Depressing: Prince was still alive when “Bigger Than Prince” first melted down the dancefloors.
Inspiring: It’s one of Green Velvet’s later career tracks that has stood up with the classic Relief and Cajual material.
Interesting: Cajmere first saw Prince in concert in 2012. He had great seats, and positioned himself amidst a group of women who were reaching out to grab his hand. Pushing aside timidity (and maybe a few other fans), Cajmere used his height to reach out too. Prince shook it, he told the Echo in 2014, “and that was really the start of me writing that song.”
Revealing: A decade after its release, “Bigger Than Prince” drops with remixes by Marcus Lys and Classmatic. Lys’ mix has a rubbery sound that does the job here — it permeates everything, from the bongos to the reverb’d vocals and those weird tweaks that sneak in and turn your spine to ice.
Classmatic knows classic Relief: its raw, dirty and… funny, actually, and fun. I think you can hear some bubbles from “Percolator” in the background and buried deep in the mix. Everyone knows this is a Green Velvet song the first time the vocal rolls in: why not give ’em what they came for?
⚪️ Bigger Than Prince (Remixes) Tracklisting
Green Velvet: Bigger Than Prince (10 Year Anniversary Remixes) (Relief Records / Digital)
1. Bigger Than Prince (Marco Lys Remix) (06:16)
2. Bigger Than Prince (Classmatic Remix) (06:55)
3. Bigger Than Prince (Classmatic 2k23 Remix) (06:31)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement
This record was submitted as a promo.
⚪️ Previous Coverage
⚪️ Newspaper Prints Chicago House Themed Crossword Puzzle (2020)
⚪️ Future/Past: What I Love About Armando’s The Future (2018)
⚪️ Jerome Baker: A Chicago Story (2016)
⚪️ Love Train and the Lost History of a Chicago House Classic (2013)
⚪️ Lester Fitzpatrick Is Doing The Work (2022)
5 Mag Issue 208
Out July 2023
WE STILL CALL IT HOUSE: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #208 featuring the story of Chicago house music collective 3 Degrees Global, a tribute to DJ Deeon, a cover mix by and profile of Gratts, Detroit vocalist Diviniti, John Davis of the disco’s scariest orchestra, the great vanishing of pirate sites more. Help keep our vibe alive by becoming a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!
