A stellar cast of mixmasters re-imagine King Britt’s ‘70s tribute

Remixes are an interesting concept. The art of taking an original musical piece and introducing another musical concept to it, to bring a different audience to the song. This concept has evolved from the early ‘70’s, with edits to make the songs longer for club play, to the ‘90’s, where most of the song is stripped away to create new songs with elements of the original version. Being a DJ, I am fascinated by the numerous amount of remixes that come out. Most mixes don’t come out due to certain circumstances. This package contains ten remixes from the Sylk 130 project that have interesting stories behind them. We thought it would be interesting to put them together for your enjoyment and tell the story behind each one.

Compiled by King Britt and Matt Brookman
Executive Producers: Matt Brookman and Josh Wink
All songs produced by King Britt for SYLKSCREEN PRODUCTIONS
Co-Produced by John Wicks
Mastered by Manny Lecuona at MasterVoice, Conshohocken, PA

1. Gettin’ Into It (Nu Era Mix)
(K. Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
Remixed by Dego for Reinforced Productions
Vocals: Alison Crockette
This was done in ‘94, when the Sylk 130 LP was being completed. It was a favor by Dego (nu era, 4-Hero), who liked the song and wanted to have some fun with the track. Dego transformed the track into a trippy techno masterpiece.

2. City (5-6 Theme) (Japan Remix)
(K. Britt/A.Green)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)/Hollenbeck Music, admin. by Irving Music, Inc. (BMI)
Remixed and translated by King Britt for Sylkscreen Productions
Vocals: Capital A
In Japan, albums from the US cost less than records manufactured in Japan. This is due to the difference in currency. The companies in Japan always ask for exclusive tracks or remixes for their use which will make it different from the US version. I thought it would be great to remix ‘City,’ since hip-hop is one of the biggest types of music in Japan. Inspired by KRS-1 and Kenny Parker, I made the beats harder and the horn drives the hook.

3. The Reason (Playa Duplaix Mix)
(K. Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
Remixed and made phonky by Vikter Duplaix for Bottom Line
Mix Engineer: Mike “Bonz” Malak
Vocals: Ms. Viki Miles
Background Vocals: Vikter Duplaix
An up-and-coming producer and long time friend, Vikter Duplaix has worked with Erykah Badu, Kenny Lattimore and Eric Benet. He and his partner James Poyser have a very unique sound in their production. In this remix, Vikter takes on an R&B approach to make the song more radio friendly in the US. It is a fabulous version and I am proud to have it on the album.

4. When The Funk Hits The Fan (Mood II Swing Funky Dub)
(K. Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
Remixed and Swung by Mood II Swing for Mood II Swing Productions (Lem Springsteen and John Ciafone)
Vocals: Tanja Dixon and Alma Horton
Two mixes appear on the b-side to the first ‘Reason’ 12” release. Mood II Swing always deliver groovy dubs and we saved this one for a special occasion. We only gave out a few acetates to our DJ friends, but now it’s available to you.

5. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (S-Man’s Horny Dub)
(M.J. Cleveland)
Longitude Music/Comart Music (ASCAP)
Remixed by Roger Sanchez for Indeep Productions
The beauty of having total control over who remixes your stuff is to be able to have your favorite remixers perform their magic. This was the case here with Roger Sanchez. He was a big fan of the song, so he turned out 5 slammin’ mixes and this one was only released in the UK prior to this.

6. Season’s Change (Philharmonix Mix)
(K. Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
Remixed by Phillip Charles for Retrophonix Productions
Vocals: Alison Crockette
Phillip Charles, longtime friend and multi-talented producer, comes strong with this extraordinary mix. This is one of my favorite songs from this LP, and I think Phil brought a whole new magic to the song. Dreamy, James Bond-ish soundtrack atmosphere lifts Alison’s vocals to an angelic level. This was a favorite among the deep house ‘heads.’ Performing this live at Body & Soul NYC was the highlight of the Sylk 130 tour.

7. The Reason (Sleaze Mix)
(K. Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
Remixed and Produced by David Morales for Def Mix Productions
Engineered by Steven Barkan for Platinum Audio, NYC
Keyboards by Terry Burrus and David Ospina
Drums and Percussion by David Morales
Vocals: Ms. Viki Miles
Background Vocals: Vikter Duplaix
Mixed at MAW Studios, NYC
David Morales has always been one of my inspirational people. From his remixes, to the first time I heard him play (Red Zone), to his production skills, David always gives you his best. We had a conversation on the phone and he asked me what I was looking for. I said ‘Red Zone’ material and that’s what he delivered. Deep organ action reminiscent of the Ten City’s ‘My Piece of Heaven.’ Available on vinyl double pack, this was one of his best works to date.

