Blah blah blah Summer 2013 blah blah blah Robin Thicke is silly blah blah Pharrell Williams is cool blah blah Marvin Gaye lawsuit blah blah. Oh, wait. Marvin Gaye. Whether or not his estate wins money from this notorious litigation, I certainly think we do all owe that dude a cultural debt. Summer 2013 did kind of demonstrate that it had soul, though exactly just how pure is up for debate. But there’s no doubt about Gaye. Regardless of whether you think we collectively danced all over his claims to intellectual property, his influence did add a measure of gaiety to our year.
Live For the Funk has turned us on to a new “Got to Give it Up” remix by London producer James Sison. That’s right: a remix. A good, ole honest tribute, attributions included. While Thicke has pushed this song into the year’s cultural consciousness by blurring Marvin Gaye’s voice with his own, Sison does the opposite: the remix, masterful in its restraint, is a crystal-clear showcase for Gaye’s vocals. Almost immediately, this remix makes Gaye’s performance sound like it’s undeniably inimitable. Whether it is: who knows. Really, everybody deserves a pat on the back for paying respect to a guy who deserves it.
• James Sison: https://soundcloud.com/jamessison
• Live For the Funk: http://www.liveforthefunk.com
More about: Marvin Gaye
