Upside Down
From the left or the right side? Straight ahead or upside down? No matter how you look at it - but it seems to be about time that all the remixes for Jazzanova that have been done over the last few years need to be bundled up in a nice big shiny package. After the first collection of remixes from 2003 (Remixed, JCR040-2) now's the turn for Upside Down, some of dance music finest key figures' interpretations of selected Jazzanova tunes from the last eight years. And be assured, the line-up is as massive as the Berlin's quintet worldwide reputation. From fellow Berliner Henrik Schwarz, Ye:Solar and Âme to Atjazz and Mr. Scruff from the UK, Motor City Drum Ensemble from Cologne, Glasgow's Midnight Mauraders and Soldiers Of House from Pretoria (South Africa) this is a top notch international heavy weight affair. Inspired by these outstanding reworks of their original material Jazzanova member and DJ Alex Barck and Jazzanova Live! band member Stefan Ulrich (under his Neve Naive moniker together with Alexa Voss on vocals) also got upside down and delivered each a remix to this prosperous project. Besides these two brand new and unreleased remixes the ones by Soldiers Of House and Midnight Mauraders are as well first time available to the public. Both acts are ones to keep an eye on. Pretoria twosome Soldiers Of House (also known as Abwalk) started releasing music in 2005 before founding their own label Soldiers Of House Entertainment in 2008. When participating in a Jazzanova remix competition in 2009 and making it second they did not only caught the attention of Jazzanova/Sonar Kollektiv but kick started their career into newer heights. Their remix of „Lie“ is another promise of things to come. Also a duo, The Midnight Marauders (Ali Herron and Ross Telford ) hail from Glasgow and have caused ruckus with their solo work as OOFT! and Ross‚ DJ residency at the UK’s longest running weekly house night Subculture at the Sub Club. More remixes and original material is expected in the very near future. The Upisde Down release will be presented in a very unique and appealing packaging. The CD will come with a print on the front of the jewel case. The art work is done by JuToJo. The accompanying 12inch singles (SK229 & SK230) will be packed in a screen printed plastic outer sleeve. A true collector's item!
There have been numerous remixes of Jazzanova's work over the last few years, appearing on 12"s, usually in very limited editions; most disappeared as quickly as they arrived. Upside Down, issued by Sonar Kollektiv, has compiled them en masse. It's available either as a single CD or a pair of vinyl LPs. These ten tracks feature the work of some of dance music's finest producers, including Âme, Motor City Drum Ensemble, Atjazz, Ye:Solar, and more. Jazzanova member Alex Barck (who offers a fine remix of the group's "Little Bird" with José James on vocals) also teams with fellow live member Stefan Ulrich and Alexa Voss as Neve Naive to remix "Lucky Girl," one of two cuts here that feature Paul Randolph's vocals (the other is the blissful groover "Let Me Show Ya" done by by Henrik Schwarz). Other standouts include Mr. Scruff's "Boom Clicky Boom Klack," the Midnight Marauders' upside-down techno move on "I Can See" with Ben Westbeech (he's kept inside the Ye:Solar's club jazz rework of the same tune). The Soldiers of House stretch "Lie," featuring Thief, into something approaching house-gaze in the first half of the cut. The best number here, however, is Atjazz's "Dance the Dance," with its skittering cymbals and tom-tom loops, flutes and kalimba, piano, muted trumpet, soprano sax and bass.
The last full-length album from celebrated Teutonic collective Jazzanova, Of All the Things, garnered a surprisingly mixed reception.