Jazzanova have, over a very short period of time, established themselves as one of the most desirable remix teams on the block with their trademarked combination of precision drum programming and dusty old jazz drum samples. As a forerunner to the Berlin collective's long-awaited long-player - scheduled for spring but, hey, we're dealing with perfectionists here - this provides an insight into why we should still be excited about the prospect despite the interminable wait.
It all started with their remix of the Marschmellows' 'Soulpower' which, upon its release in '98, sounded as fresh as anything that you'd found in the local record shop since they invented house music. A mutant blend of disco vibes, slowed to the pace of 80s groove with drums tight as a gnat's chuff, irresistibly funky twanging bass and deeply farty synth bass squelches. This was dance floor bliss when pitched up a touch on the best club systems.
The one that really broke Jazzanova in the UK, however, was their remix of Ian Pooley's 'What's Your Number?' which quickly became an intensely sought-after slice of vinyl. As well as being a remix of a comfortingly familiar name, this track combined the bass of UK Garage and elements of that scene's vocal tampering, with another fantastically twangy bass and a chopped up take on Pooley's tech beats. Suddenly the UK dance press was sitting up and paying attention to a bunch of leftfield German producers. And, let's face it, it isn't every day that happens.
The still infantile production team then set about remixing at an alarming rate, just check the sleeve details of the 20 tracks included here all were produced between '98 and 2000. Jazzanova's Alex, the group's most prolific remixer, claims that this was his way of putting in a production apprenticeship for the debut LP but it had the unfortunate side effect of somewhat watering down the killer formulas that emerged. Nonetheless, the percentage of dancefloor bombs that shine on this compilation cast a shadow over many producers' entire output and, clearly, the group's influence has been widely felt.
The remix of Ursula Rucker's 'Circe' illustrates a range that could be argued to be lacking across the majority of this album. Basically, most Jazzanova remixes fall into one of two possible categories; either the hectic contemporary jazz carnival closest in style to their own original productions or the snappy 'speed jazz' remixes in the Ian Pooley vein. 'Circe', on the other hand, slows things right down and piles on a deliciously crisp and sensuous production to compliment Rucker's oddly mythical, erotic prose. Similarly, one of the most recent inclusions, MJ Cole's 'Sincere' suggests a greater complexity and coherent structure beginning to evolve and bodes well for the forthcoming album.
In short, 60 per cent of this album is the shit! The rest you may want to take or leave but if you're not already familiar with tracks like Tate's Place 'Burnin' and Soul Bossa Trio's 'Words Of Love' this album has to be the easiest way to rectify the deficit in your collection.
Click here to check out audio of Jazzanova's DJ set at dotmusic's Transit club night
