Dimitri from Paris makes a spectacular return to the place that gave him, and some bunnies, notoriety.

A DJ’s currency and survival often hinges on their ability to adapt to changing fads. But for world-renowned Dimitri from Paris (yes, ‘from Paris’ is part of his moniker), the case has been somewhat different.

“I never was interested in following trends but more into establishing a clearly identifiable sound,” Dimitri tells AXN. “Rather than having to fit into some kind of dictated format, I’d rather evolve outside of it. That approach has enabled my sound to subtly be enriched and evolve over the years.”

That sound, as heard on his latest double CD mix, Return to the Playboy Mansion, is an unmistakable brand of house with highlights reminiscent of ’70s disco and ’80s dance pop.

“New trends are constant rehashes of older ones ninety-nine per cent of the time,” Dimitri adds. “I prefer making my own mix and picking anything new that I deem creatively interesting and incorporating that into my sound.”

Return to the Playboy Mansion is the third volume in the popular series, which began with 2000’s A Night at the Playboy Mansion. That album, a mix of new and classic disco-tinged tracks, delivered multi-platinum figures and became one of Mixmag’s ‘Top 100 Best Compilations Ever’. It was a bold move to try and bottle the sound of a place as mythical as the P-Mansion, but in the end, it paid off.  

“I think the fact the whole thing was sincere touched people somehow,” Dimitri says of its success. “For me it made perfect sense to add a disco-flavoured soundtrack to the Playboy mystique and I guess many others thought the same.”

A follow-up album, After the Playboy Mansion, was released in 2002.

This time around, in putting together his mix, Dimitri has constructed a musical narrative set, of course, on the grounds of Hugh Hefner’s love shack.

“I wanted to lyrically tell a story within the sexy and party-fuelled myth of the Playboy Mansion,” he says. “Thus, CD 1, which is the party-oriented mix, leads to the sexier sounds of CD 2.” Case in point: Teddy Pendergrass closes the first disc with ‘Come Go With Me’ and opens the second disc with
‘Close the Door’. As the disc titles suggest: party time to sexy time.

Return is indeed a return to form for Dimitri, who is eager to once again capture the aura and essence of the famed Playboy premises. And loyal P-Mansion music fans will not be disappointed.

“We have this saying in France,” Dimitri says. “‘In the old pots you make better soup.’ I do an old-fashioned heart-warming soup that goes down well. I like it and I want other people to taste it.” AXN

Return to the Playboy Mansion is out now through Stomp.