Frankie Knuckles
Encyclopedia
Frankie Knuckles is an American
DJ
, record producer
and remix
artist
. He played an important role in developing house music
(an electronic, disco
-influenced dance music) as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer. In 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame
for his achievements as a DJ.
at FIT in Manhattan
, Knuckles began working as a DJ, playing soul
, disco
and R&B
at The Continental Baths with fellow DJ Larry Levan
. When he became better known, he DJed at the club Better Days. When the Warehouse
club opened in Chicago
in 1977, he was invited to play on a regular basis. He continued DJing there until 1982, when he started his own club, The Power Plant.
It is possible that the term 'house music' surfaced in reference to the sounds played at the Warehouse by Knuckles. Initially it was a catch-all term to describe the wide range of music being played at the Warehouse. It soon became the word used to define the raw, drum machine
based edits and tracks that Knuckles was playing in the early 1980s. Knuckles bought his first drum machine from a young Derrick May who, regularly made the trip from Detroit to see Knuckles at the Warehouse, and Ron Hardy
at the Music Box.
Knuckles also had a musical partnership with Jamie Principle
, and helped put "Your Love
" and "Baby Wants to Ride" out on vinyl after these tunes had been regulars on his reel-to-reel
player at the Warehouse for a year.
As house music gained momentum, pioneering producer Chip E.
took Knuckles under his tutelage and produced Knuckle's first recording, "You Can't Hide", featuring vocalist Ricky Dillard. Then came more production work, including Jamie Principle
's "Baby Wants to Ride", and later "Tears" with Robert Owens (of Fingers, Inc.
) and (Knuckles' protege and future Def Mix associate) Satoshi Tomiie
.
Knuckles left the Warehouse to start his own club, The Power Plant, in 1983. When the Power Plant closed in 1987, he DJed for 4 months at Delirium in the UK before moving to New York. He was the featured resident DJ at The World, and also had numerous subsequent residencies, including at The Choice club.
In New York, he immersed himself in producing, remixing and recording
.
es with John Poppo as sound engineer. Knuckles partnered with David Morales
on Def Mix Productions, and both men's mixing styles became similar for a period in the early 1990s as they honed the formula for a "Def Classic Mix" sound. With several important original productions and remix
es to his name, by the early 1990s, Knuckles was becoming a well-known name in the increasingly popular house music genre.
In 1991, Knuckles' debut album Beyond the Mix, released on Virgin Records
, contained his biggest hit to date, "The Whistle Song", which bears a slight similarity to Van McCoy
's "The Hustle
" in its whistle-like refrain
. The Def Classic Mix of "Change" by Lisa Stansfield
done around this period also featured the whistle like motif. Another track from the album, "Rain Falls" featured vocals from Lisa Michaelis
. Key remix
es from this time include his rework of the Electribe 101
anthem "Talking With Myself" and "Where Love Lives" by Alison Limerick
.
As his productions and remixes were becoming more popular, and he was also breaking new ground. When Junior Vasquez
took a sabbatical from Manhattan
's The Sound Factory
, he took over and launched a successful run as resident DJ until Vasquez
made his return, at which point Knuckles became the resident DJ at The Sound Factory Bar
. Knuckles remained part of the underground scene. In 1992, Billboard
s Larry Flick commented "He's probably the best dance music producer we have in America. He understands the groove, but he understands songs, and the whole picture." Knuckles won the 1997 Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical.
Knuckles continued to work as a remixer through the 90s and into the next decade, reworking tracks from Michael Jackson
, Luther Vandross
, Diana Ross
, Eternal
and Toni Braxton
. He released several new singles, including "Keep on Movin'" and a re-issue of an earlier hit "Bac N Da Day" with Definity Records. In 2004, he released a thirteen track album of original material - his first in over a decade, entitled A New Reality, which was critically
well received. In October 2004 "Your Love" appeared in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
, playing on house music radio station
, SF-UR. On 19 September 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame
for his outstanding achievement as a DJ.
Knuckles is featured in the 2006 documentary film
, The UnUsual Suspects - Once Upon a Time in House Music by Chip E.
, and the 2005 documentary film, Maestro by Josell Ramos.
is named after, and repeatedly mentions, Knuckles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He played an important role in developing house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
(an electronic, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
-influenced dance music) as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer. In 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame
Dance Music Hall of Fame
The Dance Music Hall of Fame was created in 2003 when music industry veteran John Parker thought that something needed to be done to honor the creators and innovators of dance music...
for his achievements as a DJ.
