PAUL JOHNSON

Captures the Dance Floor energy of..

MIX CONNEXION 

Always seeing him playing the part of a dancefloor filler with his international hits Get Get Down, Hit it Up or Doo Wap, we were inclined to forget that Paul Johnson took part in the beginning of electronic music with the Chicago house music. The American feels at home as well with the soulful house as with synthetic sounds with which he started his musical career. Here’s the proof. This new mix of productions from Grosso Modo pole of labels which, from disco house to electro, has accompanied the last electronic trends.

Even if the general public knows the man well owing to his hits such as recently released Doo Wap, electronic music lovers have not forgotten his first disco acid-house tracks on legendary record labels such as Dancemania or Trax. Before he produced his hits Get Get down and Hit it Up, Paul had released a few 12”, quickly becoming a cult artist of Chicago house, one of the hometown heroes who would export the sound of the city far from his homebase, mainly to Europe thanks to the label Riviera.

For a few months now Chicago’s native son is one of the moral and musical support allowing the pioneering label Trax to exist again on the electronic music map. Paul helped to set up compilations and greatest hits selections from producers part of this peculiar era in American music on this historic label.

Paul has taken on a mix  which tracklist boundaries are delimited by the house, tech-house and electro references of Grosso Modo catalogue. A pole of labels which owns Riviera the label which has recently made him famous in Europe. If the choice of Grab My Hips, dancefloor hit of his Aix-based disciple Sébastien Léger, or those of Confusion or Maniac Fantasy by Sinema on Hot Banana (“quite in the spirit of Dancemania”, according to Kiko) seem logical, Paul amazes us digging into Twin Pitch’s hit Ghetto Blaster (compiled by David Guetta who even drew his inspiration from the title to name his latest album), Exchpoptrue’s Ital-electro punk hit or for his intro, Black Jack electro protégé: Copyshop! We can add to cap it all, the talented Nicolas Vallée, Hipp-E (H Foundation’s member, indeed), She got Me On, some fresh electro artists gathered on Hot Banana (DIP & Sebago) and Solid Fusion, Djinxx’ side project. How to make a link between warm vibrations from the past (deep house, electro funk) and their contemporary rereading? We can sum it up in two words: Paul Johnson.

COPYSHOP - The Lamb
SINEMA Feat. LOWDOWN - Maniak Fantasy
TWIN PITCH - Ghetto Blaster
PAUL JOHNSON - She Got Me On
SOLID FUSION – No Latency
SINEMA - Confusion (The Hacker Remix)
SEBASTIEN LEGER - Grab My Hip (SL Nocturne Mix)
HIPP-E – Sunrise
NICOLAS VALLEE - The Natural
DJINXX - Music From Jamaïca (The Youngsters Remix)
EXCH POP TRUE – Discoteca
SEBAGO - Hands On Me
D.I.P - Contact (David Carretta Rmx)
SEBASTIEN LEGER – Epoxy
 HIPP-E - Stay All Night