Basic Black Don't Make Me Fall In Love - Timmy Regisford Mixes [Running Back]

“[…] it was dance music, it had lyrics, it had songs, it wasn’t all instrumental, it was basically uptempo soul, to be exact.”*

This quote from Timmy Regisford sums up everything you need to know about his remix of Basic Black’s Don’t Make Me Fall In Love. Signed to Motown during Regisford’s tenure as vice president and head of A&R, the group’s self-titled debut album, released in 1990, is a testament to the enormous popularity of new jack swing at the time. In his remix, the co-founder, resident DJ, and key figure of Club Shelter reconfigures the song’s structure with the characteristic sounds of the New York dance floor scene, keeping the emotional narrative of the lyrics and the group’s vocals intact, over an irresistible groove and an out-of-this-world bassline.

At the time, this version was only available in the record bags of the elite New York DJs and, later, as a white label in specialty stores. However, this soulful yet vibrant piece never had an official release as a single… until now. Rescued from a DAT tape from Tony Humphries’ archive and carefully and faithfully restored, this edition includes for the first time a condensed instrumental version – previously unreleased – of the remix, as well as a bass-and-beats edit ideal for mixing, courtesy of yours truly. New jack swing transformed into New York club music by a king. This remix is not only a showcase of Timmy Regisford’s talent in the studio but also a tribute to the roots of the music he loves and grew up with—becoming a perpetual piece within the vast history of the city’s underground dance music.

Gerd Janson

*Interview with Timmy Regisford by Jonathan Fleming, What Kind of House Party Is This?, MIY Publishing Ltd, 1995.