February saw Marshall Jefferson and Byron Stingily breathe new life into their long-shelved Ten City project with a single titled “Be Free.” The Chicago house veterans have now announced their first album together in 27 years. Judgement will arrive by way of Ultra Music June 18th.
Ahead of the release, Jefferson has shared a remix of “Devotion,” which first appeared on Ten City’s 1989 album Foundation. The update raises the BPMs of the source material (perhaps in hopeful anticipation of nightclubs reopening), with the instrumentals counterbalancing Stingily’s soulful vocal made more dynamic.
“The lyrics are about two women that myself and Byron went on a double date with,” said Jefferson of the track. “They seemed to have been in bad relationships before. Byron started singing and we came up with the idea that if previous men had treated them better, they wouldn’t be so bitter. I took Byron’s original and positive vocal ideas ‘I want to give you devotion’ and came up with the music the same night because it was a great vibe.”
Ten City formed from the members of a group called Ragtyme: Stingily, Byron Burke and Herb Lawson. Although he produced their music, Jefferson was an unofficial member. Alongside tracks like “Right Back to You” and “That’s the Way Love Is,” “Devotion” reached #1 on Billboard‘s “Dance Club Songs” chart.
That Was Then, This Is Now came out in 1994 and would be Ten City’s final album in the group’s previous form. In 1996, the group released the singles “Nothing’s Changed” and “All Loved Out” followed by the EP Dub Life in 1998.
Stream or purchase Marshall Jefferson’s “Devotion” remix in digital format across platforms here.
