Michael Goldwasser, producer of Easy Star All-Stars best selling & critically acclaimed records with Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread, has been working on a slew of Reggae remixes. What started with Jason Mraz’s “Have It All,” led to Janelle Monae’s “I Like That” and now a remix of Kelly Clarkson’s “Heat.”
For the Remix, Goldwasser told The Pier Magazine: “As with all of the Easy Star All-Stars tribute albums, I try to envision the original as if it was recorded in Jamaica in the late 70’s, early 80’s, with a room full of great musicians. So I knew right from the start that the first step would be to create a drum part that would really drive the song, and the obvious choice was to employ a steppers beat–four on the floor with the kick drum. I wanted a live feel but in the interest of time, I created the drum part by chopping up and editing together some live drums from the vaults instead of going into the studio with a drummer.”
Goldwasser would go on to create a slightly simplified chord progression, laying down piano, organ & rhythm guitar. He allowed the harmony to guide him in creating the bass part that resulted in slight changes as the song moves along, adding to the live sound feel he was aiming for with the track. The song was mixed with Scott Jacoby at Eusonia Studios in New York City, NY.
“I decided to double the live bass with a subby part played on a synth,” Goldwasser explains. “I had to learn all of the changes that I had improvised in order to double it properly. After that, I laid down a pick guitar part to complement the bass, then a few percussion parts and some sound effects from a synare. Finally, I wrote a horn arrangement, and I decided to feature the baritone sax and give the song a kind of 50’s r&b/rock’n’roll influence.”
