Arguably one of the greatest album openers, and in consequence one of the greatest singles of all time, has been remixed in 2021 mixed in with whole new elements, as well as speeches from the civil rights icon MLK in what makes one of the most electrifying remixes of all time.

First of all, I’m going to be honest – I’m not one to care for remixes. For the most part, I get my fill from the artists’ original visions, and that’s that. This single, however, has opened up a whole new world to me, one that I’m excited to explore. Can You Feel It was originally released as part of the Jacksons’, formerly Jackson 5, on their 1980 album Triumph. As stated earlier, I don’t think there’s a single better album opener in all of pop, and that includes Jacksons’ own Michael Jackson. What the producers had to work with for this remix was pure gold, and they somehow refined it to diamond. The production is far more punching than engineers could achieve in the original release, and other than that, the feel and energy of the song has either remained intact, or improved. One might even not realize that this has truly been remixed from the ground up, and not just an opening and closing speech from Martin Luther King, but if you listen carefully, you’ll hear some trap hats, different horn punches, some new synths, just overall new life into the song. Despite that, it’s just as magical as the original, and I’d argue even more so. Sure, it doesn’t hold the same nostalgia, but with the addition of the little vocal demos and ad libs focused into the intro and outro sung by Michael was extremely heartwarming, and felt like a true breath of fresh air. When we have new audio coming from the late King of Pop, back in his absolute prime just two years shy of his biggest album of all time, you can’t help but smile.

This song is truly a treasure, and one that everyone should experience at some point in their lives. It marks an important milestone in R&B, pop, and music history, coupled with the messages of the man that is massively important in the civil rights movement of not only the United States, but the world. Because this was originally released so long ago, maybe newer pop fans will discover the wonderful catalog of the Jacksons (both post and pre Motown), and no other single could do a better job than Can You Feel It, and the people who remixed it did a more than stellar job revitalizing it.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.