Posted on 08/19/2008
The famous Fania Records, founded by Johnny Pacheco, and Jerry Masucci in 1964, is responsible for catapulting the music now known as Salsa, into the mainstream. Essentially, Fania was the Motown for Latino artists. Churning out legends like Hector Lavoe, Willie Colon, and Celia Cruz, Fania was a musical force to be reckoned with, and a cornerstone for the Latino community at large.

I Like It Like That, named after the Pete Rodriguez mega hit, is a compilation of Fania remixes featuring famed DJs such as Gilles Peterson, and Louie Vega, among many others. The reality is, this record is awesome, simply because the guest DJs and producers don’t try to reinvent an already perfect wheel. Songs like Hector Lavoe’s “Alejate,” remixed by Joe Clausell, and the addictive classic “Happy Soul With a Hook,” by Dave Cortez, remixed by DJ Format, take the blueprint already laid and make the songs more percussive. That’s pretty much the formula for most of the remixes, thankfully. The DJs, don’t tamper much. Instead, they lay funky hip-hop influenced drums over the smooth salsa rhythms, creating a neck-snapping groove.

The only problem with this record is simply an issue of omission. For some strange reason, this compilation is absent of the great Celia Cruz, a Fania staple. This is an unforgivable oversight. But other than that, I like It Like That is successful at bringing new life to greatness, while maintaining the integrity of such sacred ground.

- Jason Reynolds