1970s–1980s
While studying textile designTextile design
Textile design is the process of creating designs and structures for knitted, woven, non-woven or embellishments of fabrics.Textile designing involves producing patterns for cloth used in clothing, household textiles and decorative textiles such as carpets. The field encompasses the actual pattern...
at FIT in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, Knuckles began working as a DJ, playing soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
at The Continental Baths with fellow DJ Larry Levan
Larry Levan
Larry Levan was a DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the modern dance club. He developed a cult following who referred to his sets as "Saturday Mass"...
. When he became better known, he DJed at the club Better Days. When the Warehouse
Warehouse (nightclub)
The Warehouse was a nightclub that was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1977 under the direction of Robert Williams. It is today most famous for being what many consider to be the birthplace and heart of "house music" under its first musical director, DJ Frankie Knuckles...
club opened in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1977, he was invited to play on a regular basis. He continued DJing there until 1982, when he started his own club, The Power Plant.
It is possible that the term 'house music' surfaced in reference to the sounds played at the Warehouse by Knuckles. Initially it was a catch-all term to describe the wide range of music being played at the Warehouse. It soon became the word used to define the raw, drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
based edits and tracks that Knuckles was playing in the early 1980s. Knuckles bought his first drum machine from a young Derrick May who, regularly made the trip from Detroit to see Knuckles at the Warehouse, and Ron Hardy
Ron Hardy
Ron Hardy was an instrumental DJ in the development of house music. An innovator and originator of the genre, he is highly regarded not only for his iconic performances at the Muzic Box, a Chicago house music club, but for his pioneering edits and mixes of disco, soul music, funk and early house...
at the Music Box.
Knuckles also had a musical partnership with Jamie Principle
Jamie Principle
Jamie Principle is a house music artist and producer born in Chicago, Illinois.He is one of the early pioneers of house music when the genre first began in Chicago during the early 1980s...
, and helped put "Your Love
Your Love (Frankie Knuckles song)
"Your Love" is a song by Jamie Principle. Its original recordings are early examples of Chicago house music.Key features of the song are the arpeggiated repeating synthesizer line and a powerful, propulsive bassline. Part of the bassline was based on that of the Italo Disco/boogie track "Feels Good...
" and "Baby Wants to Ride" out on vinyl after these tunes had been regulars on his reel-to-reel
Reel-to-reel audio tape recording
Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a reel, rather than being securely contained within a cassette....
player at the Warehouse for a year.
As house music gained momentum, pioneering producer Chip E.
Chip E.
Irwin Larry Eberhart II known as Chip E., is an American DJ and record producer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Chip E. attended St. Ignatius College Prep, Kenwood Academy, Columbia College and DePaul University. He started spinning records in 1982 and by 1984 he was producing records....
took Knuckles under his tutelage and produced Knuckle's first recording, "You Can't Hide", featuring vocalist Ricky Dillard. Then came more production work, including Jamie Principle
Jamie Principle
Jamie Principle is a house music artist and producer born in Chicago, Illinois.He is one of the early pioneers of house music when the genre first began in Chicago during the early 1980s...
's "Baby Wants to Ride", and later "Tears" with Robert Owens (of Fingers, Inc.
Fingers, Inc.
Fingers, Inc., was a Chicago house music group consisting of producer/arranger Larry Heard and vocalists Robert Owens and Ron Wilson...
) and (Knuckles' protege and future Def Mix associate) Satoshi Tomiie
Satoshi Tomiie
Satoshi Tomiie is a Japanese house-music producer and DJ. He has written music for numerous soundtracks, including for the Animatrix soundtrack and remixed many artists including the Future Sound of London.-History:...
.
Knuckles left the Warehouse to start his own club, The Power Plant, in 1983. When the Power Plant closed in 1987, he DJed for 4 months at Delirium in the UK before moving to New York. He was the featured resident DJ at The World, and also had numerous subsequent residencies, including at The Choice club.
In New York, he immersed himself in producing, remixing and recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
.
1990s–2000s
Knuckles did a number of popular Def Classic MixDef Classic Mix
Def Classic Mix is a style of House Music remix, usually applied to a pop recording post-production. The style was invented by famed remixer Frankie Knuckles and further developed by his business partner and fellow famous DJ David Morales. The term is in fact a trademark, but the style itself...
es with John Poppo as sound engineer. Knuckles partnered with David Morales
David Morales
David Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
on Def Mix Productions, and both men's mixing styles became similar for a period in the early 1990s as they honed the formula for a "Def Classic Mix" sound. With several important original productions and remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es to his name, by the early 1990s, Knuckles was becoming a well-known name in the increasingly popular house music genre.
In 1991, Knuckles' debut album Beyond the Mix, released on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, contained his biggest hit to date, "The Whistle Song", which bears a slight similarity to Van McCoy
Van McCoy
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an accomplished musician, music producer, arranger, songwriter, and orchestra conductor. He is known best for his 1975 internationally successful song "The Hustle", which is still played in dance halls and on radio to this day more than thirty years since his death...
