Andy Jackson

For quite some time now as a Modern DJ I have been quietly expressing concern to a few people about the amount of re edits/re workings/remixes/mash ups being played on the Modern Soul scene. I am not referring to House music, I'll leave that for another day, but songs like the George Benson Love X Love track that seems to have become the 'banker' for many DJ's. It always fills the dance floor, never fails, and always gets requested but my question to the knowledgable soul music fans on here is this.. Are they dancing simply because they know the original? Lets face it, it has to be one of the laziest remixes ever, a bit of a bass beat and an extended intro is all that differs from the 1980 UK #10 chart hit. Now I dont know the person that took a few minutes to put this re hash together but I am sure that Quincy Jones who produced it, and knows a fair bit about making people dance, didn't say to Rod Temperton 'You know what, I messed up with this track, it needs a bit more bass'. And it doesnt stop there, See you when I get there is another well know track that has suffered the same treatment. They know the original so they will dance. But it is preventing the better brand new music from coming through. Modern Soul is about moving on, taking the scene forwards, brand new Modern music with soul in it. Look at tracks like Something For The Weekend and Tribute. Born on the Modern Scene now played a Northern room. Both original and both in their original format. There may be another side to this which again came to light during a conversation with the aforementioned people, and that is that everyone wants to be a DJ these days and these songs are easy to come by and easy to fill the dance floor to, once you have done that they think they can call themselves a DJ and put on their own events. This then dilutes our already over subscribed scene with another event. One of musics legendary producers Tom Moulton, has now remixed just about every Philly track released. But it is so hard to tell them apart from the original I ask myself why he even bothered. They were great first time round leave them alone. If your going to re do something get a different singer and a different arrangement and really change it. Some songs sound brilliant if they get the right treatment, the recent version of MIchael Jacksons 'Can't Help It' done by Kenya is a fine example of that, bang on for the Modern Scene. There are some brilliant Modern Soul tracks out there, tunes that will hold their own on a dance floor and please the ear of any soul music connoisseur. Songs that someone has taken care to write, produce and record. Lets hear them and stop promoting the lazy remixers who from their bedroom can destroy the work of those great singers/producers/arrangers that we hold in such high regard.