 | Back in the days, there was no access to the master tapes, so people creating (re-)edits had to use reel-to-reel tapes, a razorblade, the original vinyl record and a lot of time and patience. Greg Wilson is a pioneer - a legendary edit-master - of this technology that still serves as base for todays remixes. |
In contrast to a remix, the (re-)edit keeps the recognizability of the original, often it serves for extending the track or its main sequences, sometimes it was used to combine various versions (for instance, vocal and dub versions) or even the removal of parts of a song. It also allows the complete restructuring of tracks. However this technique is painfully slow, and it is precise and labour intensive work. When Tom Moulton constructed a forty-five minute tape of re-edits in 1972, the ur-text of what would become remixing, it took him eighty hours of work. Nowadays, with computers and audio editors available to everyone, creating (re-)edits is much easier and faster, especially since music is often available in digital format and there is no longer the need to record the record before starting the work. Gladly, a good (re-)edit still is based on a good taste.
"Credit to the Edit" is a collection of nostalgic edits by Greg Wilson, approaching thirty years since the legendary edit-master commenced his basic edits for a demonstration tape, and he makes a welcome return with this collection of his finest edits that includes "You can't have your cake and eat it too" by Brenda Taylor, "Sunshine" by Rockers Revenge, "Do it to the funk" by Raw DMX amongst others.
This is a gem of a CD, packed with information, comments and a brief biographie on the man himself. This is pure excellence and one of the best releases this year so far, crafted by the unique master of re-edits. This album is a must for any music connoisseur, DJ or dance music enthusiast.