Remix Mix.2

I posted my first Remix Mix playlist back in March of this year, which had nine tracks all remixed by different artists/groups. For this second installment, I am using an entire album using only one remixer, issued by the label, Bomb Strikes, for their ongoing series called “Funk n’ Beats.” Their first compilation, Vol.1, was released in 2013, which featured the remixes of Pimpsoul. Their latest release, Vol.10, came out in 2023 and is curated, not remixed, by Boca 45. My featured playlist is Vol. 4 of the series (2018), which are remixes of 19 tracks by Fort Knox Five (FKF).

FKF is a Washington, D.C., based musical group consisting of Steve Raskin, Rob Myers, and Sid Barcelona. Another member, Jon Horvath, was a member until his death in 2015. The music collective releases music through their self-run label, Fort Knox Recordings. Their music style mixes (the key word here!) elements of funk, reggae, hip hop, and electronic music. The members hail from various side projects: Raskin was part of Edsel and Raskal, as well as the groups Liftoff and Thunderball; Myers played guitar and sitar with Thievery Corporation and International Velvet and guitar in See-I; Horvath recorded music with both DJ Ron and Raskal; and Barcelona was also part of Liftoff and Thunderball with Raskin. Over the years, they have released two albums as well as many singles, EPs, and compilations. Their first remix was in 2004, Rodney Hunter’s Electric Lady, and they have well over 50 to date, with their latest being a remix of “My Nikes” by The Fun Police. What follows is some info on a few of the artists remixed for this album, and, as I did last time, the remix album playlist will be followed by a playlist of the original titles/songs.

The Basement Freaks project was born in 2005 by George Fatiadis, a.k.a. DJ Jorge, from Thesaloniki, Greece. He started producing music in 2000 and was inspired by the “metropolis” sound and starting mixing urban styles such as hip-hop, funk disco, and dub & backbeat. His debut album, Something Freaky, was released in 2006, and since then he has gone on to release many compilations, remixes, EPs, and several more albums. The track remixed by FKF is the R&B/soul song, “Move Your Body” (feat. Mustafa Akbar), and it’s from his 2016 release, Time Machine.

Cormac O’Halloran, better known by his stage name, DJ Kormac, or simply Kormac, is a Dublin-based composer, DJ, and producer renowned for blending organic recordings with expansive electronica. His work spans solo projects, collaborative releases, and film scoring, where he is celebrated for his innovative soundscapes. In the mid-2000s, Kormac was a turntablist and multi-instrumentalist with the Iris experimental band, 8Ball, laying the foundation for his future exploration of electronic and acoustic fusion. His first solo release, the Scratch Marchin’ EP (2007), highlighted his distinctive blend of hip-hop and electronic production. FKF’s chosen remix track, “Harry’s Record Machine,” is from this debut release. His latest album, Equivalent Exchange, is his most ambitious work to date, as he composed a full suite for an orchestra, working alongside the Irish Chamber Orchestra and an eclectic array of collaborators, The accompanying live performances, including a sold-out show at Dublin’s National Concert Hall in 2024, have further bolstered his reputation as a daring and dynamic live performer. I have added a short YouTube clip of that performance following the playlists.

Adam Gibbons, performing as Lack of Afro, is an English musician, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Exter, England. He started playing the piano at the age of seven and took up the alto saxophone at eleven. He gained the nickname, ‘Lack of Afro,’ while a student at university where, as a disc jockey he played funk gigs. In a review of his 2011 album, This Time, Lloyd Bradley wrote of Gibbons that “as a fairly nerdy looking white guy, there was never going to be an afro involved in his vintage funk stylings.” He started his professional career when he was signed to Freestyle Records in 2006, who subsequently released his debit single, “Wait a Minute.” He has gone on to release several albums for this label, and the remix track here, “Touch my Soul,” is from his debut album, Press On, from 2007.

Lastly, Skeewiff, a UK based production duo, consists of Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland, a pairing whose cheeky humor and dancefloor production skills created a rather unique sound. They are essentially an electronic breakbeat act that includes elements of jazz, lounge, and big band music into their productions. The result is a contemporary, often instrumental music used by Games, Film, and TV producers (FIFA, Nike, etc.) and consequently many Skeewiff tracks are subliminally familiar to a wide audience. They have also collaborated with 60’s library legends like Hammond organist Alan Hawkshaw and remixed many similar acts like Lemon, Ursula 1000, and Amy Winehouse. They have released a score of EPs and albums for four different labels, starting with the 2000 album, It’s all Gone. The remix track, “Now I’m Livin’ For Me,” featured on this playlist is from their 2003 album, Cruise Control.

Enjoy the music!

As promised, here is the video of Kormac for 2024.

Los Angeles 2025