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ALL-STAR ROSTER OF CELEBRITY PRODUCERS CELEBRATE THE MOST THRILLING ENTERTAINER OF ALL TIME WITH THE RELEASE OF MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE

August 10, 2009, New York, NY - Universal Motown Records has enlisted the hottest producers in the game to pay homage to Michael Jackson by remixing their favorite tracks from The Jackson 5’s timeless catalog of gems and jams. Akon, Swizz Beatz, Q-Tip, Ryan Leslie, and Rodney Jerkins are just a few of the superstar producers who are featured on MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE. Boasting more than 20 innovative renditions of popular hits such as “ABC” and “Dancing Machine,” along with obscure classics like “Maria” and “Skywriter,” MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE will be released in five digital bundles of five songs. The first bundle—featuring Polow Da Don, The Neptunes, Dallas Austin, Salaam Remi, and Stargate—will be available for digital purchase on August 25, followed by a new bundle every two weeks leading up to the physical release of the entire collection on October 20.

“It’s no secret that Michael Jackson’s phenomenal talent inspired countless entertainers,” says Universal Motown President Sylvia Rhone, who spearheaded the making of MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE. “But his music also inspired many of today’s finest producers. That’s why we thought it would be exciting to invite them to put their own unique spin on his work. From Michael’s amazing vocals to the great melodies, grooves, and arrangements¯the material they had to work with is so incredibly rich. It’s inspiration feeding inspiration and the results are fantastic.”

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE is as diverse in sound as its dazzling array of notable producers, which includes Tricky Stewart, DJ Cassidy, Steve Aoki, Frankie Knuckles, and Benny Blanco, among many others. “We jumped at the opportunity to be involved with this project because Michael is a legend who influenced our entire career and redefined the world of music,” says Pharrell Williams from The Neptunes, whose seductive and synthy reworking of “Never Can Say Goodbye” is anchored by an irresistibly heavy bass line. For Salaam Remi’s reggae remix of “ABC,” he “imagined the Jackson’s taking a trip to Jamaica in the early ’70s with a Jamaican band playing behind them.” And for DJ Cassidy’s cheerful rendition of “The Love You Save,” he says his goal was to “unite the sounds of Michael’s work with both The Corporation and Quincy Jones to create something fresh but equally timeless, classic, and inspiring as the original.”

MICHAEL JACKSON: THE REMIX SUITE is not a somber tribute to an iconic legend gone too soon. It is a fun, fresh, and funky testament to the infinite mass appeal of the early works of Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 that will inspire, uplift, and electrify listeners for generations to come.

The five part digital Suite Series of Remixes Available on iTunes every 2 weeks beginning August 25th!

Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite I Aug 25th
Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite II Sep 8th
Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite III Sep 22nd
Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite IV Oct 6th
Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite Oct 20th

DALLAS AUSTIN

I wanted to be involved with Universal Motown’s Michael Jackson remix project because his music meant so much to the world and so much to me as a producer. I chose to remix “I Wanna Be Where You Are” because it’s one of my favorite songs. From the melodies, strings, and guitars to the drums, pianos, and Michael’s vocals—it’s one of those incredible records that just makes you feel so good. My inspiration for remixing it was to make it a little more updated by cross-gendering between dance, electro, and retro disco. I actually had a chance to work with Michael and Notorious B.I.G on the HIStory album, which was an amazing experience. We’ve basically never known a world without his music, and so I wanted to contribute my part to history. I am honored that I could even be a part of this project because Michael Jackson represented pure entertainment to me.

STARGATE

Michael has been a big inspiration and made a huge impact on our music. Musically, he conveys feeling like no other of his generation, and his music will live forever. In 2007 we were having lunch with Michael at a restaurant in New York when he asked if we wanted to work on his next record. Obviously, we jumped at the opportunity, but it never happened and now it never will. So when we got a chance to work with his vocals on this remix record it felt like we were able to complete something both Michael and us wanted to do. Remixing existing records is something we rarely do, and when we started putting ideas together for this, we quickly realized that Michael will make anything sound great. So we had to step up and do it justice. It's an exciting way to work, and a way for new generations to discover Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 material they might have never heard before, or known and loved for years. We were drawn to the tempo, the youthfulness and the energy of the song “Skywriter.” Michael was so young when he recorded it, but his vocals were already controlled and confident, and the change into the hook makes it dramatic and interesting. The fact that the record was a commercial disappointment at the time it was released meant that this record would be new to a lot of today’s listeners, which is something that we felt gave us more freedom. We wanted to use elements from four different decades in one song to follow and show the lines of R&B crossover music over the years. The original vocals are from 1973, the guitar riffs and funkiness are throwback elements from early 80s R&B, and so is the disco-beat. The airiness from the post-hook comes from more 90s-sounding digital keyboards, while the saw-like synthbass and the filter techniques are hot right now. We stayed off the auto-tune though—that would be scandalous.

