In Memoriam: Farewell Maxi! Thank You

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"My name is Maxi Jazz and I make no apology, for linking my thinking with computer technology..."

He is no more... </3 That brilliant voice of reason, of love, of compassion has left us. Way too soon, though, when would it not have hurt really? Maxi Jazz was the voice of my youth. Just a few years before I got sucked into the maelstrom of Trance, I was already mesmerized by Faithless' immortal club records Insomnia and God Is A DJ. Then three years later, in 2001, I could not get enough of We Come 1. Before the end of that same year they released Tarantula. One of the most outstanding factor in all four of these timeless classics was That Voice. Kid-me was in awe of Maxi: he sounded so mysterious, so infinitely wise. A Poet. A Visionary. But also a human being like you and I.

A few years went by when I got years acquainted with Mass Destruction in 2004. The lyrics really started to hit home by the time I was 18 though. By then I got my hands on a Faithless Greatest hits CD and it was there I fell in love with Reverence and Muhammed Ali. And Bring My Family Back. And dang, as I grow older that one too hits deeper than it ever could 14 years ago. I also ran into a collaboration of EPIC proportions: one of my fave pop-stars growing, Robbie Williams joined forces with Maxi for My Culture. A song about ancestry, heritage, a song about more than weh weh heartbreak... As always, Maxi brought music with meaning and wonder.

During the crapdemic back in 2020, I barely discovered new music. Instead I decided to make it a year of nostalgia, reliving my childhood by replaying Final Fantasy X, but also watching old cartoons like Samurai Pizza Cats and listening to the '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s hits I grew up with. There was something comfort by turning to the past so strongly in one of the strangest years I've ever experienced. As we approached Autumn 2020, I realized that even though I had received a bunch of Faithless CDs over the years, I had never bothered to rip them to my library. And I even missed a few crucial ones too.. So I went to Beatport and made sure I got everything I had missed. It was the perfect moment to do this since Faithless were about to release their first album since 2010. How does stuff like this always happen to me (Jean Michel-Jarre with Equinox Part 3 in 2016). Sadly, Faithless newest longplayer  would not feature Maxi...

But all those classic albums I got, did feature him. And my my my, did I discover some gems... The alternate (or should I say original) versions of Reverence, Bring My Family Back and also Mass Destruction (it's so deep!!) wowed me even more than the versions I initially discovered in 2008 and before. But there were new ones like Liontamer. I had heard Hope & Glory and Bombs years ago but now they really seemed to resonate more than ever. For me Autumn 2020 will forever be associated with Faithless and by extension, Maxi.

I've tried to make a selection of some of my favorite tracks with his lyrics. Let's honor the great man. For those of you that had the honor and pleasure to meet him, I envy you. And I am happy for you you got to meet such a wise, gentle, soul. I hope he is at peace, wherever he is now. 
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My Selection for Maxi:

Maxi Jazz & Robbie Williams - My Culture
Faithless - Bombs

Faithless - Bring My Family Back
Faithless - God Is A DJ
Faithless - Hope & Glory
Faithless - Insomnia (Monster Mix)
Faithless - I Want More, Pt. 2
Faithless - Liontamer
Faithless - Mass Destruction
Faithless - Muhammed Ali
Faithless - Music Matters

Faithless - Not Going Home (Original Mix)

Faithless - Not Going Home (Armin van Buuren Remix)
Faithless - Reasons (Saturday Night)
Faithless - Reverence

Faithless - Salva Mea
Faithless - Tarantula
Faithless - Thank You
Faithless - Tweak Your Nipple (Original Mix)

Faithless - Tweak Your Nipple (Tiesto Remix)
Faithless - We Come 1 (Rollo & Sister Bliss Remix)
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Here are some iconic words from the Legend himself, from 2021. Take his words to Heart <3

Rest In Peace Maxi and Thank You. 07

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