Motivation Too
If House Music is all about taking a journey, Chicago DJ Frankie Knuckles has a destination in mind for his listeners: he’s going to take you through a shimmering curtain of beat-driven sonic joy and into the heavenly kingdom with Motivation Too.
The first "Motivation" was a response from the New York native to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001--an event that shook many people’s faith. This follow-up is all about restoring and reclaiming faith: not the forbidding kind, but the sort that wells up from deep inside and demands celebration through gratitude, devotion, and dance.
Underscoring the theme, Knuckles’ new mix starts off with Gray’s track "Faith," preparing the ground and getting you ready to throw up your arms when Big Brooklyn Red follows up with the gospel-infused, soul-tinged "He Moves."
Michell Weeks rolls onto the mix next, with "A Purpose," easing any trace of doubt: "You have a purpose," her voice cracks across layers of percussion with the uplifting snap of an old-time preacher. "You are marvelous! You are special! You are worthy!" The chorus rings out behind her like a host of affirming angels: "You are wonderfully made: marvelous, amorous, glorious, victorious!"
The thump and the trance grow deeper in tandem with Deep Swing’s jazzy "Across the Land (Spread Love)," featuring Toney Jones; a father croons to his newborn child in "My Light," by Tony Wozniak, features Dirty Turk; then we’re back to "Faith" once more--this time it’s the title of a track by G Club as remixed by The Shapeshifters.
Jon Culter’s "One," featuring Jocelyn Brown, boasts a complex layering of sound worthy of any disco classic in this version, the Morten Trust Dub; Deep Swing takes over once again, with the dance-mad "Shelter," featuring Xavior in an electrifying vocal performance.
Timmy Vegas takes things in a slightly different direction with "Timmy’s Choir," featuring blistering vocals by Vicki Wynans, followed by Vernessa Mitchell’s "Took My Life (Turn It All Around," a tumultuous testimonial.
The disc ends on a double-edged high note: Grand High Priest belts out Mary-Mary, featuring Dajae in a previously unreleased mix by M&M that goes low down and gnarly even as it reaches high, before DJ Pope brings it home with the synth-gospel gem "Happy Being Me."
Gregarious, charismatic, one holy hell of a good time: spin up this CD and throw your own dance event.
by Frankie Knuckles
Label: Nervous Records. Release Date: October 13, 2009. More info online at www.nervousnyc.com and at www.fkalways.com