's "The Hustle
The Hustle (song)
"The Hustle" is a famous disco song by songwriter/arranger Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony. It scored #1 on the "Billboard Hot 100" and the "Hot Soul Singles" charts during the summer of 1975. It also peaked at #9 on the Australian Singles Chart and #3 in the UK...
" in its whistle-like refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
. The Def Classic Mix of "Change" by Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield
Lisa Stansfield is an English singer and songwriter.-Early years:Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982...
done around this period also featured the whistle like motif. Another track from the album, "Rain Falls" featured vocals from Lisa Michaelis
Lisa Michaelis
Lisa Michaelis is a female actress/singer/musician/children's performer who was born in New York City and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is the founder of Laughing Pizza Productions, a children's record and video label....
. Key remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es from this time include his rework of the Electribe 101
Electribe 101
Electribe 101 was a British-based electronic music group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, managed by Tom Watkins of Bros, Pet Shop Boys, and 2wo Third3 fame.-Career:...
anthem "Talking With Myself" and "Where Love Lives" by Alison Limerick
Alison Limerick
Alison T. Limerick is a British singer.She began her music career as a backing vocalist in the mid 1980s, after attending the London Contemporary School of Dance. Her work appeared on The Style Council's 1985 album, Our Favourite Shop. In 1989 she made a brief appearance as an African sorceress in...
.
As his productions and remixes were becoming more popular, and he was also breaking new ground. When Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
took a sabbatical from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's The Sound Factory
The Sound Factory (bar)
The Sound Factory was a nightclub located at 21 West 21st Street in New York City. Promoted by several promoters, including Barbara Tucker, who was also a recording artist for Strictly Rhythm Records, the club featured DJs Little Louie Vega, David DePino and was the sister club of THE ORIGINAL...
, he took over and launched a successful run as resident DJ until Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...
made his return, at which point Knuckles became the resident DJ at The Sound Factory Bar
The Sound Factory Bar
Sound Factory Bar was a nightclub at 12 W 21st Street in the Chelsea district of New York City's Manhattan. The club was originally called Private Eyes and was a very popular nightspot in the late 80s and early 90s. It was then purchased by the owners of The Sound Factory, and, since the space...
. Knuckles remained part of the underground scene. In 1992, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Larry Flick commented "He's probably the best dance music producer we have in America. He understands the groove, but he understands songs, and the whole picture." Knuckles won the 1997 Grammy Award for Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical.
Knuckles continued to work as a remixer through the 90s and into the next decade, reworking tracks from Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
, Eternal
Eternal (band)
Eternal were an English R&B girl group formed in 1992. The group featured two sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, alongside Kelle Bryan and Louise Nurding...
and Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
. He released several new singles, including "Keep on Movin'" and a re-issue of an earlier hit "Bac N Da Day" with Definity Records. In 2004, he released a thirteen track album of original material - his first in over a decade, entitled A New Reality, which was critically
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
well received. In October 2004 "Your Love" appeared in the videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
, playing on house music radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, SF-UR. On 19 September 2005, Knuckles was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame
Dance Music Hall of Fame
The Dance Music Hall of Fame was created in 2003 when music industry veteran John Parker thought that something needed to be done to honor the creators and innovators of dance music...
for his outstanding achievement as a DJ.
Knuckles is featured in the 2006 documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, The UnUsual Suspects - Once Upon a Time in House Music by Chip E.
Chip E.
Irwin Larry Eberhart II known as Chip E., is an American DJ and record producer.-Life and career:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Chip E. attended St. Ignatius College Prep, Kenwood Academy, Columbia College and DePaul University. He started spinning records in 1982 and by 1984 he was producing records....
, and the 2005 documentary film, Maestro by Josell Ramos.
In popular culture
The song "Knuckles" by the band The Hold SteadyThe Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2004. The band consists of Craig Finn , Tad Kubler , Galen Polivka , Bobby Drake , and Steve Selvidge...
is named after, and repeatedly mentions, Knuckles.
Releases
- "Rain Falls" (single)
- "You Can't Hide from Yourself" – CBS RecordsCBS RecordsCBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
- "Tears" (single); Frankie Knuckles presents Satoshi TomiieSatoshi TomiieSatoshi Tomiie is a Japanese house-music producer and DJ. He has written music for numerous soundtracks, including for the Animatrix soundtrack and remixed many artists including the Future Sound of London.-History:...
– FFRR - "Your Love/Baby Wants to Ride" – Trax RecordsTrax RecordsTrax Records is a house-music record label based in Chicago. It played a major part in the development of house music with records such as Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love."...
