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After all the recent greeting of flame activity, the classic ‘Torch Of Freedom’ anthem is the guiding light. The original version by Cleveland Watkiss had been a much coveretted remix track itself but it was Matthias Vogt’s [re:jazz] project re-working that got the the Frost Und Wagner treatment that ‘made’ it big.

Did I mention Joy Denalane was the singer on the [re:jazz] version when I reviewed ‘Let Go’ and ‘Change’? Did I mention the ‘Torch Of Freedom’ remix in my review of the Matthias Vogt Trio’s album Changing Colors’? Yes I did on all occasions and will continue to be its champion as it’s a track that perfectly takes the jazz and reggae mix as close to an original roots vibes as you can get.

Frost & Wagner have gone on to make the remix medium their speciality and there are enough artists eager to let them excel at what they do. So what makes them so authentic? Drummer Adrian Wagner got the bitten by reggae after watching a Bob Marley concert on TV when he was 13 whilst keyboardist Oliver Frost was a fan of ska before reggae. Both have long been part of Berlin’s Reggae Scene after meeting in a Reggae band called “Growing Tree”.

After gaining further experience, Frost also produces Electronic-Music and German Pop whilst Wagner still plays the drums for various bands in Berlin, they are perhaps the best placed remixers to add soul, jazz, dub and hip-hop influences into their remix work.

They certainly have an ear for a soulful female vocal. In addition to Ms. Denalane, there’s Jo Laundy on ‘A Certain Something’ in a soulful club dub rework (there’s an even more downtempo F&W Dub remix that’s particularly minimal if you can track that down) and Eva Be’s ‘She Walks Alone’ features Pegah Feydoni (the original of which can be found on Eva’s album Moving Without Travelling and the Beats, Bites & Oxle compilation).

And they haven’t only just got an ear for the ladies, Gilles Peterson’s best mate Earl Zinger turns up on ‘Superrob’ by Tosca, Peterson’s got them to rework his Brownswood label’s ‘So Good Today’ by Ben Westbeech and Ceveland Watkiss himself features on a track called ‘Speed Of Sound’.

Is there anyone on this album that we haven’t featured on FLY? Not many as there’s more tracks by Clara Hill, Deyampert and ‘The Look Into Your Eyes’ from the aforementioned Matthias Vogt Trio album Changing Colors (now that was a track shouting for F&W if I ever heard one!)

These guys have done little wrong are clearly don’t take on a remix job they don’t want or can’t improve (if there were only more like them). So in the title of one of the tracks here, ‘We Carry On’ and with this album, they’ll be even more in demand by the end of the summer sunsplash.

Reviewed: Various - Frost & Wagner Remixes (Best Seven) Cat. No. SBCD0009 Release date: 5th May 2008
Tracklisting:
1 [re:jazz] feat. Joy Denalane -Torch Of Freedom (5:13)
2 Eva Be feat. Pegah Ferydoni - She Walks Alone (3:19)
3 Taxi feat. Jo Laundy - A Certain Something (5:56)
4 Tosca feat. Earl Zinger - Supperob (5:05)
5 Ben Westbeech - So Good Today (5:40)
6 Kabuki featuring Cleveland Watkiss - Speed Of Sound (4:38)
7 Jan Delay - Klar (4:10)
8 The Matthias Vogt Trio featuring Roger Cicero - The Look Into Your Eyes (4:59)
9 Deyampert Featuring Desney Bailey - The Sweetest Delusion (5:06)
10 Onejiru - We Carry On (5:06)
11 Clara Hill - Everything (4:38)

Links
frostandwagner.com
www.myspace.com/frostundwagner
www.bestseven.de
www.c100studio.com
www.myspace.com/rejazzde
www.myspace.com/toscak7
www.joydenalane.com
www.myspace.com/joydenalanemusic
www.last.fm/music/Joy+Denalane
www.earlzinger.com
www.myspace.com/benwestbeech
www.onejiru.com
www.iamkabuki.net
www.myspace.com/iamkabuki
www.clevelandwatkiss.com
www.myspace.com/clevelandwatkiss
www.jandelay.de
www.myspace.com/jandelay
www.clarahill.com
www.myspace.com/clarahill