This Sunday (18th January) would have been Frankie Knuckles’ birthday. To celebrate the occasion and honour his enduring legacy, Defected are proud to make available the previously unreleased ‘Frankie Knuckles In The House’ DJ mix exclusively on Apple Music.
Compiled and mixed in 2011 by Frankie Knuckles himself, the mix was originally intended to be a 2CD, digital and vinyl compilation release in the famed In The House series.
However, Frankie’s health at the time meant that he couldn’t fully commit to its promotion as much as he would have liked, and he requested the project was paused.
On the eve of his birthday, in continuation with Defected’s ongoing work with the Frankie Knuckles Foundation and its commitment to educating and supporting initiatives across LGBTQIA+ communities and AIDS prevention, Defected makes this mix available for the very first time.
“As stewards of Frankie’s legacy, we are thrilled and deeply honoured to share this previously unreleased project with his legion of fans. It beautifully captures his quintessential Directors Cut sound in 2011 which has become synonymous with his name, mixed in classical FK style!” – Frederick Dunson, The Frankie Knuckles Foundation
In addition to the never-before-heard mix, Defected has also repressed House Masters: Frankie Knuckles due to overwhelming demand for the vinyl. Featuring extensive liner notes and photographs celebrating the life and legacy of the great man himself, the tracklist includes Frankie’s timeless originals alongside essential remixes across its 2LP format.
A portion of proceeds from the vinyl and accompanying Frankie Knuckles official merch on DStore go to The Frankie Knuckles Foundation; find out more about the foundation here.
The never-before-heard DJ mix, ‘Defected presents Frankie Knuckles In The House’, is available Friday 16th January 2026. Only on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/1866770324.