Medeski, Martin & Wood - Combustication Remix [EP]
01. Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho (IllyB mix) (3:57)
02. Whatever Happened to Gus (Guru mix) (4:41)
03. Start-Stop (DJ Logic mix) (6:38)
04. Nocturne (Automator mix) (5:46)
05. Sugar Craft (Yuka Honda mix) (4:12)
06. Satan's Church of Hypnotized Logic (Bill Laswell mix) (10:06)
What makes Combustication Remix such a fun program is the fact that Medeski, Martin & Wood's sound is normally so organic -- comprised of John Medeski on Hammond organ, upright bassist Chris Wood and drummer Billy Martin, the trio has always cultivated a warm, funky sound that is far removed from the digital bleeps and synthetic grooves of electronic dance music. So bringing in four DJs, a rapper, and Bill Laswell to work some remix voodoo on tracks from the latest MM&W album was a move both counterintuitive and inspired. Illy B goes the techno route on his remix of "Hey-Hee-Hi-Ho";Guru intones some somber ghetto consciousness over a hip-hopped-up arrangement of "Whatever Happened to Gus"; DJ Logic weaves an eerie, illbient groove out of "Start-Stop"; and Dan the Automator gets similarly downtempo on his remix of "Nocturne," which actually incorporates a Steel Pulse sample. But best of all is Bill Laswell's ten-minute take on "Satan's Church of Hypnotized Logic," which retains much of the flavor of the original while muscling it up with heavier bass and Middle Eastern vocal samples.
AllMusic Review by Rick Anderson