Urb.com: Interview with Dimitri from Paris and Tom Moulton

For so many reasons, this was a special treat. Any excuse to talk to Tom Moulton about music is a good one; and Dim knows his Disco, so we all had a good time talking about the recent BBE compilation by Dimitri, Get Down With The Philly Sound. Excerpts below. Complete Q&A at Urb.com.

Part One, Intro:

All apologies to America’s favorite dancing Scientologist, but before disco was Disco, it was Philly Soul. Whereas the Motown sound was neat and the Stax sound was gritty, the Philadelphia Sound was L-U-S-H. The long introduction, the extended breakdown, the remix, the incessant fluttering hi-hats–all of these elements that mark disco and its mutations were born in Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios at 212 W. 12^th Street. Opened in 1968 by engineer Joseph Tarsia, Sigma was “the second studio in the USA to offer 24-track recording and the first in the country to use console automation.” More importantly, it was home to MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother), an extended family of session musicians, arrangers, producers, mixers and engineers that included Thom Bell, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead, Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, Earl Young, Teddy Pendergrass, Tom Moulton and Walter Gibbons to name a few. Sigma is where, for most of the 1970s, Philadelphia International Records and Salsoul recorded such classics as “Ain’t No Stoppin Us Now”, “Love is the Message”, “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)”, “The Love I Lost”, “Love Train”, “Love Sensation” and “Doctor Love”–again, to name just a few. It really is like the Fort Knox of Disco. Only a fool would dare break into it, right?

Enter Dimitri from Paris, 2010. Whereas many, including Philly native King Britt, have tried and failed, everyone’s favorite tuxedo-clad jet-set platter master succeeded in getting McFadden and Whitehead and Tom Moulton to hand over original master tapes. The result is Get Down with the Philly Sound, out now on BBE records. For disco connoisseurs, this is as close to a holy grail as you can get without a bullwhip, a hot blonde and a trusty sidekick. The gravitas of the situation was not lost on Dimitri. “My hands were shaking just holding the masters. And when I played them back on my tape deck and the strings kicked in, forget it–I almost lost it.”

Across the Atlantic Ocean, from his Manhattan apartment spilling over with audio reels, the cantankerous, gregarious Tom Moulton, the forefather of the remix and official archivist for Sigma, teased, “I told him, ‘If you take it out of Philadelphia, it’s not Philly Soul.’ Then I wished him luck.” The luck paid off for music lovers who are treated to a double CD of classic mixes (almost all by Moulton) and punchier edits by Dimitri. We spoke and shared a few laughs with both Dimitri and Moulton about the enduring allure of the velvety, revolutionary Philadelphia Sound, targeted mp3 viruses, the necessity of denying Larry Levan and the Curse of the Lost Remix.

Part Two, Intro:

Tom Moulton is rushing to get a package to his regular FedEx guy who keeps reminding him, “I’m double parked!” When Moulton hands over the parcel, the courier perks up, “You work for Dimitri from Paris?” “Do I WORK FOR Dimitri? You wanna come upstairs and see my gold records,” Moulton laughs. “I told Dimitri that story and he sent back a CD dedicated to the FedEx guy with a note that read, ‘Be nice to Tom. He’s one of the good guys.’” Tom Moulton is not only a good guy, he’s basically the Louis Pasteur of music mixers.

Famously credited with serendipitously pressing the first 10″ and 12″ singles on vinyl, popularizing the extended remix and being the first mixer to brand himself (and his assisting engineer Jose Rodriguez) on record sleeves, Moulton is something of a figurehead in DJ Culture. “A Tom Moulton Mix” still packs enough swagger to knock the new kids off the block with its “million dollar” production values. A former music promoter turned mixtape maker turned model, Moulton is credited with mixing some of the biggest acts and hits of the 1970s and 1980s, including the Trammps, BT Express, Grace Jones and most of the singles collected on BBE’s new Get Down with the Philly Sound compilation. Recently he’s been producing and mixing the Brand New Heavies and remixing Kings Go Forth.

As part of the special packaging, BBE is releasing “A Tom Moulton Mix” of “The Love I Lost”–on 12″ vinyl; other remixers include Francois K, Frankie Knuckles and John Morales. The original remix, reportedly long lost, has been the subject of lusty daydreams by ardent crate-diggers. “I honestly don’t know what happened to the original remix; maybe it’s in that ’secret location.’ This is an entirely new remix that I did from scratch,” Tom explains. “Dimitri asked me what I was going to do with it. I said, ‘You’ll have to wait and see!’” Then he adds, I’ll email you an mp3; tell me what you think.”

Continued…

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