Green Velvet: Bigger than Prince EP Label: Circus

Green Velvet (a.k.a Cajmere) is one of the biggest names in electronic music - mostly on the strength of his "bigger than life" personality. But he's a genius in the studio, taking tongue-in-cheek phrases ("Cameras Ready prepare to flash") and kooky conversations (NSFW telephone calls) and turning them into nasty bass-heavy house & techno tracks. And he's not afraid to skewer his subject matter, from drugged-out ravers to people in the ghetto.

In this release, he takes a simple subject - a person who "walks around like he's bigger than Prince" and literally tears him apart and throws down some of the biggest heaviest beats possible. This is awesome in and of itself, and the 2 additional remixes take the energy to another level. The Original (#1) and the Hot Since 82 (#2) versions are my faves.

1. (Original Mix) (5:39) - Funky! Huge beats, big electro-funk stabs - and there is a lot elements of Prince's 1980s music actually here. I think the Purple One would've loved this one and thrown it next to "Erotic City" - it's dirty, it's nasty, it's funky, and it's really good.
2. (Hot Since 82 Remix) (6:35) - Hard-hitting remix with heavy beats and a twisted warbling synth. But it's still insanely funky and retains the dirty-ness of the original. Love it.
3. (The Martinez Brothers Remix) (5:24) - Probably the most techy & loopy remix here - the main lyric "bigger than Prince" is mostly whispered and looped over & over a bass-heavy line and lots of acid blurps. I think this remix tries to do a bit too much.