[BPitch Control]

As the cut up vocals intoning the title of “Good Voodoo” slip into your ears, you can almost picture the moment Kiki discovered the sample: Eyes wide and jaw gone slack with awe, BPitch Control staple Joakim Ijäs likely sensed its potential immediately, building a broadly enticing techno structure to house the hypnotic chant and the rest of Chela Simone’s affected vocals. Its spherical synth riff and massive, Carl Craig-inspired pads hit several populist pleasure centers at once, assuring its selection as the first single from Kaiku, Kiki’s sophomore album. But not ones to leave things to chance, BPitch lined up Jay Haze, Chaim and the rarely seen Visionquest trio to put their own shine on “Good Voodoo” and seal the deal.

Contexterrior head honcho Jay Haze shares the A-side with the original, yet of the three remixes his take wanders the furthest. Promiscuous with flexing percussion and (eventually) next-room-over piano chords, Haze’s version conjures a ramshackle occult vibe that would’ve been far spookier if not for Simone’s meandering performance, which could withstand a closer edit. By contrast, the Visionquest guys (Seth Troxler, Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss) merely magnify the original’s strengths. Like a floating fortress, the looming C2 pads arrive front and center, firing beautifully moist organ notes (which disappear far too soon for my taste) at dancers’ feet. Aside from newly swinging hi-hats and tambourine twinkle, Visionquest’s light touch approach has me curious why theirs has been the most discussed and charted version. It doesn’t hurt that Chaim’s revision settles for a somnambulist stroll through Cadenza territory, limp with humidity and dappled by drowsy hand percussion. The “Good Voodoo Remixes” EP affirms the necessity of an appealing instrumental in framing killer samples. But whether Visionquest’s next edit is equally well received may depend on the quality of their source material, for which Kiki deserves credit this time around.