DJ Ron Slomowicz: What was you inspiration for making this new album?
Frankie Knuckles: The lack of quality dance music and the fact that here in the United States, house music is not seen as anything viable by the music industry. I figured that this might be another shot at the industry looking at the possibilities of house music and giving it a little bit more legitimacy than what they give it. It's a host of different things, but it's something that I needed to say musically.
RS: What vibe were you feeling as you entered the studio?
Frankie: I can't say that I had any special vibe when it came to the album, I approached it one song at a time. It was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together and it's amazing how each song managed to fit right behind one another. Normally, if we're recording an album, the artist has to submit so many different songs, maybe fifty to a hundred songs, and the A&R director or company president whittles it down to what they think are the best twelve or fourteen songs and that becomes the album. Having the luxury of not being signed to a major label and being in complete control of this whole project, I put together the album like a jigsaw puzzle, I approached each song as special and attached it accordingly.
RS: For the songs, did you get a vibe a do a song with someone and then think this is for the album?
Frankie: Well by the time I was finished producing the song itself, it just made sense that it would be part of the project. The first track actually solidified, "Keep On Moving," was done three years ago and I realized that I found the nucleus of what this album should be about. Everything else I already had sitting in a can, so it was a matter of finishing the production on each one.
RS: I've listened to this album several times and I'm trying to get a structure behind it. There's a wide variety of styles on the album and I'm reading this as like sort of a nostalgic look back with "Bac n da Day" when there wasn't so much segmentation in dance music. This leads to a realization that we all need to come together and embrace the diversity of dance music. Am I stoned or is that close to what you're going for?
Frankie: Absolutely, and it's just a matter of time before we all come together.
RS: How was putting this album together different than the last one you put together seven years ago, first with regards to being on a major versus an indie?
Frankie: Well the big difference is that I'm in control of every aspect of this one from its inception; from the first ideas of what I thought would make this album what it is and with there being no outside influences as far as record company people are concerned. No one's telling me that I can't do this or I can do that, every final decision with this album has been designed and completely tested with me, so that's the biggest difference.
