THE FT TOP 100 SONGS
89. REEL 2 REEL feat THE MAD STUNTMAN – “I Like To Move It”
This had a previous life as “Jazz It Up” by the Erick Morillo Project, a funky disco-house number which no doubt kept many a party rollin’ with its tasteful floorfilling vibe. In barges the Mad Stuntman and credibility flies out of the window to be replaced by multi-million sales and the love of all mankind. “I spent forever tracking down the original” sniffed someone on a DJ board I googled, well ha! cos apparently it was on the B-Side.
I am sure that “Jazz It Up” is a fine record, the drums on this refit are satisfyingly crunchy after all and the groove is propulsive. But let’s face it, this song would not be on this list were it not for Stuntman, M. What you will learn about this force of nature by the end of the song:
i) he is a stuntman
ii) he is mad (these two facts gleaned from the sleeve but nothing he does on wax suggests otherwise)
iii) he is physically fit
iv) he likes to move it move it. To reinforce this last the follow-up is called “Go On Move” and isn’t quite as great.
It is a record that everybody wants to hear, especially if they’ve had a drink or two. They may not think they want to hear it but they do. The perfect marriage of a high-class groove and a low-brow energy.
This is the best post ever.
The real follow-up was of course “Them Girls, Them Girls” by Zig and Zag (also a Morillo smash ‘n’ grab job).
I’m sure there was a Mad Stuntman version of Jazz It Up that was completely separate from I Like To Move It Move It as well.
One day I will track down the reggaeton version of this song, with actual trumpets as well.
Dem Girls, surely.
I met Zig and Zag at the MTV 1994 Christmas Party. I always thought they were puppets but were actually aliens. Much the same could be said about Davina McCall who was also in attendance.
[…] I link to FreakyTrigger’s entry on it. […]
Sorry to arrive at the party almost 7 years late, but I have to share this anecdote about the Mad Stuntman that always amuses me, although it’s no doubt something you had to experience. At around the time this was in the charts, some friends and I went to a club night in Plymouth where, although I should state this isn’t why we went, The Mad Stuntman was doing a PA with this and his other song. What will always stick in my mind is that it was on the day that England beat Scotland in Euro ’96 and, clearly confused about what this meant, The Mad Stuntman would announce several times as an ad-lib “England won the Championship!”