Continuing to explore the ways Motown Records can be celebrated through new artistic and musical lenses, UMe has released Volume 1 of their ongoing project Lotown today via UMG’s new alternative music channel, uChill.
For this first installment, UMe offered lo-fi producer LOUALLDAY a deep dive into memorable Motown classics, resulting in 10 new renditions of iconic tracks that pay tribute to the original music while also bringing an authentic lo-fi flavor – a cross-section of old and new.
Kicking off the remixes, the Four Tops hit single “Baby I Need Your Lovin’” takes on an ethereal and haunting tone, Marvin Gaye’s “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” flutters and glistens over a strong beat, The Marvelettes “Please Mr. Postman” gets its due with a slow driving swagger, while the dancey Isley Brothers’ classic “This Old Heart of Mine” gets paired with a methodical and confident hip-hop backbone.
Says LOUALLDAY about initially getting involved with the project, “It was pretty mind-blowing to hear something like Marvin Gaye‘s isolated vocals. I feel like not many people will ever get a chance to hear those, so I was honored to get the opportunity.”
LOUALLDAY picked out special moments that he wanted to highlight, isolating iconic vocals, melodies, and string arrangements that had always made an impression on him in his youth.
“My history with Motown started with my parents. They were always playing music when we were kids, especially Motown. I personally got into Motown when I started sampling. I remember hovering over my older brother’s shoulder, trying to learn how to chop classic samples up. Motown has always been in my life in one way or another.”
Lowtown Vol. 1 Tracklist:
1. Four Tops – “Baby I Need Your Lovin’”
2. Jimmy Ruffin – “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted”
3. Marvin Gaye – “Too Busy Thinking About My Baby”
4. The Marvelettes – “Please Mr. Postman [3-track only]”
5. The Originals – “Baby, I’m For Real”
6. The Temptations – “Just My Imagination”
7. Supremes – “Come See About Me”
8. The Marvelettes – “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game”
9. Mary Wells – “You Beat Me to the Punch”
10. Isley Brothers – “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)”
