This is a playful mix, given that it got quite the workout back in the day, with various mixes on both seven-inch and twelve-inch, as well as being the first Frankie CD single. Finally, the track deconstructs towards the end, back to those pads. Rather then the core of the song appearing in its recognisable seven-inch form, we get it stretched out, but with each part given room to breathe and work the space. It is immediately evident that Blank & Jones were revelling – as I would – in each individual aspect of the multi-tracks. Opening with the sweeping pads, followed by the Hi-Energy stabs, Holly’s vocal comes in, then yields to the kick drum. I suppose, if you’re going to start with any track from the ZTT archive, it has to be this one. The album arrived on Monday and it went straight on.Īnd so, here are my thoughts, on a track-by-track basis, designed to build a case for either the prosecution or defence. However, there was still room for disaster to strike. It was abundantly clear that these guys were true fans of ZTT and its output. As soon as I heard this, I was sold completely. In the intervening weeks, some nice YouTube videos emerged and then, a few weeks ago, they officially leaked a track, their reconstruction of the Frankie non-single Black Night White Light. So much so that I pre-ordered it as soon as it became available on Amazon UK.
As news began to filter through, and statements from Herr Blank und Herr Jones stated that they were not going to use anything but the original source material (opting to shun any additional instrumentation) I began to actually get excited about this release. I remember hearing volume four and thinking that, actually, Blank & Jones had remixed the material with the utmost empathy for the originals. So I think I can be forgiven for fearing the worst.īut, after thinking it through, I started to calm down, especially when I began to recall how much I had liked some of the other chapters in the so80s release portfolio.
And when – under different stewardship than the person currently at the helm of ZTT’s wonderful reissues of the past few years – the label put out a set of Frankie remixes in 1993 and again in 2000, I recall my horror at the way these precious stars in my musical firmament had been subjected to the “Boom-Tish” treatment, being dragged, kicking and screaming into a decade of bland and banal dance music, showing no respect for these jewels and the fact that they formed part of the very roots on which their dull, uninspired and unoriginal musical genre was formed. The songs and the artists are very dear to my heart as many of them formed the soundtrack of my formative years. Not because it was Blank & Jones, but because the ZTT canon is, to me (and likely a great many other people), sacrosanct. THE VERY SECOND I SAW THE ARTICLE that announced that Blank & Jones were to attempt a complete album of ZTT remixes, my heart sank. Rob Puricelli reviews Blank & Jones’ ZTT remix album, for SDE.