Music
7 essential dancefloor re-edits selected by Nathan Micay
The LuckyMe producer reaches for the bootlegs, mash-ups and mixes guaranteed to fire up the dancefloor.
No doubt, Nathan Micay knows how to move a dancefloor. A participant at Red Bull Music Academy Bass Camp in Montreal way back in 2014, the Toronto producer and former powerlifter has since moved to Berlin, shed his Bwana moniker in favour of his given name, and shaken up the scene by dropping – gasp! – trance records at the city’s beloved techno temple Berghain.
A risky move, but Micay has the skills and good will to pull off this sort of behaviour. He's got a host of dancefloor-angled and experimental releases – such as the brand new The World I'm Going To Hell For – on respected labels like LuckyMe and Whities to his name. And he’s also the boss of three imprints – Original Schwitz, Schwitz Eternal and Schwitz Edits – the latter being a home for one of Micay’s favourite dancefloor weapons, the re-edit.
Cheeky bootleg revisions of classic tracks, re-edits are a trusty secret weapon in the DJ’s arsenal. “One of those secret ingredients that keeps a DJ set extra spicy and worth the price of admission for your average dancer,” enthuses Micay. “I think it’s worth going to see and hear DJs that make the edits, find the edits and play the edits that leave you confused on the floor and hankering for that sweet, sweet ID.”
So what’s the secret to a good re-edit? “I used to live by the words of my patron saint Gandalf the Grey: ‘KEEP IT SECRET, KEEP IT SAFE’,” says Micay. “However, these days I live more by the words of Aragorn, son of Arathorn: ‘You are MOST welcome here’.” Happily, then, he’s agreed to share with us seven of his most favoured edits, including one particularly choice one he knocked up himself.
1. Gush Collective – She's A Bitch (UK Garage Edit)
“You could do an entire article about UK garage edits, if it hasn't been done already. If not, c'mon mainstream media, step up. For now, here is one of my favourites. From the German Gush Collective, this is about as cool as it gets. Skippy, mean, bass driven – and that Missy Elliot vocal just sounds enormous in the club.”
2. Girls On Top – I Wanna Dance With Numbers
“THE NOTORIOUS. I was lucky to snag a copy of this in Space Hall Berlin a few years ago. It has to be one of the most notorious edits in the game. So notorious in fact that Discogs have had to take it off their site multiple times. So I guess I'm stuck with mine. A wicked mash up of Kraftwerk and Whitney Houston by Richard X, it caused absolute mayhem for dancers – they think it's gonna be one thing, then that vocal comes in...”
You could do an entire article about UK garage edits, if it hasn't been done already
3. James Holden vs Ben Pound – Kaern Turned
"Edit culture never quite infiltrated trance or prog house the way it did for UK garage, house et al. However, this is a striking example of 'when it works, it works'. The idea originally came from an incredible transition on James Holden's Fear Of A Silver Planet mix album. James Holden's epic ambient Kaern, over Ben Pound's prog drum workout. It's been a staple in my own sets for years now. Real ‘tears on the dance floor’ kinda stuff."
4. S-X vs Ramadanman – Wooo Glut
"Another edit born from a mix. Originally from Pearson Sound's FABRICLIVE.56 mix, released while he was still being known as Ramadanman, this blend was too good not to release as a standalone..."
5. James Blake - Limit To Your Love (Daniel Bortz Edit)
"We all wanted to find a way to hear James' version in the club without sounding too soppy. Daniel Bortz fixed that back in 2011. A real precursor to the Innervisions-driven tech house edit culture that was to come shortly after."
6. Der Geist In Der Muschel – We Can Do It!
"A real influence on me to do the Capsule's Pride Akira tribute album. I feel like a lot of people have attempted to bring this iconic theme to the dancefloor. To be honest I mostly reach for the original, but this is one of those most exceptional edits. Absolutely destroys in the club. I'll never forget the look of pure excitement on people's faces the first time I played this in Tokyo. Nobody saw it coming, hehe."
7. Andre Bocceli & Sarah Brightman -- Time To Say Goodbye (Nathan Micay's Interpretation)
"Described by Resident Advisor as 'a record truly remarkable in its tastelessness.' By far the most ridiculous track I've ever made, or perhaps ever made in general. I made it for a friend's party here in Berlin one afternoon. I never intended to actually play it anywhere but the moment felt right at Gottwood last summer. I had no idea it would go over like it did. Forever changing the lives of everyone in attendance."
Nathan Micay's new album The World I'm Going To Hell For is out now on LuckyMe. Buy here
Now watch a Red Bull Music Academy lecture with Red Bull Music Academy alumni Nina Kraviz:
2 h 2 min
Watch an RBMA lecture with Nina Kraviz
Russian DJ, producer and label boss Nina Kraviz is interviewed on the RBMA couch.