JASON NEVINS

Michael’s an icon. As a performer, he mesmerized people. As an entertainer, he created incredible songs through the years that made you move and also made a profound impact on modern music. His songs stand the test of time and are loved by millions. Personally, I love the late ’70s–’80s era of Michael’s career the most—all of his upbeat dance stuff. Any time one of those classic records comes on, it just makes you feel good. So when Universal Motown asked if I wanted to work on this project, I couldn’t refuse. I don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t want to work on a project involving his music. To remix one of his songs is an honor. I got a chance to remix “I’ll Be There” from when he was just a kid in the Jackson 5. Everyone knows the original version as a slow ballad, but I wanted to go with a completely different take on it and make people dance by speeding up the tempo and creating a pop dance mix. The fun thing about remixing is that you can shock people, hopefully in a good way. “I’ll Be There” wasn’t an easy song to remix because it’s a very slow tempo and it was recorded in the ’60s. The technology and recording techniques were obviously different back then, which made it a bit difficult to take the tracks and bring them into a 2009 production. Still, the end result came out great and will certainly make you dance!

DJ CASSIDY

Michael Jackson was cupid in my love affair with music. His look defined cool and influenced every outfit I have ever assembled. He put the red in my jeans, the rhythm in my step, and the needle on my record. Michael was, and will always be, the peak of the party. My dream was to produce a record and deejay a party for Michael Jackson. I had hoped so deeply that, one day, my tracks would make him sing and my records would make him dance. I will use this remix project to fulfill as much of that dream as possible. Working on Universal Motown’s Michael Jackson Remix Project was truly magical. Listening to the original session of “The Love You Save” was like digging through a long lost treasure chest, each track a sparkling jewel in a king’s crown. I had my heart set on remixing a song that Michael performed on Motown 25 and “The Love You Save” was the obvious choice. A true hands-up, top-down, feel-good anthem, “The Love You Save” embodies every part of Mike’s early spirit and energy that made magic for years to come. Remixing “The Love You Save,” I aimed to unite the sounds of Michael’s work with The Corporation with the sounds of his work with Quincy Jones to create something fresh but equally timeless, classic, and inspiring as the original.

WAYNE WILKINS

I am a huge Michael Jackson fan. I always thought that one day I’d be lucky enough to write and produce a song with him, but now this is the closest I will ever get to doing that. Michael was one of the main reasons I’m doing what I do today. When I was a kid, I’d sit and copy all the changes and try to figure out what made everything he did so funky, amazing, and beautiful to me. It was the biggest honour to be asked to contribute to this project and at the same time very daunting to remix “I’ll Be There.” (It’s the first song my wife Emma and I danced to at our wedding.) I couldn’t believe it when I heard the original multi-track of “I’ll Be There.” It was unbelievable to hear the individual parts and I think I must have listened to Michael’s vocal in solo for at least an hour on loop. My thought process was to find a way of putting a beat on there that really supported the song and didn’t detract from the incredible vocals. I knew I’d have the right direction if I could make it feel like the remix had always existed, which is how I hope it feels. Apart from that, I imagined how I wanted it to be and was drawn towards reggae-style beats and instrumentation and it just evolved from there. I had my two friends, amazing guitarist Nick Lashley come and play on it for me and film composer Stephen Barton to do a fantastic string arrangement.

PHARRELL WILLIAMS FROM THE NEPTUNES

We jumped at the opportunity to be involved with Universal Motown’s Michael Jackson remix project because Michael is a legend—the greatest of greats. He influenced our entire career and redefined the world of music. In fact, he redefined the world. That’s why it was an honor to remix “Never Can Say Goodbye.” Michael is the creative inspiration for our remix. I'm a huge fan of his, plus “Never Can Say Goodbye” is my mom's favorite song and I knew she would be excited when she heard it.

