‘Contemporize’ – A word that’s ruffled a few feathers.

“Contemporize”, This is the word LA Reid used to describe the work by various producers on the forthcoming release by Epic and the Estate, Xscape and it’s this that seems to have caused fresh debate. Now unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, then you’ll know all about the artwork, the planned release and the number of tracks. But it seems, that whilst we are back in the throng of ‘mania’, the battle lines have once again been drawn.

So let’s start by establishing what we’re poised to get. There are 2 versions of the album, one standard, one deluxe. The standard edition offers 8 tracks, “contemporized” (we’ll come back to that shortly) by the likes of Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins and Stargate. The deluxe edition boasts 2 discs, one the same as the standard and disc 2 features the same 8 tracks in original form plus a bonus track and 2 videos. There been much speculation about the track list and thanks to various press sources we’ve managed to gage some of what is to be included. Something for everyone, everybody’s happy right? Of course not.

I’m personally looking forward to Xscape. It feels like the first major release since the number ones campaign. Who could forget seeing those billboards all around the city with the 4 poses on. Seeing Michael adorning the side of a building is just remarkable. Obviously we had Thriller25 and King of Pop which received some promotion in the UK, nothing out of the ordinary. Then we had ‘Michael’ for which, the less said about that project, the better.

But now back to this ‘contemporizing’ issue that seems to have unnecessarily riled up so many. To put it in simple terms, what they’ve done here is nothing more than a REMIX. They’ve taken the original track and remixed it. There is no scandal, there is no ‘replacing Michael’….it’s a remix. The disco scene in 70s loved a good remix with the DJ using their vinyls to loop and beat match and give the audience an adaptation on the original to throw a shape to. The 80s was a pioneering time for the remix where the original vocal would be used over a brand new instrumental to fit in with the dance scene (sound familiar?). As for the 90s was there a Michael Jackson single that didn’t get remixed about 8 times?! In the Closet behind the door cd 1,2,3, Jam, Black or White, a 16 minute Earth Song and the of course the entire Blood On The Dance Floor album to name but a few.

I’m aware that Michael told a fan magazine back in the late 90s that he didn’t like his work being remixed and the label pushed him in to it. Of course, that’s understandable, you work hard on something, you want it received the way you intended. But Michael never ‘boycotted’ the release of Blood on the Dance Floor, he never stood firm against it, he cashed the cheques and added the title of ‘the biggest selling remix album in HIStory’ to his list of accolades. He also posed for the album artwork and as Will Wilson (the cover artist) revealed to me, Michael had some suggestions and was hands on with the project. And rightly so, it’s a great product, it may not have been Michael’s bag, but you can’t argue with the sales figures, fans loved it! One of the highlights (other than the 5 new tracks) was track 13, the Tony Moran HIStory Lesson; 13 minutes of pure dance and so different from the original album version.

Then more recently was the interesting Thriller 25, a project released after the Sony demos, which Michael himself was involved with. Returning to the studio with Will.I.Am, they took the world’s biggest selling album created in the early 80s and REMIXED IT! Another word that could be used here is CONTEMPORIZING. Imagine that, Michael Jackson took his own work, sat down in the studio and allowed hip hop/urban/modern instrumentations to be added, to bring the classics to the 2008 audience. I attended the London launch event for Thriller 25 back in 08, and the general consensus from the fans in attendance was that the results where ghastly! PYT 2008 mix was the most enjoyed (despite reference to ‘peeling jeans off like a tangerine!’). We partied hard and clapped and cheered but all of us questioned Why Michael himself, would allow the most successful musical pieces in record history to be butchered under his own watch. But he was happy with those remixes (yes, remixes!) and he spoke about how excited he was to be creating those remixes for Thriller25 in a recorded speech for the NRJ awards.

Now fast forward back to the present day, with Xscape and let’s look at it again. Disc one is the remix album, disc two is the original album. Sure the fans would be happier if it were the other way around, but would that work. Let’s look at ‘Love Never Felt So Good’, one of the rumoured tracks due for inclusion on Xscape. It’s great, we love it, we’d buy it, but…it’s a demo. Doesn’t it deserve the chance to reach the masses? Michael made music for the world to enjoy and if people can find hope, joy, understanding and learning in a remix featuring Michael’s words and vocals, why should that be classed as a bad thing? If demos were what sold, then surely, everyone would be doing it and mastering would be entirely pointless.

I’ve heard some suggest that Michael wouldn’t want us to hear these tracks. I’m not in agreement. Streetwalker, Sunset Driver, Monkey Business, We’ve Had Enough, Cheater, Fly Away, Carousel, Fall Again. These were all out-takes from studio sessions, but made it on to subsequent releases many years later. What’s to say Slave to the Rhythm, Xscape, A Place With No Name and others were not destined for the same fate? Surely if Michael was unhappy with them and never wanted them heard or to see the light of day, he’d have destroyed them right? Or maybe he could see the potential they may one day possess. After all, Cheater was pulled out of the Bad Sessions and worked on for Invincible.

After Amy Winehouse’s passing, the producers of her previous 2 albums headed in to the studio to pull together demos and alternative versions to re-mix and master to put out a new album to continue to bring Amy’s voice to her fans. I was working at the studio this took place and saw and heard how challenging a project it was to complete. But those shouldered with the task, tried to apply all the experiences they had from working with Amy to make the project sound the best and truest it could. I really hope this is what has happened with Xscape and from the results so far, it feels like far more care and diligence has been paid than when they created the ‘Michael’ album. (again, let’s not go there).

In the past few months I’ve spoken with Matt Forger, Rob Hoffman and Bruce Swedien to learn more about Michael’s creative process and it was true genius, it’s unrivalled and that is what (we’re told) you’ll hear on the deluxe edition of Xscape, the untouched demos of Michael’s creations. What you’ll also hear is 8 remixes that can then be shared in the clubs around the world and put Michael’s VOICE back in the hearts and minds of the world, because it’s his voice that matters (as we established from the ‘Michael’ atrocity). No remix is going to take away the grit, passion, anger, soul and beauty of his voice, so if you buy the deluxe edition, swap the discs in the box if that’s what you want, or, thanks to iTunes, you can buy JUST the demos. It really doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

On May 13th, I’ll be going to HMV to buy Xscape. I’ll fire up my sound system (yes, I still have one!) and i’ll be playing Michael’s recordings FIRST, then i’ll check out the REMIXES. I’ll see what I like, I’ll see what I don’t. But I hope that Michael will join the ranks of Elvis, Bob Marley, John Lennon, James Brown and all the other greats that have continued to bring joy through music after they’ve left us.

Pez.