Legendary label Definitive Recordings was founded by John Acquaviva, Richie Hawtin, and Karl Kowalski in 1992 as an embodiment of their vision for house music. After being acquired by Get Physical in 2023, the label has dropped a series of ‘Classics’ EPs alongside the ‘Disco House for All’ compilation. Now, they return with a further dive into the imprint’s faultless catalogue. What results is a perfectly ageless collection of floor-friendly house grooves that make a maximal impact from minimal elements.
Says Acquaviva of the album, “It’s been a lot of fun ‘crate digging’ through my collection of productions and the early Definitive Catalogue. Revisiting and reissuing these gems from the past in this compilation truly excites me for all that lies ahead and the new generation of Definitive.”
Acquaviva opens things up with an edit of the anthem ‘House For All’ by Blunted Dummies, a Piled Witch Mix of ‘Out On The Dancefloor’ brings plenty of filter action to minimal house drums, and a second standout edit from Acquaviva reworks the steamy house funk of Robotman Mix’s of ‘Look, Listen, Love’. Two more Acquaviva edits follow – firstly of Omega Man’s thumping house cut ‘Freejack’ then a disco mix of Dance Fever’s well-swung and dusty jam, ‘A Woman In Love’.
Elsewhere, there are funky guitar riffs and playful trumpet stabs on Trax 4 Daze’s ‘Blow Your Horn’, Eduardo Rossell’s Rework of Acquaviva’s ‘Metal Detector’ is a burrowing house groove with menacing bass and a Ring Tone Mix of ‘At Midnight’ is brilliantly lo-fi house with wild synth seances that are perfect for strobe-lit floors. After the exclusive Acquaviva and Giacomotto collaboration, ‘Fee Fi Fo Hum’, which is a percussive house sound with warped vocals, the compilation closes out with the elastic bass and hypnotic vocal loops of ‘Hummer’.
‘The Definitive Selection Vol. 1 – Curated, Edited & Mixed By John Acquaviva’ comes on Definitive Recordings on May 23rd 2025. The single ‘Fee Fi Fo Hum’ will drop in advance on April 25th, followed by the ‘Definitive Selections Vol.1 EP’ on May 9th.
Tracklist
01 Blunted Dummies – House For All (Thee John Acquaviva Edit) (Remastered)
02 Dance Fever – Out On The Dancefloor (Piled Witch Mix Remaster)
03 Las Americas – Look, Listen, Love (Robotman Mix – John Acquaviva Edit)
04 Omega Man – Freejack (John Acquaviva Edit)
05 Dance Fever – A Woman In Love (J. Acquaviva U Ain’t Really Disco Mix- Remaster)
06 Future Legends – The Music (Remaster)
07 Trax 4 Daze – Blow Your Horn (Remaster)
08 Chuck Phulasole – Manik Sax (Remaster)
09 John Acquaviva – Metal Detector (Eduardo Rossell’s Rework Remaster)
10 John Acquaviva – At Midnight (Ring Tone Mix Remaster)
11 John Acquaviva & Olivier Giacomotto – Fee Fi Fo Hum
12 John Acquaviva – Hummer
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