Mark Knight, Green Velvet & James Hurr Deliver “The Greatest Thing Alive”
The prolific production trio combines their decades of experience into a track that’s ready to do serious damage as club season begins.
When it comes to music, “greatness” is hard to measure, but if there are two artists in dance music who are fit for such extolling, it’s Green Velvet and Mark Knight, a legendary duo who have come together once again on a new single, “The Greatest Thing Alive.”
Both Velvet and Knight have their own immense careers as producers, delivering massive hits like “Man With The Red Face” and “Bigger Than Prince,” respectively. Furthermore, they both have immense careers as curators, running historic labels Relief and Toolroom, where this new track finds its home.
With so much experience, it’s only natural that the result of their work is magic, especially with the help of Knight’s studio partner, James Hurr. The first time Velvet was on Toolroom was in 2015 for “Suga” with Technasia, which went to #1 on Beatport and harbors an impressive 9 million streams.
But if any trio of producers can top that, it’s this one.
“The Greatest Thing Alive” employs a slow intentional beat and bassline, relying on groove instead of tempo to create that dancefloor energy. And with this heavy groove, Velvet draws inspiration from Blues pioneer Muddy Waters’ timeless song “Mannish Boy” to help guide his quirky, emphatic vocal work that is cherished at clubs and raves around the world. Listen below.
“I love working with Curtis (Green Velvet). He is a bonafide icon of the scene, and I’ve always been a huge fan since he took us on a tour of Club Bad in 1994,” Knight tells Beatportal.
“What sets him apart? His sheer creativity. He always brings a clever, unique and totally fresh interpretation of what you’re trying to achieve in the studio. We are always perfectly in tune with each other, so collabs are always a dream. The idea to draw inspiration from Muddy Waters for this record was genius, and totally fits the low-slung, sleazy attitude of the track. ‘I Am The Greatest’ — a pretty apt title for Green Velvet.”
Mark Knight, Green Velvet, and James Hurr’s single “The Greatest Thing Alive” is out now via Toolroom. Buy it on Beatport.
