Post by Diamond Girl on May 27, 2007 13:57:04 GMT -5
Detroit Disc
Motown with Latin spice
May 27, 2007
The first "Motown: Remixed" project was a delightful surprise in 2005, an adventurous but tasteful updating of Detroit classics -- old Hitsville classics groomed for the modern dance floor.
For this second round, Motown's archivists have entrusted copies of their master tapes to a crew of producers and DJs in the Latin music field, from well-known figures (Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles) to more obscure specialists (the Dominican Republic's Eric Bodi Rivera). The result is an album that paints 11 Motown originals with a new brand of soul sheen, smoothly graced with bits of reggae, calypso and Brazilian pop.
Unlike the first collection, the approach here is less about deconstructing and rebuilding tracks than it is about enhancing them with new sounds and grooves. The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" -- stripped bare by DJ Z-Trip on Vol. 1 -- receives a subtle treatment by reggaeton producer SPK, who essentially decorates the song with island percussion. Another Jackson 5 classic, "Dancing Machine," plays up the exuberance of the original, turning the track into a brass-blasted Miami street party.
Upbeat tunes like Jr. Walker's "Shotgun" and Martha & the Vandella's "Heat Wave" are custom-made for the celebratory vibe of Latin dance music. But the lower-key stuff works well here, too -- namely, a spare but drama-drenched reworking of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by studio veteran Andres Levin.
Faithful enough to maintain the integrity of the originals, innovative enough to merit a listen on headphones, the latest "Motown: Remixed" is yet another reminder why we called these songs timeless in the first place.
By Brian McCollum,
Free Press pop music critic
www.freep.com
Motown with Latin spice
May 27, 2007
The first "Motown: Remixed" project was a delightful surprise in 2005, an adventurous but tasteful updating of Detroit classics -- old Hitsville classics groomed for the modern dance floor.
For this second round, Motown's archivists have entrusted copies of their master tapes to a crew of producers and DJs in the Latin music field, from well-known figures (Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles) to more obscure specialists (the Dominican Republic's Eric Bodi Rivera). The result is an album that paints 11 Motown originals with a new brand of soul sheen, smoothly graced with bits of reggae, calypso and Brazilian pop.
Unlike the first collection, the approach here is less about deconstructing and rebuilding tracks than it is about enhancing them with new sounds and grooves. The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" -- stripped bare by DJ Z-Trip on Vol. 1 -- receives a subtle treatment by reggaeton producer SPK, who essentially decorates the song with island percussion. Another Jackson 5 classic, "Dancing Machine," plays up the exuberance of the original, turning the track into a brass-blasted Miami street party.
Upbeat tunes like Jr. Walker's "Shotgun" and Martha & the Vandella's "Heat Wave" are custom-made for the celebratory vibe of Latin dance music. But the lower-key stuff works well here, too -- namely, a spare but drama-drenched reworking of Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by studio veteran Andres Levin.
Faithful enough to maintain the integrity of the originals, innovative enough to merit a listen on headphones, the latest "Motown: Remixed" is yet another reminder why we called these songs timeless in the first place.
By Brian McCollum,
Free Press pop music critic
www.freep.com