I was pretty into Amy Winehouse in the fall of 2004 when her single “Fuck Me Pumps” was released. I of course downloaded the Mylo remix, loaded it up on my 2nd gen ipod and blithely bench-pressed to it. There’s nothing better than letting out a big groan as you raise 90lbs of solid steel above your head to the lyrics “When you walk in the bar, and you’re dressed like a star, rocking your fuck me pumps.” The idea of setting my fake Gucci handbag down on the floor of the club and dancing around it really motivated me to stay in shape that winter. Flash forward three years punctuated by about a dozen or so tattoos and an unabashed affection for fire water, not to mention a fantastic bride o’ Frankenstein’s monster makeover, and you’ve got the house wine rocking chart Hip Hop radio in New England. More power to her for two reasons: She sounds like acrylic nails on Berry Gordy’s chalkboard and the Mark Ronson production is j-j-j-jaming. I couldn’t be happier to hear Ghostface over retro-fitted Motown pipes. I know I name-dropped Mylo, but it won’t be settling to serve up this hot little MJ Cole dish.

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It astounds me that “Back To Love” was never actually released as a single by the Brand New Heavies. The song itself is a mediocre example of the group’s mid 90′s Acid Jazz/Hip Hop flavor, complete with a rolicking backbeat and the stunning N’Dea Davenport on vocals (not the case for some of their work at the end of the decade when Siedah Garrett stepped in). What I love about this Graeme Park Remix is that it takes the uplifting vocal and puts it over a proper backing track. Listen for the heart-pounding piano to drop over those bongos and hi hat, and then the horns AND acid synth following the second chorus … and oh God, that vocal. Davenport is even better with the bari foil.

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When people ask me what I think the future of music looks like, if I trust them enough to really open up about it I’ll try to advocate for a future where folkloric musics of Andalucia and Eastern Europe blend seamlessly. Regional dialects from Bmore House and Haitian Kompa to Brazilian Baile Funk hit enough heads (thanks to the proliferation of high-speed internet access) that the geographic barriers once dictating paths of musical hybridity no longer inhibit forward-thinking producers around the globe. Despite the lukewarm critical response to Basement Jaxx’ latest effort, Crazy Itch Radio, the album is brimming with ideas that riff on this theme. While producers like the Jaxx see folkloric music as building blocks, artists like Ojos De Brujo, Gotan Project and Puerto Rico’s Plena Libre prefer to work primarily in singular traditions, fusing the vibes and sounds of Flamenco, Tango and Plena, respectively, with Rock, Pop and Soul. On “Tumba’o Re-Mix,” Plena Libre use the percussive vocal stab of “me vuelve loco” to pepper a 110 bpm Latin stomp. The initial bars of the remix sound a bit like the sampled vocals of a Baile Funk track with some spooky sufi guitar, but the funky tenor sax tears into the melodic fabric and the track becomes a back and forth with the Afro-Latin feel predominating.

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