Chez Damier’s 90’s classic ‘I Never Knew Love’ gets another spin out, this time tastefully done by the evergreen Josh Butler.
There are few house records that carry the emotional weight and timeless groove of Chez Damier’s I Never Knew Love. More than thirty years on from its original release, the track’s spirit remains untouched, that soulful, human heartbeat that defined an era of deep house built on warmth, space, and sincerity. Now, Josh Butler steps in to reinterpret this classic for 2025, and he does so with the sensitivity and precision it deserves.
Butler’s extended mix isn’t a flashy overhaul. Instead, it’s a masterclass in restraint. The drums hit cleaner and tighter, the low-end rolls with modern punch, and the mix breathes with a clarity that lifts Damier’s vocal and keys back into focus. The core feeling, that introspective, love-worn atmosphere, remains intact. What Butler adds is momentum: a subtle tech swing in the percussion, a deeper sub groove under the piano stabs, and a renewed flow that locks perfectly into today’s club systems.
There’s respect in every layer. The build is patient, the breakdown is pure emotion, and the drop lands with understated authority, enough to move a room without ever shouting for attention. It’s the kind of rework that DJs will lean on in late-night sets, bridging old-school soul and new-school polish in one seamless narrative.
In a year where countless reissues chase nostalgia, Josh Butler’s take on I Never Knew Love earns its place by doing what house music was always meant to do: connect hearts through rhythm.
You can buy Butler’s remix of ‘I Never Knew Love’ here.