BENNY BLANCO

I wanted to be involved with this project because Michael Jackson influenced me and played a huge role in the way I make music, and so this seemed like the best way to pay tribute to a legend. I chose to remix “Ain’t No Sunshine” because it was a challenge and I didn’t want to go with something obvious. That song is brilliant. It was an honor to go through the vocal tracks from those old recording sessions and let Mike’s voice send shivers up my spine. Honestly, I was nervous to do the remix because I felt that there was no way I could pay homage to such a legend without being corny. Ultimately, I just let his music speak through my fingertips and became one with the track. Mike, I hope you’re listening.

EMILE

I chose to remix “Maria” because it's easily one of my favorite early Mike songs. The music and arrangements are incredible and haunting on that song. It's important to take note of how incredible the musicianship was on the early Mike and Jackson 5 records. The arrangements were great. The fuzz guitar sound was so distinctive and cool. There's these beautiful strings that happen at the end of “Maria” and I wanted to hear them more, so I started the remix with nothing but the strings. Hair-raising! I didn’t stray too far from the original song on this remix. “Maria's” music is so amazing and Mike's singing is so good, I didn’t want to mess up a good thing. I just updated things a bit and brought forth some of my favorite elements of the song in a new way.

THE-RON

Michael was a master at his art—music. His knowledge and love of music was contagious. He had vision and creativity beyond description. He represented perfection as I have never seen before. He is able to get the best out of anyone. I can attest to that. I had the opportunity to work with Michael for about a year prior to his passing, and I was at my best working with him. He taught me a lot about music and life in general. That’s why I wanted to be involved with Universal Motown’s Michael Jackson remix project. Remixing “I Wanna Be Where You Are” brought back fond memories of all the time Michael and I spent together creating music in his studio both in Las Vegas and at his home in Holmby Hills, California. We worked on a lot of unreleased songs that he did not have the opportunity to perform. Right now, those songs are sitting in my hard drive somewhere with Michael's other music. So remixing “I Wanna Be Where You Are” also gave me the opportunity to finish something that involved Michael. What was my inspiration? Heaven.

SALAAM REMI

I was born a fan of the Jackson 5, so any chance to work with Michael Jackson at any point is an honor. Michael defined the world of music for everyone before, in, and after our generation. That’s why I’m glad to see my reggae remix of “ABC” come to light. For inspiration, I imagined the Jackson's taking a trip to Jamaica in the early ‘70s with a Jamaican band playing behind them, and I wanted to channel what that band would sound like playing behind them.

TRICKY STEWART

I have an enormous amount of respect for Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Michael Jackson raised the bar of excellence in the music world when he was just a child. Growing up and seeing him grow in his excellence and become the most meaningful figure in music was an inspiration to me. He showed me that you can be blessed with talented but it's your job to grow it and push yourself to reach greatness. I was honored to be asked to participate in this historic remix project. I most definitely didn't want to pass up an opportunity to produce my own take on one of his songs, especially considering the other talented producers involved with this album. "I Want You Back" has always been one of my favorite Jackson 5 songs, although it may be one of the hardest to remix. I sat in the studio listening to what the whole world would love to hear—young Michael singing right into the mic by himself. It was very emotional, very moving. Hearing someone as young as Michael was at the time sing with that much passion and confidence has always amazed me. My goal was to not change the classic nature of the song because it’s so great already.

FRANKIE KNUCKLES

In my opinion, Michael Jackson was the single greatest recording artist and performer of our time. To have the opportunity to work with MJ in any capacity as a producer is nothing short of working with a God. To be able to study MJ's visions up close and personal and be a part of the magic is nothing short of bringing my life and career full circle. As a kid, I sang along to all of his songs. As a DJ, I played all of his songs. And as a Grammy winning producer/remixer, I aspired to work with him. To date, I have remixed five songs for Michael Jackson. Now that's a "Thriller"! For this project, I chose to remix "Forever Came Today" because of my history with the song. As a DJ, it has always been my favorite song by the J5. It has great energy, fabulous rhythm, and always rocked my dance floor in Chicago at the Warehouse. It’s definitely one of the original Warehouse classics that still packs dance-floors in Chicago to this day. My creative vision was to make it “a groove thing.” I love the way Michael and Jermaine play off one another in the vamp, along with Tito's guitar licks and that infectious bass line, so it just made sense to give it that funky deep-house groove that would make it impossible to resist. Plus, those brilliant strings and brass arrangements highlighting the track make everything sparkle.