We Had Him - Mixed By DJ Imani (Deep/Soul/Latin/Broken/Remixed House)

Its been almost a month since Michael Jackson passed and I finally started to listen to some other music. This past month, all I listened to, was his music. Hell, he had a catalogue big enough to do so.  It will be a long time before we have another person that will so deeply impact the world. He was a God like King, such as Xerxes, and probably equally flamboyant.  He was the Mozart of our time.

I pulled out the Jacksons album "Triumph" the other day, (the one that had the singles "Can You Feel It" and "Heartbreak Hotel"), the back cover has a statement about peacocks, written by Michael Jackson: "Through the ages, the peacock has been honored and praised for its attractive, illustrious beauty. In all the bird family, the peacock is the only species that integrates all colors into one, and displays this radiance of fire only when in love. We, like the peacock, try to integrate all races into one, through the love and power of music"

If he viewed himself (well, the Jackson Five actually), as a peacock, then the rest of the world surely viewed MJ as a phoenix. A phoenix is a mythical bird with a colourful plumage and a purple and gold tail. Near the end of its life, it builds itself a nest of myrrh twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.

He is still alive today in our hearts, minds, spirits, iPods, CD players, and record players. In his rebirth, he will live forever.

 I recorded this mix with Mike on my mind.  It's not really a dedication to him, and it only has one song of his on it, which is a remix, but it does pay my respects to the man. I used samples of the poem Queen Latifah read at MJ's memorial, written by Maya Angelou entitled "We Had Him".

Here it is in its entirety.

"Beloveds, now we know that we know nothing, now that our bright and shining star can slip away from our fingertips like a puff of summer wind. Without notice, our dear love can escape our doting embrace. Sing our songs among the stars and walk our dances across the face of the moon. In the instant we learn that Michael is gone, we know nothing. No clocks can tell our time and no oceans can rush our tides."

"With the abrupt absence of our treasure, though we are many, each of us is achingly alone, piercingly alone. Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us and we did have him. He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance. Despite the anguish of life, he was sheathed in mother love, and family love, and survived, and did not more than that, he thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style."

"We had him whether we knew who he was or did not know, he was ours and we were his. We had him, beautiful, delighting our eyes. He raked his hat, slant over his brow, and took a pose on his toes for all of us, and we laughed and stomped our feet, for him. We were enchanted with his passion because he held nothing. He gave us all he had been given. Today in Tokyo, beneath the Eiffel Tower, in Ghana's Black Star Square. In Johannesburg and Pittsburgh, in Birmingham, Alabama, and Birmingham, England We are missing Michael Jackson."

"But we do know we had him, and we are the world."

1 - My Love Is On Fire (DJ Spinna Remix) - Stevie Wonder
2 - Precious - Spencer Gray
3 - My Joy (Quentin Harris Vocal Mix) - Leela James
4 - Am I Crazy - Marc Evans
5 - Sonando Contigo (Original Mix) - Kiko Navarro
6 - Hay Craneo (Urban Magic Mix) - Soneros Del Barrio Feat. Frankie Vasquez
7 - Hunter (Fk-Ek Vocal Mix) - Dido
8 - Kissing Strangers Feat. Monique Bingham (DJ Le Roi & Ray Jones Dub Mix) - Ralf Gum
9 - Outta Love featuring Omar (Alix Alvarez Sole Channel Remix) - Reel People Feat. Omar
10 - Music Sounds So Good With You (Anto Vitale Remix/DJ Rork Club Edit) - Steven Stone Feat. David B. Whitley
11 - Keep Rising (Main Mix) - The Temple Dynasty
12 - Blood On My Hands (Whatever Happens) Quentin Harris Remix - Michael Jackson

(THIS LINK IS NO LONGER VALID)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

djimani.blogspot.com; You saved my day again.