One of French house’s quietest classics just turned 25, and the two men who made it decided to remix it themselves for the first time. “Intro (25th Anniversary)” dropped on March 20, 2026 via Smugglers Way, both digitally and on a limited 12″.
The track that never needed a hit single to matter
“Intro” came out in 2000 on Alan Braxe’s own label, Vulture Music, built around a vocal lift from The Jets’ 1985 song “Crush On You” and a bassline Fred Falke played himself. It never chased the charts the way Braxe’s other project, Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You,” did. Instead it became the kind of record DJs keep in rotation for decades, a low-key reference point for anyone tracing French house back to its source.
Two producers, one bassline, 25 years later
Braxe (born Alain Quême) started making music after giving himself a one-year challenge to land a single on Thomas Bangalter’s Roulé label. Falke came up through session bass work before turning producer, and has spent the years since remixing everyone from Ke$ha to Lana Del Rey. For the anniversary, each took a solo pass: Falke’s remix goes cosmic and dubby with a freshly recorded bassline, while Braxe calls his own version a “hotel room edit,” rawer and closer to the record’s original DNA.
Twenty-five years on, “Intro” still does its job without demanding a spotlight, much like the two men who made it. If French house has a quiet older uncle who never brags about the one time he wrote a global hit, this is his other, humbler masterpiece finally getting a toast.
Key facts
- Original release: 2000, Vulture Music
- Anniversary EP release: March 20, 2026
- Format: digital and limited 12″ vinyl
- Vocal sample: The Jets, “Crush On You” (1985)