In the House of Love

by Andy Kellman In the House of Love is nothing if not admirable, another extensive undertaking from Dimitri from Paris that involves two mixed discs and a bonus disc containing track-in-whole selections from the mixes. Most of the selections have been re-edited by Dimitri, which adds another dimension to the presentation; it's apparent that this is a labor of love that wasn't slapped together. On the other hand, there's a lot to digest and it's not as if one hasn't been reminded several times that Dimitri digs deeper than most other DJs (for better or worse) and can put classics in a new context. True to form, he reaches back to the disco era and is remarkably inclusive with all the eras and movements that have taken place in house music, all the way up through 2005, and the mixing is extremely fluid (again, for better or worse). Even when the tracks aren't memorable, they do tend to be well crafted and lavishly musical. Four Flights' "All I Want Is You," a super-scarce track produced by Dunn Pearson, Jr., provides the greatest surprise; apparently released on Greg Carmichael's Almeria label in 1978, it's a sweet love song done Philly style, a nod to Philadelphia International's proto-disco hits. Other highlights include Robin Beck's "Sweet Talk" (which is blended beautifully into Change's "The Glow of Love"), Black Box's version of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Fantasy," and a great 2004 update of Cerrone's "Hooked on You" (featuring the always great Jocelyn Brown). Dimitri's fans will be left happy. The sum is, however, a little less than the whole of the parts.