Jarreau Vandal’s edit of Mahalia’s “Sober” is effortlessly hip. Actually, it’s everything you’ve missing in your life.
26-year-old, Maastricht-born Jarreau Vandal has made quite the name for himself globally as a producer, live performer, and veteran remixer. He got his start in music at the age of 16 when is grandfather introduced him to the production software Logic. From there, the rest is finished. Vandal is now a household name not only in the Dutch dance music scene, but also in the UK, Asia, and North America.
Vandal has a never-ending archive of remixes: French Montana, Snakehips, Diplo, A-Trak, Dua Lipa, and many more. However, I’d like to highlight his edit of Mahalia’s “Sober.” I’ll preface by saying I’m not alone on thinking this remix is some of his best work… it’s his most popular song on Spotify, amassing over 10M streams and still rising.
I enjoy this song partly because its Mahalia. I don’t feel that needs to be explained further. Vandal takes the track to a different place by layering in his own funk-house alterations. In truth, it sounds a bit like something SG Lewis would create and I say that with the utmost respect. I know he toured/performed with SG and would have to bet their styles rubbed off on each other. Either way, it’s a phenomenal remix.
I was reading somewhere that Vandal very rarely relies on sample and “bedroom production,” and when possible, prefers to use live musicians/instruments in his music. I was also DEEP in ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) reddit threads and he was repeatedly being worshiped for his vivid live performances. Hopefully someday we will all be so lucky to witness this first-hand.
Jarreau recently released his second installment of his Suburb Superhero [The Villain Within] album series and it’s got some big names; Dutch-native Gaidaa and UK soul superstar Col3trane give the album it’s voice. I would definitely recommend trying “My Way” on for size. You get an unmistakeable Col3trane mixed with a hynotizing afro-beat…he even tosses in a nice ‘New Girl’ sample.
Check out the rest of Jarreau Vandal’s catalog on Spotify, along with his tour dates (when they pop back up).
Leave a Reply