FROM THE COLLECTION: Beyoncé’s Early 2000s House Remixes: Maurice Joshua’s Timeless Spin on Destiny’s Child
Maurice Joshua's House remixes made Destiny's Child's evergreen discography even more timeless.
i recently started foraging for CDs to build my physical music collection, adding to my existing vinyl collection and giving me new sounds to play with on my CDJ-200s. While hunting for gems in thrift music stores and blowing the dust off of my childhood collection, i’ve found some gems — i’m excited to share them here regularly starting with this first installment.
One of my recent finds made me realize that Beyoncé’s Renaissance was hardly the first time she dipped into house music. Back in the Destiny's Child era, the girls had their finger on the pulse — they were already experimenting with the genre, releasing official house remixes of their biggest singles produced by some icons in the house scene.
In my old CD case, i found two Destiny’s Child CD singles with house mixes on the “b-side” — versions that i only vaguely remembered from my childhood. There was Bootylicious Richard Vission’s V-quest mix and Jumpin’ Jumpin’ Maurice Nu Soul Mixes. Both mixes blew me away - i didn’t think Bootylicious could get any more energetic, the club mix giving it a new intensity that still sounds new, while Maurice’s Nu Soul Mix gave the song a new smooth upbeat groove, with jazz-house notes and rearranged vocals and harmonies that weren’t in the original recording.
It was the latter that sent me down a rabbit hole. Maurice Joshua, Chicago House icon, served as the remixer-in-chief for much of Destiny’s Child’s reign. He did far more than just drop a beat over a vocal track; he had the girls back in the studio, serving up new vocal arrangements on top of jazzy instrumentals and 4 on the floor beats for some fresh new takes on songs that were already certified classics — and they’re all bangers. Since i’ve been building my house music collection in present day, many of Joshua's house and gospel house mixes have landed in my library, but the Destiny’s Child remixes had completely passed me by in the early 2000s (i know, i’m late to the party and ashamed!)
His reign with the group lasted the duration of their tenure — from the days of Writings on the Wall all the way to their more grown up Destiny Fulfilled and Beyoncé’s early solo career (he won a grammy for his remix of Beyoncé’s Crazy In Love). Name a Destiny’s Child song …. there’s a Maurice Nu Soul mix version of it. Joshua’s soulful ear gives these songs new life. Adding instruments — funky basslines, bouncing piano chords, conga drum rhythms — turning radio hits into pure dancefloor liberation. Destiny’s Child’s homegrown soul, dynamic runs, and tight harmonies fit perfectly in the genre, carrying on the tradition of classic 80s/90s house vocalists who lift up the spirits of souls still shuffling their feet dancefloor. He managed to make an already evergreen discography sound even more ahead of its time today. Their iconic original songs can always be dated by their production, but these remixes are timeless — especially as house music takes yet another victory lap into the mainstream.
This history makes Beyoncé’s Renaissance feel less like a tourist’s trek into dance music and more like a return home, sampling a variety of dance and electronic sounds grounded in her unique rnb and pop foundation. It’s "Break My Soul" that still stands out as one of my favorite tracks on the album. Partly because i'm a sucker for a leave-all-your-cares-behind-and-dance anthem, but also because it's the album's purest house cut. Sampling Robin S's "Show Me Love" and featuring Big Freedia, it captures everything that makes that era of 90s house music special – a heart-thumping beat, liberating lyrics, and soulful vocals that elevate the beat to new heights. It's the same spirit that made those Maurice Nu Soul Mixes so special.
i love Renaissance and it left me craving for more house music from her. i’m truly shocked Beyoncé never released an official remix album and i’m now further curious why she didn’t bring back Maurice Joshua and other classic house producers for the album. But, i’m thrilled to have his years worth of remixes that still feel fresh and ready for the dancefloor. i’m currently prepping an rnb set for a party i’m djing next week and i will be sneaking a few of these in to get the energy up!
Listen to Maurice Joshua’s other remixes and originals on Spotify // Bandcamp // Instagram
Below are my favorite Maurice Joshua x Destiny’s Child remixes. You can find them in my regularly updated house remix playlist on spotify too:
Jumpin’ Jumpin’ - the first minute is an instant treat, a new arrangement that builds the in the intro into the jazzy beat drop. With a dance instruction breakdown “bounce it baby twerk it baby..”
Krazy in Luv - This Grammy winning edit gives Beyoncé’s Debut single a classic disco/house feel, far ahead of the Renaissance era, with thee funkiest rolling bassline and soulful conga drums.
Bug a Boo - so soulful, the breakdown at the bridge takes it to another level.
Lose My Breath
Nasty Girl - One of my least favorite Destiny’s Child tracks, but this mix is so, so good. The funky bassline and the new adlibs make it sound much more fun and light-hearted
And check out this interview where he talks about his excitement for Beyoncé’s exploration of house on Renaissance and his past work with Destiny’s Child.