Continuing to explore the ways Motown Records can be celebrated through new artistic and musical lenses, UMe is releasing Volume 1 of their ongoing project Lotown today via UMG’s new alternative and lean-back 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. Lotown Vol. 1 is available digitally via DSPs here.
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. These songs as well as touchstones from Jimmy Ruffin, The Originals, the Supremes, and Mary Wells all received the remix treatment, introducing a completely new sound while honoring the warm nostalgia of the original tracks. See the full tracklisting below.
Recalls 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.”
Lotown Vol. 1 is out digitally today, September 10, 2021 via UMe.
Tracklisting
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”
5. The Originals – “Baby, I’m For Real”
6. The Temptations – “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)”
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)”
