Moodymann – I Can’t Kick This Feeling When It Hits (Appointment remixes) review

Those of you who frequent the more discerning record shops of Berlin – or at least the catalogue pages of the Hardwax website – will no doubt be aware of the mysterious Livejam crew and their defiantly purist take on house and techno production; nothing but analogue gear,  grainy samples, one take recordings and vinyl-only releases for this lot.

Released on the newly minted Decks Reworx imprint, Appointment – apparently made up of four members of the Livejam collective, although whether this is actually true or not remains cloaked in analogue mystery – overhaul the famed Moodymann remix of Chic’s “I Want Your Love”. First released on KDJ Records back in – gulp – 1996, it still stands as one of the best examples of taking a ubiquitous disco sample and breathing new live into it. Kenny Dixon Jnr’s own gravelly spoken word vocal paves the way toward a hypnotic bassline and instantly recognisable looped vocal and slinky guitar samples from one of Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers’ finest moments.

Rather than a merely indulging in a minor tweak or perfunctory tinker, “I Can’t Kick This Feeling When It Hits” is given the full Livejam/Appointment treatment – twice. The first remix is almost unrecognisable from Dixon Jnr’s version, eschewing the guitar and vocal samples totally in favour of stripped back drum programming, forming a mighty deep groove that soon locks into the spoken word vocals. There’s not much to it: it’s sparse, raw and thumping, but that, of course, is the Livejam way. The second version retains the vocal loop used in the edit, but it’s buried beneath a raw, gritty thump primed for sweat-drenched warehouse party use. The Livejam sound has thus far been restricted to the realm of secret weapon, but appearing in such illustrious company should ensure plenty more people seek out their records.

Aaron Coultate