ALL (RE)MIXED UP
Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Justin Kleinfeld
The concept of remixing hit a mainstream high (and an underground low) back in 2002 when P. Diddy had the chutzpah to release a remix album titled, We Invented the Remix. We're not sure who the “we” is that he's referring to in the title, but we know it isn't the Bad Boy honcho. For an accurate view into the artists who truly invented the remix, one needs to travel back in time to the days of Shep Pettibone, Larry Levan, Tom Moulton and labels like Salsoul and West End Records. These influential names laid the groundwork for remixing and influenced the next generation of remixers, including Def Mix's David Morales and Frankie Knuckles and ID Productions members Steve “Silk” Hurley, Maurice Joshua and Eric “E-Smoove” Miller.
While all of these legendary names are still prominent on the global dance scene, Maurice Joshua has branched out from the house world and is now one of the most sought-after remixers in mainstream pop and R&B. His remixing résumé reads like a who's who of the highest selling chart acts of the past five years, and he took home the 2004 “Best Remixer” Grammy Award for his remix of Beyoncé's “Crazy in Love.” Although Joshua works with some of the biggest names in the industry, his heart still holds close to the remixing craft he learned back in the '80s. He's not satisfied with delivering cheap and disposable remixes and has an affinity for passing off his own entirely original productions as remixes for other artists. Beyond the remixing, Joshua is a credited songwriter, producer and club DJ, and he had one of the most influential radio shows in Chicago, “The New Killer Bee” B96 FM.
THIS IS ACID
In 1988, Joshua burst on to the scene with his classic track “This Is Acid” (Trax Records). The milestone single reached No. 1 on both Billboard's Dance Club Play Chart and Dance Sales Chart. The record was later licensed and released by Vendetta/A&M Records and also became a massive success overseas and was the catalyst for launching his career as a DJ and producer. Few people are aware that the popular version of this track is actually a remix by Les Adams and not Joshua's original. The original version had the classic TB-303 sound, but Adams completely changed the arrangement. “We were surprised because it was a totally different version, but the remix broke out and made it a big record,” Joshua says. “It really opened my eyes to remixing and what it was all about.”
With the success of “This Is Acid,” Joshua launched into a yearlong tour around the world. On his return in 1990, he signed up with Steve “Silk” Hurley and Eric “E-Smoove” Miller to form Chicago remix/production team ID Productions. The team went on to become a real force in the 1990s by giving tracks a complete remodeling for the club world. “It was really Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, Frankie Knuckles and Dave Morales who were changing the concept of a remix,” Joshua says. “They were making new tracks. Before that, remixers took the original and either extended the track, put the beats beforehand or did different drops and reverses of the original layout. Essentially, it would be the same music, but the remixers just put the instruments in different places.”
The ID Productions team was a “team” in every sense of the word. Splicing 2-inch tape and without computers, each team member was assigned a very specific role in the production. Each package typically featured a main remix by Hurley, a “late-night” mix from Miller and a “dub mix” from Joshua. “This balanced everything out because DJs have different tastes, and they wanted a different version to play,” Joshua says. “Some people weren't into vocals, and some people didn't want the main mix because it was too commercial. It was something new, and we wanted to take records into another direction.”
When Hurley left ID Productions to pursue his own original productions, it meant that the remixing torch was now passed to Joshua. As the proprietor of Vibe Music & Music Plant (a company with which he is no longer affiliated), Joshua went on to produce several massive club anthems such as the No. 1 Billboard hit “4 the Luv of U” featuring Meechie, “House 101,” “House 102,” “I Gotta Hold on U” with Chantay Savage, “La La” featuring Liquid Soul, “Good Love, Real Love” by D'Bora and “Just Can't Get Enough” by Mixx Vibes.
KEEPING IT REAL TO REEL
Back in the day, because Joshua and his crew made their music without the help of computers, the team was forced to cut and paste tape and sample vocals one at a time to make things work. While that was clearly an arduous process, the end result was a sweet analog track filled with the heart and soul seldom found in today's digital age.
Joshua's current setup has been updated markedly since the cut 'n' paste days, as he now uses Apple Logic Pro 7, mixes in Pro Tools and employs various Waves plug-ins to achieve his sound. “I'm not using anything analog lately because the labels want the music so quickly. It's also hard to book a room and mix it right. Then there's the whole issue of clearing samples. It's just much easier to use Pro Tools with Logic and a ton of plug-ins,” he says.
Despite evolving to the computer age, Joshua does take steps to ensure his tracks have that vintage sound. Besides working with engineers Matt Hennessy and Larry Sturm, Joshua has a team of musicians who record live guitars, horns and strings for his remixes. He's also been doing a lot of testing of Logic and Pro Tools to figure out how to achieve analog sounds. “You can buy an 8-, 16- or 32-track board and still get that warmth in there,” Joshua says. “I think that's what SSL is doing with its plug-ins right now. You aren't going to get it completely [using a computer] because you can't get all the circuitry of an SSL or a Neve board in a small box. Technology is a double-edge sword. You listen to records nowadays, and some stuff is just so compressed. You listen to the old stuff and how it was. There was a lot of space in those tracks!”
Another way Joshua maintains a timeless feel is by paying close attention to songcraft. “I come from the old school, so I like to keep the track like the way the original writer intended it,” he says. Rather than reverse the choruses and dramatically change things around, he approaches them lyrically to see how deep he needs to go. “It's like being a DJ: Where or how can I play this so that everyone is excited by it? What does this record need to make people in a club excited to dance? That's the frame of mind I'm coming from,” he says.
Despite roots in the house genre, Joshua now remixes and produces tracks that encompass many different genres — anyone from Curtis Mayfield to Justin Timberlake. Consequently, there's no one definitive Maurice Joshua remixing style. His working methods also change a bit depending on whom he's working for. There are many instances where he will be hired for a project but will have to keep working on a remix until it meets the approval of his client. In some instances, he will have direction from an A&R executive, and in other cases, he's allowed complete artistic freedom. With many clients, the process is one where he creates a few different types of mixes and lets them choose the one they prefer. “These days, I need to ask most clients what type of remix they want because of fads,” he says. “Do you need an electro mix? Big room or lounge? It's become this big cultural fad. Twenty years ago, it wasn't like that — it was just a house remix. I wish it was all just house, and we could focus on making it stronger. It was like that back in the day when I was performing at the Tunnel. All the hip-hop heads were partying to house music like Queen Latifah and Run-DMC. It wasn't being segregated, and it was a beautiful thing.”
| Want to use this article? Click here for options! |  |
