Maurice Joshua is a multi-talented Chicago-based producer, DJ and a Grammy-winning remixer…and he’s a big fan of Stylus RMX. He told us in a recent phone interview, “Stylus RMX is one of my main pieces of gear, I wish I had it 10 years ago! It is cutting the time in half that I spend on a remix. It’s amazing!”His studio is set up for both remixing or songwriting, and Spectrasonics is always right there. “Stylus RMX is the place I start a remix or new song. I bring up Logic and my template has Stylus RMX in the template, on the very first tracks. I start out with the beats and get it grooving and then add the other elements,” Joshua added.
In the 1980’s Maurice’s played a prominent role as one of the members of Chicago’s famed triumphant trio, I.D. Productions. Along with Steve “Silk” Hurley and Eric “E-Smoove” Miller, Maurice completed the trio that helped to re-define what a “remix” was about. Instead of just extending the length of the song, the track was completely reworked, reproduced and given a whole new form ready to take clubland by storm. His credits include Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Omarion, Michael Jackson, Faith Evans, and Amerie. He also produced the dance version of Mary Mary’s contemporary gospel hit “Shackles” and became the Exclusive Remixer of one the world’s hottest pop/R&B groups, Destiny’s Child.
With his “Beautiful Liar” remix for Beyonce & Shakira, just released by Sony BMG, Maurice Joshua hits another high point in a long remixing career. The single from Beyonce’s brand-new album “B Day” (Sony BMG) hit #1 on the UK charts in late April. And Joshua’s remix is set play in dance clubs around the world. He often writes all the tracks except vocals from scratch. “On ‘Beautiful Liar’ I played the percussion section, congas, bongos, timbales using RMX controlled from my MPC pads. Sometimes I quantize parts and sometimes not, it gives it a natural feel. On ‘Irreplaceable’ (Beyonce) I used Stylus RMX for kick and snare.”
Asked about the process of remixing and what he uses, Joshua said, “When I do a remix I mostly just get the vocal tracks and build a dance remix from there. A lot of times for the dance remixes you have to speed it up to 130 bpm or so. And sometimes they need the mix right way. Stylus RMX allows me to work real fast.”
“I also use a lot of the basses from Trilogy. My favorites are ones in the Hip-Hop and Funk section, and I use the Old School basses too, the 4-string basses. My engineer, Matt Hennessy, just EQs the basses for the mix and they sound just like the real thing - some people can’t even tell the difference!”
In 1988 Joshua scored with “This Is Acid” (Nu Soul) which became an anthem in the dance floor scene and in 1989 reached #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Play Chart and the Dance Sales Chart. And in 2004, after three previous nominations, his remix for “Crazy in Love” (Beyonce) won him a Grammy Award.
As one of the world’s top DJs, Maurice has gained worldwide respect playing in famous clubs like Ministry of Sound (London), Cream (Liverpool), Sound Factory (NYC), Cocorico (Rimini), and MZA (Tokyo), or at dance festivals and music conferences.
Joshua has written tracks for recent albums by Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé and his credits also include writing and producing hits for world renowned artists like Crystal Waters, CeCe Peniston, Byron Stingily, Kim English, Whiteboy and RCA Recording Group Public Announcement. He has has expanded his creative palette and branched out into pop, hip-hop and R&B, all from a uniquely artistic point of view.
Looking to the future, Joshua says, “I’m building a new studio and Spectrasonics will continue to be there with me.” At a recent news event, when asked how it felt to be a celebrity, Maurice replied: “I love style, fashion, glamour, expensive cars, elegant houses and the whole entourage that follows a superstar DJ/Producer, but nothing comes for free and nothing stays for free.”
Visit Maurice Joshua’s MySpace page
Check out Beyonce’s “B Day” album
Listen to “Beautiful Liar” remix on Maurice Joshua’s MySpace Page
Listen to “This Is Acid” (Direct link to QuickTime file)
Listen to “Crazy in Love” (Direct link to QuickTime file)
