Motown opened up their mighty vaults for this ambitious remix set that
sees many of Motown's greatest hits get re-tweaked for modern
consumption. Oriented more towards the Hip-Hop and Funk DJ than a
House club, many of the new interpretations are in fact more laid back
than the original arrangements. For an example, the Z-Trip Remix of
"I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5 strips off the strings from the
track to focus more on the percussion and the bassline. "I Heard It
Through The Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & The Pips is served up in a
shuffling remix by the Randy Watson Experience that replies primarily
on a laidback Hip-Hop drum track atop the squealing horns, yet
interestingly winds up more strongly emphasizing the interplay between
the lead Gladys Knight vocal and the backings from the Pips. The
Salaam Remi Krunk-A-Delic Party Mix of "ABC" by The Jackson 5 is
eerily minimal production-wise with sweetly tinkling chimes flooding
the background and the Tranzition Remix of "My World Is Empty Without
You" from Diana Ross & The Supremes softly re-envisions the song into
a lovely organ-led downtempo treasure and beautifully highlights The
Supremes' vocals.
On the Funk side, the DJ Smash Essential Funk Mix of Stevie Wonder's
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered" stays true to the original while still
pumping up the rhythm factor as does the DJ Spinna Remix of "Keep On
Truckin' " by Eddie Kendricks. Rick James has always been a man for
known for his sexy style and the DJ Green Lantern Remix of Rick's
"Mary Jane" keeps his sinuous slink intact over the walloping new bass
track. Similar in tempo but thematically on the more dramatic side is
the Futureshock Main Ingredient Mix of the Undisputed Truth
masterpiece "Smiling Faces Sometimes," where the compelling
arrangement accentuates the cautionary tale of the lyric.
On the slow jam side, the Groove Boutique Remix of Smokey Robinson's
"Quiet Storm" is, as the title suggests, a slow jammie prettied up
with lots of xylophone and flute parts. Da Producers MPG Groove Mix of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and the Mocean Worker Remix of Rare Earth's "I Just Want To Celebrate" both soulfully tread along at unhurried paces and similarly the Easy Mo Bee Remix of "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" by The Temptations where the leisurely pulse is accentuated alluringly with gentle synth pads.
So you may be asking if there are any tracks for the House crowd?
Well, though there may only be a handful, happily those that are
included are all quite excellent. The rousing Hotsnax Remix of "The
Tears Of A Clown" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles adds a snappy new
beat as well as some creative effects on the vocals. DJ Jazzy Jeff &
Pete Kuzma's Solefull Remix of The Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling
Stone" turns the energy up a notch with a syncopated clapping beat and
perhaps best of them all is the King Britt Remix of Edwin Starr's
"War" with an uptempo, Latin-inspired percussion backing filled with
snarling horns to emphasize Starr's still amazingly powerful vocal.
Given the emotional history so many people have invested in the
primary versions of these songs, it is a wonderful thing to have the
remixers involved approach these tracks on one side watching to
approach with a reverential air yet on the other ensuring a sufficient
level of modernization to make the project worthy of note.
