Panthalassa: The Remixes

Miles Davis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 25, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 25, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000J2PC
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #128,983 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Davis purists--stay home/drums'n'bass fans--Miles rules!, July 9, 2000

By 

J. Lund "jazzbrat" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panthalassa: The Remixes (Audio CD)

Judging from reviews--here and elsewhere--Miles Davis fans don't appreciate his music being overhauled/remixed to the extent that it is here. Apparently the one paradigm universally deemed as being untouchable was shattered when the remixers took away some of the original instruments and added newly-recorded ones. Even PANTHALASSA didn't cross that line, but PANTHALASSA: THE REMIXES does!

Certainly, if a listener isn't familiar with acid jazz, drums'n'bass and similiar contemporary underground styles, these remixes are going to sound generic. However, to those who know why Roni Size Reprazent's album was considered the class of the d'n'b movement: the remixers chosen here are largely on that stellar level (I actually prefer this album to that one!). Often remixing the music of the greats is a travesty (e.g., the abominable, hackneyed late-70's Sly Stone disco remix LP). However, the PANTHALASSA remixers have earned accolades for their originality. Why not allow producers of this caliber the opportunity to investigate the 1969-75 electric-Miles legacy, which to begin with was recorded in a piecemeal manner to be later mixed 'n' matched for release (whether it be by Macero, Laswell, or the PANTHALASSA "insurgents")?

I'm a Miles Davis fan too...and while no one knows for sure, I think that if he were alive today and in a progressive frame of mind, he would quite likely be collaborating with remix wizards such as those enlisted for this album, and coming up with music that is not far removed from what is actually heard here. I vaguely recall an interview with Miles shortly before he died, in which he stated something to the effect that he had thoughts of taking pieces of older recordings and incorporating them into new music. That sounds a lot like what happens on this album.

Miles Davis fans have every right not to like this album. However--at the very least--this project embodies from a Y2K perspective the restless, curious spirit that Davis exhibited throughout his career. I'm anxiously waiting for a volume two! (by the way, the DJ Krush remix of BLACK SATIN is only available on the vinyl and Japanese versions of this album)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars smooth dark trance, October 16, 2002

By 

AMY LEBLANC "amyleblanc.com" (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panthalassa: The Remixes (Audio CD)

most of Miles Davis' albums and other works have the unparalleled ability to put me deep into a trance, and this one is phenomenal.

for jazz fans who also like acid jazz AND good DJ remixes, this album is fantastic. the essence of miles is not cut up and chopped - it's not a techno mix - Miles is full and present on the album - but the additional underlayers of sound and the careful looping of tracks create a wonderful web of sound that i think even Miles would approve of.

it's perfect for long drives, traffic jams, and for just laying back on the couch with the lights low and a bottle of red wine, decompressing.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars this is ACID JAZZ NOT JAZZ!!!, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Panthalassa: The Remixes (Audio CD)

I would like to preface this review by saying that the reviews panning this album here are totally unfair. They are written by jazz fans, fans of Miles Davis. They have no exposure nor do they have an interest in Acid Jazz. Acid Jazz is only related to "traditional jazz" because it uses jazz samples over its "Trip-Hop" beats. This is a pretty d&&& good Acid Jazz album and certainly warrants a look for fans of the genre. I myself am a big fan of Acid Jazz, but I'm also a jazz musician and can understand how foreign this album would sound to the jazz listening mainstream. However, Miles was always up for a radical change and you can rest assured that if he was around he would full-heartedly endorse this work and probably would be in the works of putting together Acid Jazz recordings himself.