Jazzanova – Upside Down

Jazzanova – Upside Down
Sonar Kollektiv: 2012

My parents have massive amounts of soul.  Don’t let my dad’s fanny pack fool you; I’m two weeks removed from seeing them dance to Beyonce and Biggie in a Vegas nightclub (sorry jefe, that story isn’t staying in Vegas).  My mom named her canary after Bootsy Collins.  My dad had the trillest Mexican afro in high school.  Yet for all their swag, they listened to Kenny G when I was growing up.  Maybe it was to counteract whatever thuggish influences 2pac had on me, but Kenny G was what I thought jazz was.  Now I know better, but if Miles Davis ever resurrects and pimp-slaps the ever-loving crap out of me, I’m blaming my upbringing.

German collective Jazzanova are no Miles Davis, but thankfully they’re not Kenny G, either. They’re some nu jazz cats who play a certain blend of house and jazz, and Upside Down is a remix album of some of Jazzanova’s works from the past eight years, featuring remixes by an international house of producers (IHOP!) that includes Motor City Drum Ensemble, Atjazz, Henrik Schwarz, and Midnight Marauders.

Alex Barck remixes the Jose James-assisted “Little Bird” from 2008’s Of All the Things, and the ever-soulful James floats over the upbeat production like a smooth ghost, but instead of asking you to embrace the spirit of Christmas, he’s asking for your loving embrace.

The Ye:Solar remix of “I Can See” with Ben Westbeech is more on the jazzy-bluesy side that doesn’t appear enough on Upside Down, as most of the album trends more towards house and dance music.  However, “Boom Clicky Boom Clack” by Mr. Scruff is a zesty Latin jazz track that sounds like it could have been left off one of Madlib’s Beat Konducta tapes.

Upside Down is entirely too long, though.  Stretching ten songs over 75 minutes is hard, and house/dance music can get repetitive.  It’s never a good sign when you keep looking at iTunes and think “Damn, this song is still going?!”  It’s danceable and can also serve as some chill music, but Upside Down isn’t engaging enough to hold interest.

2.5 out of 5