Opolopo & Millie Jackson: He Hit it Off!

When I heard Opolopo's take on Millie Jackson's "We got to hit it off", I knew I had to meet the man behind the music! Let's find out how Peter works his charms on Classics...

---

1) Hi Opolopo, and thank you so much for joining us here on the Balearic Breakfast Blog! Your remix of Millie Jackson's 'We got to hit it off' has been played during the 220th episode of the series and it took us all by storm. Can you tell us how you got involved in these remixes first of all?

I was approached quite a while ago by the Swedish label Cosmos Music. Their subsidiary label, Ace Music, focuses on acquiring catalogues of older recordings. In this case, it was the catalogue of Spring Records, who released artists like Fatback and Millie Jackson. They asked me if I'd be interested in remixing one of Millie Jackson's tracks (and later also Fatback). I jumped at the opportunity as it's such a treat to get to do an official remix for a legendary artist, while also having access to the original multitrack recordings. At that point, I don't think the concept was fully formed but this turned into a wonderful remix project, "Spring Revisited", where a whole bunch of producers were invited to rework the Spring catalogue.

2) How was the song chosen for this project? Millie Jackson's original version is slower with a groovier approach. How do you approach the song's you're working on, what do you pay attention to, and, more importantly, how do you know if a song "fits" you?

I got to choose the track I wanted to rework. In this case, I picked one I really like - but that’s not always necessary. The most important thing is that it has the potential to be turned into something interesting. I'm not that interested in merely re-editing a track, I want to get in there and reharmonize, add new musical parts and mess things up. So I listen for tracks that allow me to do those things. The challenge then is to do it while still being respectful of the original.

3) Were there any drawbacks or difficulties when working on this specific song, your remix seems so "easily done", it sounds just so natural and so assertive!

I can't say there were any specific difficulties with this particular track. There are always some hurdles and obstacles but that is what makes it fun and creatively satisfying. In general, I'm striving for a remix to sound like it could be an original. So if it sounds "natural", my mission was hopefully accomplished.

4) You actually did two versions for this release, I must admit the Deeper remix has such a beautiful balance between the original light the song initially has and that attractive darker force you put it in! How do you work when putting songs in a new context? What is something you'd never do when making a song take a new path?

So the second version, the "Deeper Mix",  was where I left the idea of making it sound like an original behind... Millie Jackson has such a powerful voice, so I thought, after having done a more soulful and boogie-tinged version, I'll aim for a slightly later slot in a DJ set: when the lights are dimmed and things are a bit darker and sweatier. I like contrasting the 70s flavors of the strings, guitars and vocal delivery with more modern elements, like a clubby and moody synth bass and chunkier drums. It's a fine balance, and it's of course subjective, but it still has to all gel together. And in the spirit of contrast, tension and release, I had the lighter and more uplifting chorus from the first version appear in a 16-bar bridge towards the end. Shifting the vibe from swinging hips to waving hands, reminding people where the track came from. Something I wouldn't do: auto tune the crap out of the vocals...

5) Can you share with us what's next for you in the Near future?

Next up is a remix EP for Z Records. I had the pleasure of remixing three tracks from Dave Lee's  AC Soul Symphony album "Metamorphosis”. The 12" is coming out on July 28!

Thank you so much Peter for this interview and of course for the music!