Review
Genre and Mood
Poncho Warwick’s Tainted Jazz is a cover in all but name: in the words of the blog Discotizer, a jazzy version of Tainted Love, played in a house context. The feelings in its facets are ours, drawn from the settings it was chosen for: relaxed, from a soulful house mix and a Buddha-Bar compilation, and nostalgic, because it looks back to a song first recorded in 1964.
Song Summary
Poncho Warwick is a pseudonym of Wally Callerio, an artist based in Los Angeles. Discotizer introduced the track in June 2011 among the “great new jams” of soulful house, as one of several reinterpretations of known songs. The label Guesthouse Music carries the original version on its SoundCloud, and the single on streaming services, dated 6 May 2013, runs about seven minutes. There is no official video; this page shows its artwork instead.
Musical Breakdown
No source we found describes the arrangement beyond the word jazzy, so this section says what is known and leaves the rest to your ears.
The Source Song
Tainted Love was written by Ed Cobb and first recorded by Gloria Jones in 1964, released in 1965 as a B-side that did not chart. Soft Cell’s 1981 synth-pop version made it a UK number one.
The Reinterpretation
Tainted Jazz keeps the song recognisable enough for Discotizer to name it at once and changes its style towards jazz.
The Length
At seven minutes, it is built for DJs rather than radio.
Concepts in Focus
A cover version is a new recording of a song first released by someone else. Tainted Jazz gives the song a new title as well, perhaps a sign that it treats Tainted Love as material for a different style rather than a straight cover. Compare The Lost Fingers – Pump up the Jam, where a dance hit becomes gypsy jazz.
A dj mix is where a track like this lives. Discotizer opened its Soulful House Vol. 21 with it in 2011, and in November 2014 it appeared in the Buddha-Bar Hotel: Paris DJ mix on George V Records.
Artistic Context
Guesthouse Music, the label behind the original, has been based in Oakland since its launch in the winter of 2004 and presents itself as one of the premiere underground house labels. MusicBrainz also lists the track, as The Tainted Jazz, on Suite no.2015, a 2014 compilation from Greece.
Impact and Reception
We found no critical review of Tainted Jazz; its reach shows in the mixes and compilations that picked it up. Play it after Soft Cell, and hear how far a song can travel.
