While some bootleg remixes of these songs exist, Roots, Rock, Remixed is the first remix album to receive a certified blessing from the Marley family and Chris Blackwell, himself, who stated, "Roots, Rock, Remixed retains the songs and the spirit of the original Wailers' recordings and creates a great dance party record." "We thought there was a lack of quality remixes for the underground," says Hargis, co-producer and VP of A R at rockr music, which spearheaded this project. "There have been a few high profile, mass market projects, but we wanted to present something for dance club audiences.
There's a lot of warmth and humanity in these songs. None sound too electronic or far from the analog originals. Everyone who worked on this project had deep respect for the music.
" Yet, those drum beats and bass lines are completely new - the studio refurbishing of skilled hands and ears. Cordovan's hip-hop slick-kick adds punch to the sing-along "One Love," while Afrodisiac Sound takes "Soul Party" from ghetto blaster to mega club experience. Jimpster's excellent retelling of "400 Years," considered crucial in the Tosh library, makes this song of rebellion available for the four-on-the-floor audience.
Through and through, the Wailers shine in every moment. "We're honored to work with such an important body of music," says Jeff Daniel, the album's co-producer and rockr music's chief. "Marley's sound was like no other and his indelible stamp can be heard all through these great new remixes.
We took great care not to disrespect his legend." "There's a really nice balance between those that stick to the roots, and the ones that create their own interpretations," says Bruno Guez, President of Quango Records. Adding to the sentiment, Hargis continues, "Some of the remixers stuck with the familiar song structure and layered modern elements into them, while others took samples of the originals and transformed them into something completely new.
It was often astounding how creative these DJs producers were." Originally launching Quango under Chris Blackwell's Palm years ago, Guez knows the Marley catalog inside and out. While Blackwell was pivotal in introducing the young Rasta to global ears, this project is quite circular for the groundbreaking Quango.
"These are many of the seed songs for Bob," Hargis concludes. "He went back through his catalog and updated many of them for Island later in his career. In a sense, we're doing the same thing with these remixes.
There are a lot of special songs here.
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