The Reflex: Master of the Re-edit

​If you have never heard of a Reflex Re√ision then you are in for a treat, if you have then get familiar with his work, because the man knows how to remix and edit songs in a way that not many others can. The French remixer The Reflex, real name Nicolas Laugier, is based in London and plays regularly on the circuit. I was lucky enough to see the man in his element when supporting a CHIC gig, the perfect place to give an audience who appreciate disco some restructured classics, his ‘Re√isions’ present the old school tracks in a fresh perspective without ruining them in any way.

The Reflex’s approach is to strip the song back down to its roots, by using the master tapes (also known as stems) and rebuild it from there. He does so in such a way that allows for further appreciation to elements of songs you may have previously glossed over, such as a funky bass guitar that was previously a short or subtle part of the song, the instrumentals are extracted, explored, and extended so sophisticatedly. The Reflex manages to refine the edits in such a smooth way that the cuts are not noticeable or detrimental to the original production. What the producer manages to do is give new life to classic pop, soul, and disco records, almost giving the original musicians a platform to show off. The DJ creates a musical journey that keeps you interested because it is a whole different structure of the song and you want to know what the instruments do differently, where they come in, and what effect they will have on the revised version of the song.

The Reflex has carried out these Re√isions on various tracks over the last few years, including some contemporary songs, he has re-edited versatile work from Michael Jackson, The Jam, Dee-Lite, Joey Negro & The Sunburst Band and many others. The music maestro has many famous fans, including Noel Gallagher, Nile Rodgers, Jazzy Jeff, and Disclosure to name a few, with Craig Charles stating that ‘what The Reflex does with those stems is genius’. He recently released his latest compilation of Reflex Re√ision’s in December 2016 with Million Seller’s Vol. 4, which features some Lionel Richie and Marvin Gaye numbers. You should definitely check this guy out on youtube and soundcloud, he’s got a cracking portfolio of work that is definitely worth a listen. If you like what you hear then keep an eye out for his upcoming gigs and check him out, he’s playing at Proud Camden on Friday 25th March, the man knows what he’s doing; his Reflex Re√isions are always exceptional and they have really cool but funny cover arts, as you can see in his brilliant version of 'Rock With You' by Michael Jackson below.