Ghosts is such a classic MJ song from the 90s, and since Dangerous onward, I was really into the New Jack rhythms that he was putting out. But like many of the MJ singles from this era, the remixes were not very much aligned with the original track. Many sacrificed the original vibe in order to create ‘four on the floor’ club remixes that missed the mark in my opinion. So my version was intended to correct this and do at least one remix that I wanted to listen to.
The approach to this was very simple. I had the multitrack which was very well isolated — all the loops and percussion samples had their own tracks, so I was able to explore a lot with the rhythms. I decided to keep it as close to the studio version as possible, so the tempo is the same. I did add a 4/4 kick sample to make it slightly housey, as well as a nice subby bass, and what I got in the end is what I think Frankie Knuckles might have done if he had had a chance. I would have added some house piano maybe, if I had the chops.
SoundCloud rejected this upload because of copyright, so the track is on YouTube.
Ghosts (In The House)
Michael Jackson
CREDITS
written, produced and arranged by Michael Jackson. additional production and remix by Earl Three.