House Of Love later in 2006. Now in his mid 40s, Dimitri has just finished mixing his third installment in the Playboy Mansion series. And he couldn’t be happier!
“I am really, really happy with this, it is one of my best things that I have done so far. You should also see the limited edition boxset, it is gorgeous. The detail is fantastic. I am a freak for details. I love the details. They are around even if you don’t notice them, and you may not notice them but they impact you. For instance, it’s the same with MP3s and with wave files. They may sound the same to some but there are differences. These details are important.”
On the topic of details, Dimitri is obviously chuffed with the limited version of Return to the Playboy Mansion which is being released as a limited edition 2CD special pack: complete and bound in a leather case with gold print with bonus collectable sticker sheets and Playboy post cards. Artwork obviously goes hand-in-hand with the music on such a release, and a brand as legendary and iconic as Playboy will always present a visual appeal. But the ‘internet generation’ will undoubtedly miss some of Dim’s hand-picked artistic details.
“The artwork is really important with a release like this. It is a shame that some people do not understand it. I don’t blame the younger generation for downloading music. It is great that music is shared and reaches people, but there is another whole side of the artist that is represented with the art also”.
This release continues Dimitri’s love affair with Defected Records, the independent but hugely influential UK label that has such a huge impact on the global house scene. “The Defected label is the closest thing around today to what I am doing, so we work well together. They give me a free hand. After I did the first two volumes, Defected did a deal with Playboy and in between that, Playboy did their own thing which was not exactly consistent. Bob Sinclar did the previous release for Defected which was great and similar to what I would have done. There was talk of us doing a disc each on the same release but we decided to do it differently.”
Legend has it that the first Playboy CD sprung up from a chance encounter prior to 2000, when Dimitri ran into some Playboy suits while spinning at a club in South Beach during a previous Miami Winter Music Conference. Needless to say, the eventual release of the now legendary A Night At The Playboy Mansion changed Dimitiri’s career. “It was a great opportunity to use the Playboy brand to bring unfamiliar music to people who may have been new to the music. I was very surprised at the success of the first release. Especially in Australia, where it was huge”.
Fast-forward to 2008, and the release of Return To The Playboy Mansion will excite lovers of quality house and disco music once more. Dimitri’s musical tailoring is extraordinary. Seasoned classics and obscure gems sit side by side in his expertly crafted musical mix that spans two discs and are divided into ‘Partytime’ and ‘Sexytime’. “Some music lovers might deem the Jamiroquai record too obvious, but capturing people’s attention was what it was all about” he explains. “While Love Massage is from the late seventies, just something I dug out of my collection,” Dimitri adds. “I’ve been a very avid disc collector, and depending on the subject matter, I dig deeper to pull out something suitable.”
One of the CDs highlights is clearly Defected’s epic tune by Fish Go Deep & Tracey K titled The Cure & The Cause. This is certainly not a new track (released in 2006), having been included on a myriad of compilations, but here, Dim includes DJ Meme’s Philly Suite Mix, which will instantly draw parallels to Dimitri’s own legendary remix of Ron Hall & the Muthafunkaz The Way You Love Me. I was excited to hear the story of how both of these tracks came about, and Dim explains.
“Did you know that Meme influenced The Way You Love Me? I was on holiday in Brazil and I met Meme. I did not know him until three years ago, and we met up in Brazil and he played me some of his music – which I thought was very impressive. He told me that he knew Vince Montana (creator of the ‘Philly sound’ and leader of the legendary Salsoul Orchestra) and it went from there thanks to Meme. I thought he’d be very hard to work with but when I spoke to Vince, he told me how he knew me and my work and I was amazed. The project was great, Vince Montana is one of the great influences. After my track was released using Vince, Meme said to me “Ok, now it’s my turn”. He has done a great job on his remix The Cure and the Cause using Brazilian musicians. We have a strong relationship”.
Returning to this latest Playboy release, Dimitri stresses the dynamic of the Defected and Playboy brands. “It is important to find a medium to channel music through, and Defected lends their notoriety and credibility. Playboy represents the mainstream in a global way. The idea was to use the two brands to open the doors to my kind of music. We wanted to avoid anything too complicated and too underground. Together, I think we have put together a collection of music for people to enjoy for a longer time.”
Return to the Playboy Mansion, mixed by Dimitri from Paris is out now through Defected/Stomp. And check out the clip below that chronicles Dimitri’s return through those legendary gates…
Lady Lex says...
Oh come back to Oz Dimitri :D