Need to Feel Loved — Reflekt

Most club hits borrow from disco or soul. “Need to Feel Loved” borrowed from a gangster film. Reflekt took “Ghosts”, a cue from Thomas Newman’s Road to Perdition soundtrack, added Delline Bass’s voice, and went to No. 1 on the UK dance chart.

Who were Reflekt?

Reflekt was a partnership between Seb Fontaine, a DJ, remixer and producer, and Julian Peake, also known as Jay P. or Jules Vern and one half of Stretch & Vern. The duo was active from 2004 to 2012, and “Need to Feel Loved” was its debut single. The vocal came from English singer Delline Bass.

Fontaine, born in Hammersmith in 1970, had held a residency at the Fridge in Brixton from 1989, then became a resident at Cream, playing its Ibiza nights too. He mixed the Prototype compilation series between 1999 and 2001, and from 2000 to 2004 hosted a weekly dance show on BBC Radio 1, including outside broadcasts from Ibiza. After leaving Radio 1 he teamed up with Peake as Reflekt.

A film score on the dance floor

The track samples “Ghosts”, from Thomas Newman’s soundtrack to the 2002 film Road to Perdition. Fontaine is credited among the songwriters and producers. The radio edit runs 3:22.

Release and charts

Positiva released the single on 21 February 2005. In March it reached No. 1 on the UK Dance Singles Chart and No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart, with the same position on the Scottish sales chart. It also reached No. 20 on the Dutch Top 40 and No. 42 in Ireland. It is certified gold in the UK for 400,000 units.

The same year it was featured in It’s All Gone Pete Tong, a 2005 British-Canadian film.

The 2009 remixes

In 2009 the track was remixed again, most prominently by Adam K & Soha. Their Vocal Mix came out as a 1,000-copy digital exclusive on 23 February 2009, followed by a limited 12-inch on 2 March. The reissue did not chart on its own.

In the mix

For more vocal house from the same years of UK club culture, keep digging with “Lola’s Theme” by The Shapeshifters and “Fade” by Solu Music.