Steve Soulbasics :: "Kuchwa" Remixes
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Review by Terry Matthew | Published May 2008 | Review Archives

Afro-Funk is more than just adding a tribal beat and some incomprehensible chant to the mix. It's actually sort of bothered me for a minute that so many folks have played around with really cheap effects to get that "Ron Trent" sound, without bringing any of Ron Trent's musicality or (this is the point here) appreciation for the culture that inspired this music. In the end, you get something about as authentic as a swami playing a flute in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.

It's good to see that Steve SoulBasics understands this, as he shows on these remixes of his "Kuchwa" single from 2007. The remixes (brand new from Miami) have some rough edges, which actually makes them all the more listenable in my opinion. The More Keys Mix and SITC Mute Pass are both funky and tribal without ever getting repetitive, while the BSC Deep Mix cools it down for some ultra-deep dancefloor heat. The Jay Tripwire Mix is probably the most "clubby" of the mixes and probably the one you're most likely to hear on a standard night out - using some elements of the original to offset a harder sound. This is what art is about: grabbing influences and reincorporating them into your own sound and vision.

artist:  ALTON MILLER
title: Together (rmxs)
label:  Seed Recordings (SED-013)
format: mp3 promo

Seed Recordings keeps pushing the bar to the sky with this, their 13th release. And as most people would stay away from the number 13, I strongly urge you to not apply that theory here. Old-school producer and vocalist (and DJ), Alton Miller, gets the remix treatment, and what a makeover it is.

Camio’s Jonny Montana offers up a vintage, ultra smooth musical painting, whereas Ezel’s tougher version is aimed for packing dancefloors. Big Logan & Dave Lalla (collectively, Jersey Soul) get things warmed up, steel pan fashion, with a top quality rendition of the original. Finally, enough heat gets produced in time to start a fire, or rather FIYAHHHHH, in the form of Trinidadiandeep’s infectious and serious caribbean beatdown. Large…

- Michael "Sinister" Terzian (UH Magazine October 2008)

Boddhi Satva's "Get up" gets another batch of slammin' remixes, this time courtesy of Jersey Soul (aka Dave Lalla and Big Logan), with John Crockett providing the keys. The 'Shelter Mix' is a deep hypnotic affair using thumpin' beats and infectious spaced-out synths to create a resistless vibe, while the 'Saltfish & Bammy Mix' is a dubbed-out ragga house rework featuring phat keys. The 'Johnny Sox Tek Jazz Mix' is on a deep tech-soul-tip, while lastly the 'J Soul VS J Sox Mix' toughens the vibe for the bigger floors.
-Mike Fossati
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Boston based Seed Recordings have been putting out a catalogue of fine releases and these mixes of 'Get Up' are no exception.  I have chosen two mixes to review here, the Club Shelter mix and the Saltfish and Bammy mix.  The Shelter mix starts off in a real Mr. Fingers way, with distorted and filtered keys, subtle percussion and THAT analogue keyboard sound. The track bubbles up under it's own steam, before the superb flute sounding keys take the track to its finale and wraps things up for this mix.
The Saltfish and Bammy mix is one of the most innovative and original mixes I've heard in th elast five years. Think two tone meets ska and is blended with house. It may sound like a burnt dinner, but it is actually a brilliant mix of the track, and like I say, one of the most original ideas I've heard in a long while.  This mix is nothing short of genius!
-Gareth Morgan
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