The sudden passing of Donna Summer in 2012 had fans old and new flocking to her music to hear some of the finest disco music imaginable. This fall, Verve Records will bring that legacy into a new era with Love to Love You Donna, a set featuring new remixes of her most enduring tracks.
Happily, Love to Love You Donna features more than its share of enduring remixers to give Summer’s hits the respect they deserve. Electronic funk duo Chromeo tackles her 1982 hit “Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger),” England’s Hot Chip reconfigure “Sunset People,” a deep cut from the Bad Girls LP and Afrojack (who remixed Michael Jackson’s Bad for Legacy’s 25th anniversary edition of the album) lends his talents to “I Feel Love.”
But the most notable collaborator is one of the most famous in Summer’s career. Giorgio Moroder, the Italian songwriter/producer who established his career in the States as one of Summer’s primary collaborators, from 1974’s debut Lady of the Night to 1980’s The Wanderer (plus unreleased 1981 project I’m a Rainbow, which finally made it to CD in 1996), provides a new mix of “Love to Love You Baby” with producer/remixer Chris Cox. An unreleased Summer/Moroder collaboration, “La Dolce Vita,” closes out the 13-track disc.
Love to Love You Donna is out October 22. Track list (courtesy of Idolator) and Amazon U.S. link are after the jump.
Love to Love You Donna (Verve, 2013)
- Love to Love You Baby (Giorgio Moroder feat. Chris Cox Remix)
- Dim All the Lights (Duke Dumont Remix)
- Hot Stuff (Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper as Director’s Cut Signature Mix)
- I Feel Love (Afrojack Remix)
- Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) (Chromeo & Oliver Remix)
- Sunset People (Hot Chip Dub)
- Working the Midnight Shift (Holy Ghost! Remix)
- Bad Girls (Gigamesh Remix)
- MacArthur Park (Laidback Luke Remix)
- I Feel Love (Benga Remix)
- On the Radio (Jacques Greene Remix)
- Last Dance (Masters At Work Remix Short Version)
- La Dolce Vita – Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroder (previously unreleased)
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I will try to reserve comment on this set until I actually hear it, but I’ve really come to despise “remix projects” in general. They try to introduce classic artists to new, fresh ears, but more often than not it just waters down the legacy, IMO, providing noisy, sub-par (and needless) remakes where the original more likely trumps them in every way.
I have to admit to being totally clueless about current remixers- to me, cutting edge in this department is “Jellybean” Benitez or Arthur Baker. I agree with RoyalScam that most of the time current remixes don’t really do justice to the material, but I have heard some of these rojects that work very well. Panthalassa reinterprets Miles Davis electric material creatively (and most importantly, in a manner suitable to the material). If I can get this cheaply enough, the previously unreleased Morodor collaboration is pretty interesting to me.
Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) (Chromeo & Oliver Remix) is on youtube now. it quite possibly one of the worst edited amateur video remixes I have ever seen. It should be pulled it really cheapens the project.
There are a couple of the tracks already released and they are amazing.
I have been a Donna Summer fan since 1975 and so far these remixes not only do her justice but give a fresh take on the songs that does not diminish her original intentions.
Also, the previously unreleased track (with which I have heard only a moment or two) La Dolce Vita sounds like pure Donna at her absolute best along side Moroder.
Personally, I cant wait for October.
Well I have to say…. just listen “Hot Stuff” remix!!!
It´s AWSOME!!! So diferent, but FANTASTIC !!!
pre-order on iTunes
Very excited to hear this one, too, while at the same time keeping my enthusiasm in check. The problem with remixers & DJs today is that they’re too arrogant about it. Whatever they touch, for the most part, ends up being about their self-lauded “skills” and totally neglects the integrity of the song. They seem to approach a project as a platform for themselves, not as a showcase for the original track, and the quality and art of remixing someone else’s songs have both suffered for it. The Chromeo mix of Love Is In Control is a big fail with me simply because during points in the song the music and Donna’s superior vocal seem to be moving in two different directions–and that’s clearly not Donna’s fault. It’s a great instrumental track but matched against this song…it’s half-baked at best. I did listen to the samples posted at Amazon and a few of the projects do have my curiosity piqued–especially the unreleased Moroder track. As far as the Bad Girls & Hot Stuff mixes…Why remove any of their rock element? It should be enhanced, not neutered! They’re rock tracks with purely rock vocals and, for me, enhancing both components would have been more exciting. Plus, I wished more LP tracks would have been mined for this project. “Now I Need You” would have been perfectly at home here.
Anyway, after having said all this I just have one question: Why not skip this nonsense and just get to reissuing Summer’s catalogue? It’s a strong library and each LP is surrounded with gem-like material that is just waiting to be added as bonus tracks. Surely, there’s a heap of unreleased release-quality material just dying to see the light of day, as well. She really has a captive audience, too.