(Defected/Stomp)

From the always stylish ‘Dimitri From Paris’ comes ‘In the House of Love’. Exquisitely packaged in rich black and deep velvety red, this 3CD set is brimming with glorious, soulful and sexy house, from the classics, to the anthems, to the rare finds and the remakes.

Dreamy (You’re The One For Me – D-Train), sexy (Enjoy It Now – Tortured Soul) and downright racy (Fire – Davies, Victor), each of these 3 albums are best played without interruption. They are beautiful, indulgent and star the most impeccable of house music producers, vocalists and musicians, and much of what is presented here has also been re-edited by Dimitri for the ultimate in personal touch.

Featuring Marc Evans on vocals, ‘Way You Love Me’ from ‘Ron & The Muthafunkaz’ now has a stunning new string arrangement courtesy of Vincent Montan Jr., and whilst already a classic house groove, this latest remix has given it an ever lasting inner glow. A genuine rarity, Burt Bacharach’s ‘Look Of Love’ is covered here by two relative unknowns that go by the names ‘Eileen & Elaine’; atop a solid disco beat their voices are unforgettable and you will feel just a little smug for now knowing that this piece exists.

In 1977 on Island Records ‘Grace Jones’ covered Edit Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’, it went gold in France and Italy and there is no denying that this ultra chic rendition is still as sexy as back in its day. A track that didn’t have a great deal of chart success was ‘I Need You’ by disco great ‘Sylvester’, this single was one of the few he made without the help of co-producer Patrick Cowley and whilst it didn’t share the same success as ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’, its driving disco hooks and soaring falsettos are well worthy of a place in this collection.

No DJ knows how to set the mood for romance and gettin’ it on quite like Dimitri, he knows when to play it smooth and slow and when its time to quicken the pace, he understands when passion and romance are the order of the day and when a little cheeky fun is just what you need. ‘In The House Of Love’ is all this and more. I cannot recommend it enough.