James Brown has always been a favorite artist for DJs to sample from, so it makes perfect sense that an album like
Funk It!: Remixed Hits exists. Nine songs, including "Get Up Offa That Thing," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "Sex Machine," and "Cold Sweat," from the Godfather of Soul are reworked by various DJs, and the new versions are electrified and scratched, some staying closer to the originals than others, but all retaining at least some aspect (the horn riffs, for example) that makes them recognizable. The thing is,
Brown's songs are so good on their own that the remixes only take away from the pure passion and funk that was already there in rendering them dancefloor friendly. For those to whom
Brown's songs are very unfamiliar (and for those who also like electronica),
Funk It!: Remixed Hits might be an acceptable, fun record, but for anyone else who appreciates what the singer had done, the interpretations found on the album are no match for the originals.