Yasiin Bey and Preservation team to present The REcstatic (pronounced Re-Ecstatic) - an expertly crafted re-telling of Bey's 2009 LP The Ecstatic that utilizes his influences from boom-bap to jazz and Islam to create a launchpad for his lyrics that presents a familiar tale in a vibrant change of clothes. The thoughtful approach to sonic nuance can be attributed to Preservation's intimate knowledge of The Ecstatic as Bey's tour DJ and a self-confessed devotee of the project's original production team; Madlib, Oh No and Dilla were amongst the producers tapped to touch the original release.
Preservation returned to the original sources to grab alternate samples or tapped recordings that fit the distinct aesthetics of those producers. The REcstatic serves as the official remix of the entire LP and retrofits the original vocals for time travel with spanking new tunes and an awesome take on the original artwork courtesy of Cognito. The full release of the remix project follows the "Quiet Dog Bite Hard RMX" that surfaced in late April; the track is a crazy take on the original that employs Brazilian percussion to provide the perfect foil for Bey's relentless delivery. Preservation explains the remixing process as follows:
“The project started as a slow build with a few songs and then it become a challenge to do them all. Because it was a sample-based album, I wanted to keep the remixes sample-based and for them to have the same pitch, key and tone as the originals. The original beats were non-traditional and the amount of singing made it very difficult to remix with this intention of the same energy. It’s the result of countless hours of digging through records to sample, constructing the beat, wrapping it around the vocal, adjusting the tempo, and so on. ‘Quiet Dog Bite Hard’ was exciting because I was remixing my own track and it drew me into the process, and ‘Workers Comp’ was the most unique due to its complex time signature.”
Yasiin also offered his thoughts on the project:
“Three key steps to leading a rewarding and enriched life:(1) Wake up. (2) Be awesome. (3) LISTEN TO PRESERVATION.”
– Yasiin Bey
The REcstatic works to revive the oft-forgotten but once wildly popular remix album - an effort supported by more artists and producers in recent months; Apollo Brown's remix of Twelve Reasons To Die is a shining example of the resurgence in the trend that will hopefully retain its new lease on life. The track "Black Fantastic" caps the project, taking the place of Yasiin's "Casa Bey." This joint is the only track that Preservation did not touch, opting instead to drop Yasiin's vocals over a track from Minnesota. The REcstatic drops on Preservation's Mon Dieu Music imprint and features Jan Fairchild on the mix. Grab the free download of The REcstatic below. Look out for more from Preservation in the coming weeks. His forthcoming LP Old Numbers drops on July 9th with features from Yasiin Bey, Jean Grae, Edo G and more.
>>>Download Yasiin Bey x Preservation's - The REcstatic Remix LP (via Mondieu Music)
