Halfway through my first draft of this review I realized I do not in fact, have the Jive EP in my vinyl collection. What I do have is the Jive Remixes EP in my collection. Naturally my OG househead ego was crushed. What I thought was my point of reference was me being completely oblivious, and I just have to laugh at myself that one simple youtube search or even say, pulling the record out of its crate could have saved me some time.
Honestly I’m not terribly proud of my record collection. I’m not an OG househead in the truest sense, BUT I’ve always loved my Seasons Recordings Jive Remixes EP and every cut still stands the test of time which is important. Even more important are the key elements of the original – the piano, drums and of course the WONDERFUL bassline. As many times as I’ve played it, it took far too long to realize that bassline was the star. What can I say? I’m one of those air piano playing DJ types… and I was young!
The new set of remixers are a Who’s Who of househeads: Hector Moralez, Phil Weeks, John Mork and Jason Hodges. Plus Natural Rhythm putting a new touch on it themselves. Props to Thomas and Pete for taking their time getting to this project because they’ve now released roughly 12 EPs of new originals on their digital label over the last 3 years. They didn’t need to jump at nostalgia to announce their return. They just got to work in THIS decade and I respect that.
If I have to play favorites I really think Moralez made it a much BIGGER track with his drums and a new top layer bassline with the original muted beneath. Mork’s seems almost like an original inspired by the Jive’s vibe, but the inspiration is on point. I can still feel its spirit. Isn’t it funny how just these two very different interpretations seem so perfectly in place? That speaks volumes about how great the Jive truly is and always will be.
Natural Rhythm: The Jive Remixes (Natural Rhythm Music)
1. Natural Rhythm: The Jive (Phil Weeks Ghetto Mix) (7:51)
2. Natural Rhythm: The Jive (Hector Moralez Remix) (8:31)
3. Natural Rhythm: The Jive (Jason Hodges Remix) (6:43)
4. Natural Rhythm: The Jive (John Mork’s Vibin & Jivin Remix) (6:07)
5. Natural Rhythm: The Jive (Natural Rhythm Remix) (9:17)
6. Natural Rhythm: The Jive (Natural Rhythm ReDub) (6:07)
