They're baaack......
DJ Remixes go back a lot farther than you might think. And the first album in the Verve Remixed series was issued in 2002. Nonetheless it was Six Degrees Records that created a sensation in 2003 with the original "Christmas Remixed". Six Degrees, a label founded by former Windham Hill employees, grabbed some of the best DJs and Producers of the day and set them loose to do the voodoo that they do to some of the best loved Christmas songs of all time. The result was an album of music that was, in the truest sense of the phrase, at once comfortably familiar and astonishingly fresh. Be it Chill, Electronic Beat, Acid Jazz, or whatever else, you could not deny its appeal, largely because the remixers in question approached the originals with due respect. "Christmas Remixed" reached #5 on the Dance/Electronic charts. Six Degrees followed with a second Christmas set, "Christmas Remixed 2", in 2005. Then Verve did their own Christmas Remix album in 2008.
Fifteen years on from "Christmas Remixed", Six Degrees is back at it with "Christmas Remixed 3". As you might expect, and depending upon your personal taste, some of the tracks work better than others. For my head, the best results come when the DJ or Producer creates an electronic landscape that compliments the sound of the original, rather than trying to take it in an entirely new direction. For example, I dig the way King Kooba gives Mahalia Jackson's "Silent Night" a Bluesy beat and feel. Meanwhile, Stuhr Midnight and Q-Burns Abstract Message enhance the joy and nostalgia of the performances by Patti LaBelle and Bobby Helms, respectively, rather than try to tear them apart and create that feeling from scratch. Ditto for n.In's remix of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's "O Come All Ye Faithful". The remix of "The Nutcracker Suite" makes a piece I personally consider boring into something inspired, irresistible and funky, without going wildly astray. The Chill treatments given songs from Patti Page, Joyce, and Mel Torme are fascinating and, well, chill. OTOH, I confess I don't get what what Johnny Hardway did with Johnny Mercer's "Winter Wonderland" at all. I'll be skipping over that track. Your mileage may vary.
Overall, though, the approach on "Christmas Remixed 3" is as cool as it ever was. And it's been a few years since we had a new album like this. "Christmas Remixed 3", released October 4, is digital only at the moment, and you can pick it up from Amazon, Bandcamp, iTunes and pretty much any other digital platform.
DJ Remixes go back a lot farther than you might think. And the first album in the Verve Remixed series was issued in 2002. Nonetheless it was Six Degrees Records that created a sensation in 2003 with the original "Christmas Remixed". Six Degrees, a label founded by former Windham Hill employees, grabbed some of the best DJs and Producers of the day and set them loose to do the voodoo that they do to some of the best loved Christmas songs of all time. The result was an album of music that was, in the truest sense of the phrase, at once comfortably familiar and astonishingly fresh. Be it Chill, Electronic Beat, Acid Jazz, or whatever else, you could not deny its appeal, largely because the remixers in question approached the originals with due respect. "Christmas Remixed" reached #5 on the Dance/Electronic charts. Six Degrees followed with a second Christmas set, "Christmas Remixed 2", in 2005. Then Verve did their own Christmas Remix album in 2008.
Fifteen years on from "Christmas Remixed", Six Degrees is back at it with "Christmas Remixed 3". As you might expect, and depending upon your personal taste, some of the tracks work better than others. For my head, the best results come when the DJ or Producer creates an electronic landscape that compliments the sound of the original, rather than trying to take it in an entirely new direction. For example, I dig the way King Kooba gives Mahalia Jackson's "Silent Night" a Bluesy beat and feel. Meanwhile, Stuhr Midnight and Q-Burns Abstract Message enhance the joy and nostalgia of the performances by Patti LaBelle and Bobby Helms, respectively, rather than try to tear them apart and create that feeling from scratch. Ditto for n.In's remix of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's "O Come All Ye Faithful". The remix of "The Nutcracker Suite" makes a piece I personally consider boring into something inspired, irresistible and funky, without going wildly astray. The Chill treatments given songs from Patti Page, Joyce, and Mel Torme are fascinating and, well, chill. OTOH, I confess I don't get what what Johnny Hardway did with Johnny Mercer's "Winter Wonderland" at all. I'll be skipping over that track. Your mileage may vary.
Overall, though, the approach on "Christmas Remixed 3" is as cool as it ever was. And it's been a few years since we had a new album like this. "Christmas Remixed 3", released October 4, is digital only at the moment, and you can pick it up from Amazon, Bandcamp, iTunes and pretty much any other digital platform.
1. The First Noel (John Beltran Remix) – Bing Crosby
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Pom Remix) – Joyce
3. The Christmas Song (Jay Rodriguez & Rev Scott Remix) – Mel Torme
4. Jingle Bell Rock (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) – Bobby Helms
5. Jingle Bells (Rise Ashen’s Reindeer Dub) – Duke Ellington
6. Winter Wonderland (James Hardway Remix) – Johnny Mercer
7. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve (Stuhr Midnight Remix) – Patti LaBelle
8. Frosty The Snowman (Paul & Price Remix) – Patti Page
9. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (King Kooba Remix) – Louis Armstrong, Velma Middleton
10. The Nutcracker Suite (Operatica’s Nutcrackeratica Remix) – Berlin Symphony Orchestra
11. Jingle Bells (Tino Remix) – Celia Cruz
12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Rondo Brothers Remix) – Rosemary Clooney
13. Silent Night (King Kooba Remix) – Mahalia Jackson
14. O Come All Ye Faithful (n.In Remix) – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
2. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Pom Remix) – Joyce
3. The Christmas Song (Jay Rodriguez & Rev Scott Remix) – Mel Torme
4. Jingle Bell Rock (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) – Bobby Helms
5. Jingle Bells (Rise Ashen’s Reindeer Dub) – Duke Ellington
6. Winter Wonderland (James Hardway Remix) – Johnny Mercer
7. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve (Stuhr Midnight Remix) – Patti LaBelle
8. Frosty The Snowman (Paul & Price Remix) – Patti Page
9. Baby, It’s Cold Outside (King Kooba Remix) – Louis Armstrong, Velma Middleton
10. The Nutcracker Suite (Operatica’s Nutcrackeratica Remix) – Berlin Symphony Orchestra
11. Jingle Bells (Tino Remix) – Celia Cruz
12. Have Yourself A Merry Little Xmas (Rondo Brothers Remix) – Rosemary Clooney
13. Silent Night (King Kooba Remix) – Mahalia Jackson
14. O Come All Ye Faithful (n.In Remix) – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
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