Funkstar De Luxe

Funkstar de Luxe, the Danish master of the remix, earned his reputation through a million-selling reinterpretation of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining." Exposure to Marley's catalog began during his teenage years, when he played keyboards in an amateur reggae group. Although trained formally as a technician, he stayed focused on music in pursuit of a personal studio and the chance to create original productions. By selecting a public-domain Marley recording and overlaying a heavy house rhythm, he created the Bob Marley vs. Funkstar de Luxe single "Sun Is Shining," which became a major success and earned the title of best-selling international reggae single of the year at the World Music Awards. Chris Blackwell, Marley's longtime manager, reacted with irritation and rushed out competing versions, yet Funkstar had already shifted direction and scored another hit via his treatment of Marley's "Rainbow Country." Subsequent remixes for Tom Jones, Grace Jones, Mary J. Blige, and Barry White appeared, with highlights gathered on the collection Keep on Movin: It's Too Funky in Here. A follow-up project that reworked material from that album, titled Keep on Moving: De Luxe Remix, arrived next. Funkstar issued his first album of original tracks, Funkturistic, in 2003.