From tropical house remixes to legal battles over copyright claims, Marvin Gaye’s name has found its way into the mouths of a new generation of fans. Now, L.A.-based DJ/producer SNBRN has put forth our personal favorite homage thus far: a deep house of his 1982 classic “Sexual Healing” that takes samples from the original in an entirely unexpected direction.
“I wanted to create something super funky and upbeat, but still have that soul to it,” SNBRN said of the track. “For a long time the instrumental had no hook, until one night I started cutting up old ’80s records and found the perfect fit.”
The sample around which the track is centered is one in which Gaye sang, “Just grab ahold of my body and mind,” which arrives shortly after a warm, bubbling buildup. A horn section adds an element not usually present in traditional deep house, as does a buildup-drop scheme in the percussion that hints at popular progressive house. For his originality in finding a new direction to take with samples from “Sexual Healing,” we applaud SNBRN and hope to see more of the same from him in the months to follow.
Tell us, did you enjoy SNBRN‘s remix of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” as much as we did? Let us know why or why not in the comments section below.