8. Gettin’ Into It (Brother ? Mix)
(K. Britt, W. Brown, L. Snell, A. Jones)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)/East Memphis Music/Rondor/Almo/Irving Music, Inc. (BMI)
Remixed by Quest Love for Grand Negaz Productions
Vocals: Alison Crockette
Mixed at Third Story Recordings, Philadelphia, PA
Contains a sample from “Get It Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” by James Brown. Under License from PolyGram Special Markets, A Division of PolyGram Group Distribution, Inc. Also contains samples from “Fighting Fire With Fire” performed by The Bar-Kays, courtesy of Fantasy, Inc.
Amhir from THE ROOTS has got to be one of the geniuses of the industry. From his hard as hell hip-hop drums, to his knowledge of music, Amhir has a big music in the real sense of the word. We used to spin together at Silk City, and when we heard this tune he really wanted to remix it. We went to John Wicks’ house and he did it in one hour. Start to finish. Amazing!!

9. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (FK Dub)
(M.J. Cleveland)
Longitude Music/Comart Music (ASCAP)
Mixed and Additional Production by Francois K at Axis Studios, NYC
Mix Engineer: S. Vaughn Merrick
Keys and Arrangement: Terry Burrus
Drum Programming: Matthias Heilbronn
Francois Kevorkian is still one of the pioneers of the remix. Working with everyone from U2 to Kraftwerk, FK has always been at the top of his craft. He has always spent the most time doing his famous ‘dubs,’ bringing new sounds and the ideas to the table, as well as giving the DJ more of a tool to work with. He kept calling the office for more time on the dub, which only came out on the UK promo version. Now you can check it out.

10. When the Funk Hits the Fan (Mood II Swing Vocal Mix)
(K. Britt)
Cosmic Lounge Music/BMG Songs, Inc. (ASCAP)
Remixed and Swung by Mood II Swing for Mood II Swing Production (Lem Springsteen and John Ciaffone)
Vocals: Tanja Dixon and Alma Horton
Originally on the b-side of the first ‘Reason’ release, Mood II Swing takes you on a journey through the different aspects of funk, kind of like the Sylk LP. Pure Bliss.....

Thanks To My Columbia Records Family:
Don Ienner, Will Botwin, John Ingrassia, Gerard Babitts, Jerry Blair, Kimberly Boley, Julie Borchard, Trudy Braham, Ben Berkman, Tom Corson, Tom Donnarumma, Tori Drew, Gary Fisher, Denise Gatto, Mark Ghuniem, Todd Horn, Larry Jenkins, Dave Jurman, Rocco Lanzilotta, Neil Lawi, Cindy Levine, Aimee Macauley, Edwing Medina, Linda Metz, Liz Pokora, Avonelle Simons, and Camille Yorrick.
Thanks To My Ruffhouse Records Family:
Chris Schwartz, Joe Nicolo, Kevon Glickman, Robert S. Dippold, Rose Pierce, Jeff Coulter, Todd Wolfe, Lisha Pickett, and Stepanie Lock.
Thanks To My Sony International Family:
Noriko Asahizawa, Philippe Desindes, John Ferris, Gordon Hagan, Yann Jalet, Craig Mannix, Jeroen Meer, Gina Melin, Nat Merenda, Ruud Roben, Kim Schaefer, Sara Silver, Luc Vergier, Duane Watson, Muff Winwood, and everyone at Sony Music International who helped along the way.
Thanks to Claudia Cuseta at Maxi, Judy Weinstein at Defmix, Christina at Tight, Kurosh Nasseri, DJ Sneak, Doc Martin, Mark Bell, and everyone else who made this project possible.
Thanks to all the independent retailers and distributors for all your support. Thanks to all the DJs around the world - this record is for you.

Art Direction: Aimée Macauley
Digipak Design: Michael Snyder
Cover Photo: Katrin Thomas
A&R: Neil Lawi

King Britt worldwide management – Waxploitation Entertainment, Los Angeles
info@waxploitation.com

www.sylk130.com
www.ovum-rec.