James Brown Gets Remixed On A New EP
King Britt and DJ John Michael put their own spins on the King of Soul.
A new EP puts a unique spin on two James Brown tracks. “We Got To Change / Soul Power: The Remixes” features King Britt’s live edit of “Soul Power” and a remix of “We Got to Change” by DJ John Michael, created for Peloton.
The remixes follow a February EP. Titled We Got To Change, the three-song collection featured a previously unheard Brown track that was recorded in Miami in 1970. That package was released in conjunction with the A&E documentary James Brown: Say it Loud, a 4-episode documentary, tracing the trajectory of Brown’s life and career.
King Britt’s remix, meanwhile, has a story attached to it. The celebrated electronic music producer shared a statement on social media about the remix:
From as far back as I can remember, James Brown has been an integral part of the soundtrack of my life. My father’s deep admiration for Brown, stemming from having seen him perform live in 1956, made his music a constant presence in our household. Whether in the car, the living room, or even the barber shop, James Brown’s music was omnipresent, almost as if he were part of our family. I was fortunate enough to inherit my father’s extensive collection of his records, which I now treasure in storage.
Fast forward to 2024, during my production and mixing course at the University of California. I was demonstrating live dub reggae mixing techniques to my class to help them infuse their mixes with a more organic, human feel, where mixing becomes a form of performance. Using Ableton, I arranged the multi-tracks of “Soul Power” (In The Jungle Groove session) across the controller (S3) and incorporated simple effects such as a Roland tape echo and EMT 140 plugins. I performed the entire mix live, much to the excitement of the class.”
