The Verve of Some People
I’ve often considered the question: “What makes a great remix?” My personal preference is a mix that radically transforms the original song, whether the change be the style, genre, instrumentation, lyrics, or entire vibe. Remixes, and not only electronic music remixes, but any new version of an already-released song, have the power to shape and reshape the source material.
One of my favorite remix series is “Verve Remixed,” from Verve Records, hiring the most notable DJs and remix artists to remix classic jazz songs.
Verve Remixed has a ton of fantastic remixes, but I’m going to focus on two of them today. Both songs are by legendary Black Classical Music singer Nina Simone, who famously refused to refer to her own music as “jazz,” despite the industry classification. This certainly will not be the last time I talk about Nina Simone, who is one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century.
The song that was used to advertise the Verve Remixed series was Felix Da Housecat’s remix of Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman,” which is undoubtedly one of her best and most epic songs. The original is a journey through faith and devotion clocking in at over 10 minutes, on her 1965 album Pastel Blues. Leader of the electroclash and Chicago House movements in the early 2000s Felix Da Housecat took “Sinnerman” and distilled it down to a sleek, sexy, melodic four-and-a-half-minute remix that turns it into a club banger in a way that only Felix could do. There are so many great remixes on the four Verve Remix albums (and I’ll post the complete version at the bottom of this post) but very few of them would actually work in a club setting. This one definitely would. Using the piano riff from the original, Felix Da Housecat turned a gospel song into a club classic. Nina Simone holds her pulpit of the dance-church, haunting the dance floor.
Then, we come to the Postal Service remix of “Little Girl Blue.” The Postal Service, a supergroup comprised of Ben Gibbard, singer of Death Cab for Cutie, DJ Dntel, and Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis, is not known for being remixers, which makes this one all the more special. If asked, I wouldn’t even deny that this track is in contention for “Alexis’s favorite remix of all time.” It’s just that good. Rather than Felix Da Housecat’s approach of turning Nina Simone club-ready, Postal Service turns Nina Simone into an absolute dreamscape. It jingles with these odd Christmassy bells to begin and to end, and then this dramatic synth melody starts. If you didn’t know this was a remix and not the original, and had no idea who Nina Simone was, you could easily think this was just one of the best songs of the 2000s. And while I loved Postal Service’s 2003 album Give Up, I like this remix better than anything on that album. Listening to the original version of “Little Girl Blue” after this is a totally different experience, as it’s hard to tell that the two are the same song.
My strongest recommendation with this remix is to close your eyes for its entire length. Listen to the whole thing without clouding your other senses, to the extent possible. I think this remix highlights and centers Nina Simone’s unmistakable voice so clearly and so beautifully.
And then, you can explore all four albums worth of Verve Remixes. These albums are fabulous for playing at parties, because there’s something for everyone; they’re not too loud, they’re thoroughly enjoyable, and they’re timeless.