Kool & The Gang Release ‘Kool Summer’ EP
The brand new remix EP reimagines some of the most beloved tracks in their discography.
Legendary hitmakers Kool & The Gang, recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, have released a brand new remix EP, Kool Summer, that reimagines some of the most beloved tracks in their discography. The six-track EP is available today on all major streaming platforms.
Kool Summer features remixes that transform some of the band’s biggest hits into high-energy tracks built with modern dancefloors in mind. Collaborators on the project include a cohort of global producers and remixers: DJ Crazy, who played a key role in bringing Baltimore club music to the mainstream; Prince Hakim, who hails from a long line of musicians, including his father, Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool & The Gang; The Reflex, a London-based DJ who’s soundtracked for stars like Louis Vuitton and Karl Lagerfeld; Adam Ten, an underground trendsetter with hits such as “3 Days Later” and “Spring Girl”; and Young Franco, an Australian producer and DJ packing venues around the world.
Prince Hakim, who remixed the hit “Fresh,” feels that projects like these help introduce catalog tracks to younger audiences. “I mean, that era is the best music ever made,” he says. “And I don’t know if we’re ever going to get back to it again, but we have the power to preserve it. So doing projects like this, when you get to remix it, it brings a song back that’s fresh.”
For “Celebration,” says DJ Crazy, “It was all about keeping the essence. I sampled some of the parts and manipulated them, and put a new groove over the song to make it real warm and fat.” The collaboration holds special meaning for DJ Crazy, who grew up surrounded by Kool & The Gang’s music at family gatherings, making his role in reimagining “Celebration” feel like a full-circle moment. “Working on the EP was surreal,” he adds. “I was raised off this. This is one of the songs I saw my uncle blow the dust off the vinyl and put on the turntable… For me, years later, to be touching it? It’s crazy.”
The Reflex, who did his own remix of “Celebration” as well as “Jungle Boogie,” echoes this sentiment. “It’s been a privilege to rework an iconic band with two of their biggest tracks, from two very different eras that both changed the game musically for them and everyone else,” he says.
When asked about the project, Robert “Kool” Bell, who’s celebrating his 75th birthday this October, says, “We try to keep the music ‘Fresh’ and exciting. It’s been great hearing the DJs put their spin on our platinum songs; celebrating while we ‘Get Down On It’ the 2025 way. Here’s hoping everyone has a ‘Kool’ Summer.”