- Beyond the Mix – Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
- "The Whistle Song" – Virgin RecordsVirgin RecordsVirgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
- Sessions Six – Mixed by Frankie Knuckles – Ministry of SoundMinistry of SoundMinistry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
- Choice: A Collection of Classics – Trax RecordsTrax RecordsTrax Records is a house-music record label based in Chicago. It played a major part in the development of house music with records such as Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles's "Your Love."...
- "Keep on Movin'" – Definity Records
- A New Reality – Definity Records
Remixes
- "This Time" – Chanté MooreChanté MooreChanté Moore is an American R&B and jazz singer.-Biography:Born to a gospel minister, she grew up singing in the church and was heavily influenced by the music of George Duke and Lee Ritenour. While in high school, she decided to make a career of singing...
- "Happy" – Towa TeiTowa Teiis a DJ, artist and record producer in Yokahoma, Japan.Tōwa debuted as a member of Deee-Lite, from the U.S. label Elektra Records in 1990, and shot to fame via their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart"...
- "Let No Man Put Asunder" – First ChoiceFirst Choice (band)First Choice was an American girl group vocal music trio from Philadelphia. The group produced the disco hits "Armed and Extremely Dangerous", "Smarty Pants", "The Player", "Love Thang", "Let No Man Put Asunder" and "Dr. Love". They were signed to soul label Philly Groove Records and to disco label...
- "Ain't Nobody" – Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
- "Watcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'" – Inner City
- "Talking with Myself" – Electribe 101Electribe 101Electribe 101 was a British-based electronic music group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, managed by Tom Watkins of Bros, Pet Shop Boys, and 2wo Third3 fame.-Career:...
- "The Pressure" – Sounds of BlacknessSounds of BlacknessSounds of Blackness is a Grammy Award-winning vocal and instrumental ensemble from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota who perform music from several genres music including gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz. The group scored several hits on the Billboard R&B chart and Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play...
- "Where Love Lives (Come on In)" – Alison LimerickAlison LimerickAlison T. Limerick is a British singer.She began her music career as a backing vocalist in the mid 1980s, after attending the London Contemporary School of Dance. Her work appeared on The Style Council's 1985 album, Our Favourite Shop. In 1989 she made a brief appearance as an African sorceress in...
- "I Want a Dog" – Pet Shop BoysPet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
- "Notgonnachange" – Swing Out SisterSwing Out SisterSwing Out Sister are a British "sophisti-pop" group best known worldwide for their 1986 song "Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", "Twilight World", "Waiting Game" and a remake of "Am I the Same Girl?" Though album sales in the U.S. and Europe have levelled off since the early 1990s, the...
- "Because of Love" – Janet JacksonJanet JacksonJanet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
- "Love Hangover" – Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
- "Bring Me Love" – Andrea Mendez
- "Rock with You" – Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- "Scream" (remixed by Knuckles and David Morale) – Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- "Thriller" (remixed by Knuckles and David Morale) – Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- "You Are Not Alone" – Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- "Closer Than Close" – Rosie GainesRosie GainesRosie Gaines is an American vocalist, musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer from Pittsburg, California. She released a number of dance hits, the most notable being "Closer Than Close".-Ensemble career:...
- "Unbreak My Heart" – Toni BraxtonToni BraxtonToni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
- "Sunshine" – GabrielleGabrielle (singer)Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
- "I'm Going to Go" – JagoJagoJago is usually given as the Cornish for the name James and as an alternate spelling for Iago. It may also refer to:People:*Jago , about the name "Jago"*Fred W. P. Jago, scholar of the Cornish language*F. V...
- "BlindBlind (Hercules and Love Affair song)-Writing and inspiration:"Blind" was written by Antony Hegarty and Andrew Butler. The song began as a poem by Butler before it was recorded by Hegarty.-Critical reception:...
" – Hercules & Love Affair - "You've Got the Love" – The Source ft. Candi StatonCandi StatonCandi Staton is an American soul and gospel singer, best known for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" and her 1976 disco hit "Young Hearts Run Free". In 2007, Staton was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
- "Million Dollar Bill" – Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- Def Classic MixDef Classic MixDef Classic Mix is a style of House Music remix, usually applied to a pop recording post-production. The style was invented by famed remixer Frankie Knuckles and further developed by his business partner and fellow famous DJ David Morales. The term is in fact a trademark, but the style itself...
External links
- Review of album Motivation Too 2009
- FKAlways.com Frankie Knuckles official website.
- Discogs Frankie Knuckles discography and biography.
- Disco Disco Disco disco pays respect to the godfather of house music.
- Frankie Knuckles Day Photos of Frankie Knuckles Day (August 25, 2004) in Chicago