Roland Leesker reworks Soft House Company’s ‘What You Need’ and unveils new alias Mysterious Eastern Force
‘What You Need’ first appeared in 1990 as a release by Italian house project Soft House Company
Roland Leesker has revisited Soft House Company’s 1990 house track ‘What You Need’ with a new rework that also introduces his Mysterious Eastern Force moniker.
Released through Definitive Recordings, the new version first appeared on vinyl in June and has now received its digital release. Leesker’s original mix stays close to the structure and character of the 1990 recording while introducing a more driving production approach.
The project began after Leesker heard The Three Chairs play ‘What You Need’ during Movement Detroit two years ago, prompting him to reconstruct the track from scratch.
“I heard ‘What You Need’ again two years ago during Movement in Detroit, when The Three Chairs played it in their set, and it hit me straight in the heart all over again. I immediately wanted to work with the original. So I decided to rebuild the track myself from the ground up, creating my own cover version as the basis for a new interpretation.”
Alongside the original mix, Leesker has released an 11-minute Mysterious Eastern Force Edit, introducing the new alias for the first time. The extended version retains elements of the original while adding a more energetic bassline and subtle acid touches.
Originally released in 1990, Soft House Company’s ‘What You Need’ was written by Claudio Rispoli, also known as DJ Mozart, who died last year. Rispoli was associated with Italy’s early club culture, including as a resident DJ at Baia degli Angeli, and later worked as a producer on projects within the country’s dance music scene.
“The original was written by Claudio Rispoli, better known as DJ Mozart, who sadly passed away last year. Claudio was one of the true pioneers of Italian club culture and a resident at the legendary Baia degli Angeli and later an important producer behind records and projects that helped take Italian dance music around the world. For me, this version is really a tribute: to Claudio, to the original record and to that particular emotional quality that the best House music can carry across generations. Hearing it again in Detroit almost 35 years after it was made and feeling that same reaction immediately was ultimately the reason I had to make this,” Leesker continued.
The artist has been active in house music since the late 1980s, beginning in Frankfurt’s club scene before working across New York, Berlin and the wider electronic music circuit. His production catalogue dates back to the mid-1990s and includes ‘L’Essentiel’, made with Ricardo Villalobos in 1995 under their R+R project.
His subsequent solo work for Get Physical has moved across house, acid, electro and Detroit-influenced sounds, with collaborations and remixes involving DJ Pierre, Roland Clark, Robert Hood and Terrence Parker. He has also released his debut album ‘Searching For Peace’, while his more recent output includes a remix of Inner City’s ‘Pennies From Heaven’.
Listen to the release below, use this link to stream/download on your favourite platforms.
