Verve Records & Rockstar Games Present L.A. Noire // Remixed

My most recent foray into video games was in 1992.  My cousin, Tyler, and I were glued to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Mario World.  The sound effects!  The delicately masked Japanese design!  Yoshi and the eggs and the Mario capes!  I loved it.  Dinosaur Land was an absolute blast for someone who hadn’t exhibited any real want to have her own videogames at home.  We played for hours and hours, and I was never very good, but it didn’t matter; we had fun.  Tyler tried his hardest to show me the secrets to being a better player, just like what he’d do in the backyard with a baseball and glove.  I was never supposed to be exemplary at either game, but it was some of the most fun I had as a kid.

The bottom line?  I don’t know anything about video games.  I don’t pretend to know anything about video games.  I’m happy they exist, much like how I’m pleased things like Balinese drumming exists; it’s cool and exotic, and I have no idea how to go about processing it intelligently, but I sincerely applaud those who do.

Rockstar Games will release L.A. Noire on May 17th.  Jonathan will tell you his thoughts and I will likely smile and nod politely as I read.

What I CAN tell you?  The six song EP, Verve Records and Rockstar Games Present L.A. Noire / Remixed, which will be released simultaneously in conjunction with L.A. Noire, is AWESOME.

Without compromising the integrity of the original artists and recordings, remix-masters curated a thoughtful look at six decades-old jazz offerings.  Many of the tracks feel like they should be blasting from the speakers of too-cool-for-school hotels and lounges.  Here are my favorites:

The Ticklah remix of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan’s “Stone Cold Dead In The Market” augmented the reggae flavor of the original for 2011 swagga.

Lionel Hampton’s “Hey-Ba-Ba-Re-Ba,” is now a dance track.  Home run.

TV On The Radio jack-of-all-trades, Dave Sitek left his mark on Dinah Washington’s “Slick Chick,” with just enough ambient beats underneath.

Billie Holliday’s “That Old Devil Called Love,” formerly an orchestral arrangement now has an electronic groove and…..crickets?  Sounds like a cricket effect buried in the track?  Whatever the editing magic, it’s groovy.

Add a little diversity to your ears; this is a must-hear.