Search - Jazzanova :: Remixed

A Stellar Collection of Progressive and Soulful Beats.

The Groove | Boston, MA | 05/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jazzanova get made-over, reinterpreted, and redesigned on "Remixed," two CDs of remixes that make up an excellent collection of progressive, rhythm-heavy jazz and gritty electronica. Disc One is the more accessible of the two, featuring cuts that swing from nu soul, jazz, and broad strokes of hip hop. A groovy mid-tempo beat highlights Viktir Duplaix's version of "That Night;" Beanfield sets a mellowed-out groove to the chilled "No Use," and "Coffee Talk" gets some nice percussion through a remix by Yukihiro Fukotomi. But you get your real money's worth on the second disc, where it gets more underground and soulful. More percussion and a subtle Brazilian flavor highlight "Femdies Flight" by Kyoto Jazz Massive, while Jazzy Jeff gives a somewhat retro 80s soulful groove in "Soon." Of course, this remix CD wouldn't be complete without ONE disco jam, which brings us to the house-injected "That Night" by Wahoo. "Remixed" is for the mature listener who wants a CD that serves a dual purpose as an album to groove to, but also mellow enough for those impromptu get-togethers. I also recommend that you grab Jazzanova's previous double-disc "The Remixes 1997-2000" which is just as good as this."

When will Jazzanova be Knighted?

Frank Martinez | San Jose, CA USA | 07/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Jazzanova is a global trendsetter whether USA fully admits it or not. Easily the best group to come forth in the last decade, this CD is a great sampling of Remixes done by top producers. Without mentioning anything else, the Wahoo mix with Steffen Berkhahn and George Levin and Wah-Chu-Ku remixes of "That Night" are most devine!
These two tracks make the CD more than worth buying. I have never had a song hit me so deeply, I cannot emphasize more greatly how incredible these tracks are! "L.O.V.E. and you & I (DJ Ghe mix)," excellent, groovy, lovely. "Soon," just an incredible song. "One-Tet," I think a good producer tried to make a bad song better than it really is, not accomplished to well. Lyrics are too cheasy, groove is too absent. Aside from that one track, the most dynamic CD I have listened to for a while."

Most of disc 1 is unnecessary

B | houston, tx | 06/11/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In Between is a masterpiece. There are a couple of songs that miss the mark, but that album is deep. When you remix a Jazzanova song, you have to understand what took the collective from the vinyl sources to their creation to take it any further, and most of these remixers don't understand. The complex acid jazz rhythms and chord progressions that jazzanova uses CANNOT BE REMIXED BY THROWING A CLUB BEAT OVER A COUPLE OF THE SAMPLES. Most of these remixes, especially the majority of disc 1, are mere shadows of the originals. This collection could easily be trimmed down to one excellent disc instead of two mediocre discs.
I'll talk about the good remixes. Both of the ones by Domu are excellent because the original of Soon, in my opinion, was weakly realized (that bassline wasn't great). Domu is one of the few that matches chords to the melody in a vocal mix, which is completely necessary in a jazzanova song. Madlib's remix is good; he is able to match new rhythmic flavors to the original harmonic pieces. The interpretations that use live instrumentation, such as the one by Kyoto Jazz Massive, are also effective at putting a different spin on the song while keeping the shape of it intact. The crappy remixes don't have any respect for the originals' shape or harmony.
So the problem with this collection is too many bad remixes by people who don't know anything about harmony or how to construct a song. The solution: get rid of them and make it only 1 disc and stop worrying about all star overhyped remixers."