Dear CURTIS MAYFIELD – how we all miss him and his music! Curtis, the gentle genius, launched his stellar solo career in 1970 with his ground-breaking eponymous LP, from which the opening track on side two, ‘Move On Up’ , became, and remains, an instant anthem! The joyous cut speaks of optimism, empowerment and positivity and it’s just as relevant now as it was all those years ago!
Now giving the classic even more contemporary relevance, acclaimed UK DJ, producer and label owner MARK KNIGHT, has, with the full co-operation of the Mayfield estate, remixed ‘Move On Up’.
As you can guess Mark places the tune in the soulful house arena – zipping beats, snappy Linn drum – the works, but he’s enough of a fan to retain the catchy riffs and he also leaves Curtis’ heartfelt, sweet and fragile falsetto right at the centre of the mix.
The original Knight edit clocks in at just over six minutes but for the faint hearted there’s a short radio edit, while the art work (above) pays respectful homage to the ‘Curtis’ LP.
For sure purists will baulk at the mix – why meddle with a classic, they’ll say. Well, we’d say that the mix delivers a new perspective (retaining all the optimism) and hopefully it will introduce a whole new generation to the craft and art of one of soul’s true icons – dear Curtis Mayfield!
‘Move On Up’ will be released on all platforms June 14th on Spinnin’ Records.
