I first heard this track when it was originally released as an instrumental by the Yellow Magic Orchestra on their LP "Multiples." Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson took an interest and wrote additional lyrics for the piece which they intended to include on Jackson's "Thriller" LP. When Thriller was released as a single LP rather than the planned 2 disc set, the song was cut and Phillinganes (the session keyboardist for that project ) requested permission to record and release the song himself. "Behind The Mask" temporarily propelled Greg Phillinganes into the spotlight and gave him his most notable single. Sadly, Planet Records released a track that sounded flat and lacked any real drive. As a remix engineer and club DJ I always heard this track's potential.When Buddah Records released the extended mix on the CD "Big 12 Inches: Groovin' You" in 1999, I decided to use my newfound 'loop based editing skills' to reconstruct this track with a more TRANCE-Like spirit and add the percussive backbeat that was missing from the promotional single. For me this was a labor of love and the completion of a vision I had when I first heard the track in 1980.

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