Ahh, summer is only about a month away, and one of the best kinds of music I like to start welcoming it with at events when the weather starts to tease us with a bit more sun and higher temperatures is the mellow, sunny feel of some great reggae, be it roots or new reggae. I try to play some reggae at events all year. Sometimes, to give people a shot of musical sunniness in the gray dead of winter in NYC, it’s really refreshing to hear a set of it. But when summer starts to roll around, come on — reggae’s a must.
Over the past several months, the single "No One" by Alicia Keys has been very popular tune. I like it, but to me, it feels a bit spare in its original mix. However, this "reggae-fied" version seems to give the song just the fullness and bounce it needs. Unlike some reggae remixes of pop or R & B songs, grafting on a reggae sound here does not seem forced at all – I think it actually goes so perfect with the vocal melody of "No One" that I wish this was the orginal mix on her new album.
This remix is also excellent in that the reggae style it’s done with feels just right – it’s not too beat-heavy, nor is it too light or "new-agey." That balance is excellent, because it allows me to be more versatile, which a DJ always loves. For example, I can be playing a new R & B hit, then play this remix, then go right into some classic roots reggae like Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, or Desmond Dekker.
Okay, this mention of sun and reggae is now making me more anxious for summer than ever. Let’s hang in there, soon we’ll be wearing shades nearly every day again!
May 19, 2008