"What You Want" by Future Force

I moved heaven and earth just to acquire this CD single. If memory serves, I heard the vocal mix off a free mixtape from the record label AM:PM, which released "What You Want' in 1996. I fell in love with the powerful vocal performance of Terri Symon and the production of Mark Picchiotti. Is it just me or does the song borrow from Aretha Franklin's "Respect" with its "What you want... what you need" hook? 

The single was remixed by a stellar cast: Mark himself, Hippie Torrales, Kamasutra, Richie Jones, and Mark Mendoza. As can be seen from my iTunes playlist here, I'm partial to Mark's remixes. I enjoy what the other guys had done, but Mark seemed to be at his element when he worked on the song. Since discovering his outstanding productions with The Absolute (under the revered Tribal America/Tribal UK imprint, incidentally my all-time favorite record label of all time), I stanned Mark and was on the lookout for new stuff from him. 

From my iTunes playlists.

The Epic Vocal Mix and the Massive Vocal Mix are probably one of the best vocal mixes that sprang from this era. While the Epic Vocal Mix is leaning towards garage-house, the Massive Vocal Mix is harder and more percussive. 

I'm not exactly the biggest fan of dub versions, especially when the remix hardly bears any resemblance to the original. Sometimes I'd be tempted to think that the dub was just an unused instrumental mix, sometimes where the remixer just threw in clipped portions of the vocal. That's just me. However, I take exception with Mark. He turns out the fiercest dubs on the planet. When I first marveled at the Rim Job Dub that appeared in his "Chicago In The Mix" album, I just had to have it. It's got so much attitude it sounds awesome in a club setting, especially when that synth hook comes on. My goodness, that breakdown at the 10-minute mark (the Rim Job Dub is over12 minutes long) is the stuff insanity on the dancefloor is made of. In my DJing days I can truly say that this is the version to play during peak hours. It was a real trip for me mixing this into another Mark Picchiotti remix: the Mad Boy Dub of "Bring Me Love" by Andrea Mendez (which also happens to be an AM:PM release). I'd love to hear this record again on the dancefloor these days, or even in online mix sets-- that'd be a hoot. 

Anyhoo, you can lose yourself in this glorious remix right here: