Robot Music

2009, Fabric.  Collecting the “History Elevate” EPs 1-5 along with a mix of the tracks by the master himself (Master Reese, as he calls himself), this compilation aims to take history and improve upon it.  For all you kids out there who may have been too young to be dancing to “Big Fun” or “Rock To The Beat” when they first were released, a listen to the original versions of these tracks would indeed be a history lesson.  Even for someone who was around since the beginning, seeing all of these tracks (all great and many, true classics) in one place is yet another reminder of the profound influence the city of Detroit has had on modern music.  The question here though is: has history really been elevated?

In a word, yes.  A diverse group of remixers flex their muscle across 15 tracks and there isn’t a dud among them.  Yes, Master Reese, you should definitely take credit for the top-notch source material, but we all know how easily a remix can fall flat.  Some, of course, work better than others.  Ben Sims takes “Rock To The Beat” into hypnotic tech house territory and while it it’s definitely an engaging take on the track, Christian Smith & John Selway’s decision to hold onto the synth string hook and vocal sample of the original really works to their advantage.  The rhythm parts have all been updated, but the spirit of the original track is so intact that you forget you’re not listening to Master Reese’s version.

Simian Mobile Disco use Smith & Selway’s strategy of updating, yet keeping the melody and structure of the original with their mix of “Big Fun.”  The result doesn’t sound very SMD (a good thing, in my opinion) but breathes new life into an already timeless track.  And really, what would you do if asked to remix such an utterly classic and recognizable song?  It would be hard to make it better, so best to leave most of it alone.  Good call.  Matthew Johnson, when faced with the same quandary, decided to twist “Good Life” into something so different, it couldn’t really be compared to the original.  He lays the vocal over a quirky acid line and light techno beat creating a track that is completely modern, transporting Paris Grey’s soulful vocal to the “Good Life” that she can only have imagined amidst the bombed-out buildings and general decay that defined late 1980’s urban Detroit- I can say that, I was there.

Other standouts are the unsurprisingly epic and ass-shaking Carl Craig mix of “Til We Meet Again,” and the robotic tech house of Claude VonStroke’s mix of “The Human Bond.”  Jay Haze provides the high point of the entire comp though, with his trademark late-night, stripped-back, sexed-up brand of house on “Good Love.”  This is the one track that must make the Master just a little bit jealous.  Paris’ vocal, even though recorded more than 15 years ago, sounds absolutely inspired by Jay Haze’s track.

Also included is a mix of all but two of the remixes, as well as a mini-mix of the two that were left out- not sure why Mr. Saunderson did it that way.  There’s not much of a synergy between the tracks, so the the mix ends up standing on the strength of the individual tracks.  That is to say, it fares quite well.  There isn’t much flashy dj trickery and that’s appreciated- actually, the slight messing he does with Jay Haze’s remix is a little too much for me.  The mix serves a purpose though, as it’s a more enjoyable way to listen to the whole album in one go.  You probably wouldn’t play the mix at your next house party, but you’ll certainly feel no shortage of energy if this is playing on your ipod the next time you’re at the gym.

Like adding educational video games to the Natural History Museum, these reinterpretations of Kevin Saunderson’s classic songs make history accessible to a new generation of electronic music lovers.  The creativity of the remix artists ensure that history has been elevated, and so has its relevance.  If ever there was doubt of the significant role that Detroit has played in the birth of techno as we know it, taking a listen to “History Elevate” and the originals from which these remixes came should certainly dispel it.  -RM

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