"Do you know how long it's been since we had something new out?" asks Jazzanova DJ Claas Brieler. Brieler is calling from his native Germany on the day his country is celebrating the reunification of East and West Berlin eleven years ago. While almost of his fellow Germans are relishing the national holiday, Brieler is too excited about finally ending the Jazzanova drought to take a day off.

The answer to the above question is two years; that's how long it's been since the six-person collective became an underground sensation with its hybrid of jazz, acid jazz, drum-and-bass, hip-hop, Latin, funk, disco and country. OK, there wasn't any country in the ensemble's breakthrough 12-inch single, "Caravelle." Nor in the maxi-CD of the same name that followed; but every other genre mentioned above had its presence felt in the Jazzanova sound. Critics, tastemakers and Jazzanova's fellow musicians quickly took heed -- particularly their fellow musicians.

Following the club and underground success of "Caravelle," Jazzanova found themselves inundated with remix requests. Being perfectionists, the group can often can spend months doing a single remix. As a result, Brieler says, "We just finished three weeks ago all the remixes we agreed to do a year ago."

Those remixes are all included on the new special edition set, The Remixes 1997-2000, a gathering of all twenty tracks given the unique Jazzanova spin over that four-year period. Brieler admits to initially being against the idea of the remix album, but the desire to get something new out swayed him. "Originally we were against it, but it's been two years since we had something new out and we've been so busy with all our remixes we haven't had a chance to work on the album," he says. Among the artists fans will find remixed on the set are 4 Hero, Incognito, Karma, Ursula Rucker and Placebo.

"We know people haven't heard all of our remixes," Brieler says. "Ten remixes had really good distribution, but for some only 500 copies were pressed or they were only distributed in Scandinavia. So for a lot of people these will be new."

And now that they have finally caught up to all their remix commitments, Jazzanova can return to the task of their full-length debut. Brieler says the group has been working on it in the interim; although he calls what they have done at this point "little bits and pieces." He says he expects the album to be done early next year. However, audiences will probably have to wait a little longer, until next summer most likely, to hear the work.

"We want to get it out as fast as possible," Brieler says, "but an album is like a book -- you need time, inspiration and work. We won't put out anything that's not up to our standards."

That's what those waiting for the past two years are counting on.

STEVE BALTIN
(November 14, 2000)