BiggaBush – ‘A Different Style’ Selection Playlist
To celebrate his recent remix EP “A Different Style” BiggaBush has put together a playlist of some of his favourite reworked tracks.
“A Different Style EP” is the remix follow up to ‘Biggabush Freevisited’, an album BiggaBush revisited during the 2020 lockdown: “I ended up re-producing virtually the whole album, adding a live brass section, new vocalists and arrangements. Kind of a remaster plus, plus…” he explains. Highlighting a variety of bass-heavy styles, “A Different Style” features reworkings from Sentinel 793, Robot Riddims, James Hayford and Gerry Hectic, ranging from 8-bit electronic dub to deep house disco and bruk.
“The thing I love about a good remix is that it references the original track but adds the remixers stamp and style in a respectful way that enhances the song and takes it off in new directions that I would never have thought of” BiggaBush
Here BiggaBush gives the track by track low down on his selection of remixes, covers and alternative versions featured in the playlist.
You can listen to ‘BiggaBush Fave Reworks’: HERE
01 Khruangbin – Como Te Quiero (Scientist Dub)
I love all of Khruangbin’s earlier stuff and the combination of their lush and easy sound with veteran dubmeister Scientist at the controls is sublime.
02 Dylan Howe – Subterraneans
Being a huge Bowie fan there aren’t many people who can (for me at least) successfully pull off any kind of version of his songs. Dylan Howe does it incredibly well on a whole album of covers from the Berlin era, getting the mood just right and adding some beautiful improvisations.
03 Abstract Orchestra – ALL CAPS
Again, how do you even attempt to improve on the genius that is Madvillainy? Get a bunch of top-flight musos together in a garage in Leeds and let the music speak for itself, that’s a start anyway.
04 sUb modU – Water Get No Enemy
Who’da thunk you could do Fela on analogue synths? Romeo Sandri is who, and he does it marvellously.
05 Lightning Head – Traffic Jam
I first heard the Stephen Marley original of this tune (which is basically an a cappella tune) being played by the Bam Bam boys in a big field in Goa and resolved there and then to do a version. This then gave me an opportunity to get my fuzz guitar out and mix in some live trombone.
06 Casualties of Jazz – The Wizard
Stumbled upon this in the mindblowingly huge racks of the Amoeba record store in Hollywood, LA. Sabbath done on on organ bass and drums – pure genius.
07 Magic Drum Orchestra – Sunshine of Your Love
Not strictly an MDO track but one that needed to see the light of day. This was really a BiggaBush version done using vocals recorded for Rockers Hi Fi’s cover of the Ella Fitzgerald version.
There were LOTS of drums in my life at this time…
08 Mohawkestra – I Feel Free
The Cream OG of this song was an early discovery in my musical journey and one I’ll always love. Mohawkestra bring the funk and the Hammond organ; what’s not to like?
09 A Bossa Eletrica – Sob A Luz Do Sol
There are many versions of Roy Ayers’ Everybody Loves The Sunshine but this is one of my faves. Love the samba percussion, the horns and the authentic Brasilian flavour.
10 Matthew Halsall/Gondwana Orchestra – Journey in Satchidananda
Yet again it’s a big ask to cover Alice Coltrane and the late, great Pharaoh Saunders. This version plays it straight and respectful and maintains its magic aura throughout.
11 The Bad Plus – Iron Man
I could have chosen a number of Bad Plus versions for this list but thought I’d maintain the Black Sabbath connection. This has everything – grandeur, pomposity, lunacy, but above all THAT RIFF.
12 Sly5thAve – Super Rich Kids
Another slow and ponderous tune, this time a lovely instrumental take on the Frank Ocean track. Always puts me in mind of Benny and the Jets….someone should do a mash-up.
13 Nina Simone – Obeah Woman (DJ Logic remix)
I have lots of tracks with Nina Simone samples in them and could probably spend the rest of my days just going through her recorded output. This is a proper, legit version I often reach for in the middle of a set for it’s cruising, trance-inducing vibe.
14 Karate Boogaloo – T Plays It Cool
There’s something in the water in the suburb of Coburg, Melbourne, AU that produces bands such as these, the Pro-Teens and Surprise Chef. The KBs have done a run of covers “mix tapes” chock full of brilliant funk versions of classic tracks. The Marvin Gaye original is a firm favourite and this version takes it to another level.
15 Kit Sebastian – French Disko
Not many people attempt to cover Stereolab but Kit Sebastian has the sensitivity and sass to do it right.
16 Peak – Get Carter
Dan Moore is a talented keys player who I only managed to ever do one gig with in the early 00s, with my live Lightning Head band at Komedia in Brighton. This is a track he recorded at his house in Weymouth as far as I remember – a barnstorming rework of the Roy Budd soundtrack OG.
17 Afrodisiac Soundsytsem – Gwenfroheat
I found this on wax years and years ago and played in my sets for a long time afterwards. Just recently found lots of their other mashups on bandcamp – all well worth checking. Gwen Guthrie meets Tony Allen in a relentless afro funk groove.
18 Surprise Chef – Crayfish Caper
More Oz deep funk from Coburg, this time given the full Masters At Work treatment. A beautifully recorded original with top flight production and remix.
19 Dr. Israel – The Doctor
One more Sabbath tune! Dr. Israel is a Brooklyn-based rapper and producer and this is his take on The Wizard, complete with original Bill Ward drum breaks.
20 Jazzanova – Another New Day (Stereolab mix)
I love the way this track jumps from one idea to the next and sounds definitively like a Stereolab track and nothing like a Jazzanova track. So in that sense it’s maybe not ideal as an example of a rework, but hey…
