Joe Claussell is house music royalty, and he taps into his New York roots with a remix of Fatback Band‘s classic funk track “The Snake.“
We are doing Joe Claussell a bit of a disservice by simply describing him as “house music royalty,” as he has so many other strings to his bow. He is also a funk aficionado and disco connoisseur. Even then, we still might not be giving full credit to his eclectic DJ style.
Hailing from New York, Joe Claussell’s career stretches back to the ’90s. Over the last three decades he has built a global reputation as both a DJ and producer, and remixed music by legends such as Herbie Hancock, Diana Ross, and Nina Simone.
With humble beginnings, Joe Claussell started his career working at a local music store in New York when he was a teenager. This no doubt opened him up to international music, and helped him learn the history of the scene in New York.
One of the record labels that left its mark on New York’s music scene was Spring Records, which in the ’70s, released seminal disco tracks by artists ranging from Grammy nominated Millie Jackson, to Isaac Hayes.
Spring Records favoured New York artists such as the Fatback Band, who were one of the record labels’ most popular artists. In a statement, Joe Claussell explains they were a big part of his childhood, saying: “Growing up in the ’70s in Brooklyn, New York, in a home where only music mattered, The Fatback Band was one of those music groups that were on constant replay. Fast forward to the present day, I feel blessed to be one of those asked to produce a remix for them.”
Joe Claussell’s remix sounds like a hot summer’s day brought to life by the fingertips of skilled musicians. He has looped percussion and a sequenced kick drum holding the tempo steady to ensure it’s DJ friendly. He has allowed large sections of the original instrumentation to play in full, and at times it’s easy to forget this is a house track, not a live band. It’s an exceptional remix that minimises the electronic elements, and there isn’t a dance floor in the world where this track wouldn’t go down a treat.
This release comes as part of the Spring Revisited series which is inviting seminal house music producers to remix classic tracks from the Spring Records catalogue. Joe Claussell’s remix joins existing contributions by other artists such as Dimitri From Paris and OPOLOPO.
Buy the release HERE.