Track Notes: Classic Through The Eyes of Matt Tolfrey

Track Notes: Classic Through The Eyes of Matt Tolfrey

14 December, 2011 | 8.27AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: classic, derrick carter, luke solomon, matt tolfrey

Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon knew what they were doing when, in 1995, they named their record label Classic.

A decade and a half later, many of their releases have indeed become certifiable classics, from LoSoul’s “Lies” to Iz & Diz’s ”Mouth” to 3rd Face’s ”Canto Della Liberta.” The label’s got unbelievable range, traversing every conceivable variation of true house music, and when it comes to funk, it’s always deep in the pocket.

With Classic’s catalog finally becoming available again, under new distribution through Defected, the label has chosen an unusual approach to showcase its wares: they’ve invited Matt Tolfrey to put together a guided tour of the archives in the form of Classic Through The Eyes Of: Matt Tolfrey. He’s certainly the man for the job: he owns every single one of the label’s releases, for starters, and qualifies as one of the label’s most passionate (and knowledgeable) fans.

We asked Tolfrey to highlight some of his favorite Classic tracks; read on as he discusses cuts from Rednail Kidz, Chris Nazuka, Losoul, and more.

Classic Through The Eyes Of: Matt Tolfrey - Mix Sampler by Classic Music Company

Rednail Kidz + 1 - I Think Of You (Herbert’s Love & Happiness Remix) [CMC099]

This was officially the first Classic record I ever bought and I promised myself that it would be the first record on a mix CD of mine in the future. It was released in 1996, and I still remember the day I bought it. The original material on the release is amazing also, but I had to choose Matthew Herbert’s remix in this case. He has had a huge influence on me during my career, his Accidental label is up there with one of my favourites of all time. I can sum him up really quickly by quoting him in one if his interviews where he says, “It’s because I want to change the world and I am a firm believer that music can do that.”

Chris Nazuka - Joy, Awe, Anguish, Love and Triumph [CMC095]

The title alone sums up this record, a 13-minute epic record that I still play every set when appropriate. Chris did some more early work with Derrick Carter as Rednail Kidz but I wish I would have heard more from him. Early on in my career, when I was still warming up a lot of dancefloors at my gigs, I always remember this being the record I would play when I finally got to headline! Since the track list for my mix has been announced, this is the track that most of my close DJ friends have written to me and said, “Guess what, I still play this record as well!”

Jean Caffeine - Jean’s Afterthought [CMC083]

This is a record that I have heard nearly every DJ I admire play on countless occasions. Every summer in Ibiza I will hear this on rotation—it sums up any mood or setting within the first 60 seconds of it being mixed in. Funnily enough, though, I emailed Luke Solomon about possibly remixing this track while I was compiling the mix, and I asked him if he was still in contact with the producer. Much to my surprise it turned out to be Luke himself under one of his many aliases, so it was straight to Discogs to get educated on anything and everything so I wouldn’t be caught out again!

Losoul - Lies (Watch Your Lift) [CMC074]

This was one of the many Classic records that has lain hidden in my collection, waiting for the green light to re-appear again. Rewind to the Detroit Electronic Music Festival 2009, the location was Old Miami, a war veterans’ bar on the outskirts of the city. It was an early Monday evening, the party Need I Say More, organised by the Visionquest boys was drawing to a close, and we were being blown away by a closing back2back set from good friends Matthew Dear and Ryan Elliott. “Lies” was one of the last tracks played by Ryan and it ensued a full crowd sing along that I will never forget!!!

Home & Garden - @ The Count Of 3 [CMC068]

I remember the first time I saw Derrick Carter at the Bomb in Nottingham in 2000, this was the highlight track and one I knew I had to own. I wrote “at the count of three, you’ll be under my spell” in my phone as I was sure this is what the lyrics were, and luckily enough when the EP was released, I knew it was the one straight away! It’s the standout track from Home & Garden’s output on Classic, and also one I would love to remix at some point. A lot of their stuff is more of a trademark Chicago sound, i.e. swingy and jazzy, but this track appealed more to a European market as it was more straight-up house.

Nail - (I Don’t Wanna) Hurt You [CMC056]

I got heavily turned onto the sound of Classic while at university in Nottingham, and the city influenced me a lot musically. I was proud to find out that Nail (one half of the band Bent) was not only from Nottingham, but also a regular in one of the record shops I used to frequent named Funky Monkey—the slipmats I bought from there still sit on my 1210s in my studio to this day! This inspired me to take a look at production myself. It took a long time to get the hang of it, but I got there in the end. This was also the first white label from Classic that I managed to get my hands on while digging through the racks, and it has since lead me to try and not only collect every Classic record out there, but also the whites/test presses, which I will say has nearly been impossible! Only a few more to go though! Luckily for me a lot of older DJs have started selling their record collections so I have been getting in there quick and snapping up all the whites they own before anyone else gets their mitts on them!

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