Articles tagged with remix

An old Cure fave amped up for maximum bounce on the dance floor? Works for me. A charitable DJ donating this remix for free to any pair of ears that cares to listen? Even better. Greek DJ/producer Leonidas Deejay posted this track to his Soundcloud almost a year ago, but just recently decided to share it with the world via that magic download button. It’s got all the funky-pale-goth-boy charm of the original, just bigger, faster and more energized. Head over to his page and grab it while you can…offers like this don’t stick around for long.

– Spoolwork

Cat Power just released a new collection of songs called Sun, her first in six years, and NYC-based DJ/producer Cousin Cole took a stab at remixing one of the album’s standout tracks, “Manhattan.” The result is pretty stellar, preserving the spirit of the original, with its piano plinks and digital beat backdrop, but with a little added jitteriness in those pops and clicks, along with the occasional airy synth blowing through from time to time. It’s perfect for the Saturday night nightcap or the Sunday morning lazy haze.

You can grab a free copy of this track right over here.

– Spoolwork

Normally, I do my best to avoid posting songs that a lot of folks have started writing about, but in today’s case this song is so catchy I just couldn’t help myself. This week, Quebecois producer Robotaki unleashed another stellar remix, this time around of newcomer Ben Ivory. Robotaki has already carved a nice warm niche in many of our iTunes windows with remixes of the likes of Chilly Gonzales, Penguin Prison, and most recently the Van She.

This time around he strikes liquid gold with a big, bubbly pop tune. Armed with a giant hooky feelgood chorus and just a hint of crisp Autumn synthesizers, he’s crafted a tune I can’t stop listening to. You can pick the single up off Beatport (thought not if you’re in ‘Merica) now or wait til later for a wider release. Or, head over to Robotaki’s Soundcloud for free downloads of some of his other great remixes.

/// Brian Blackout

This nu disco jam floored me from the minute I heard it. Mexico’s Bufi has gotten some love from us here before and his Little Dragon remix is a fave too, but he has completely outdone himself with his remix of his countryman André VII. 2012 in some ways has been the year of the bleeps and the bloops, and Bufi slathers the track in fun warbly synth sounds, yelps, and sultry gasps about Discoteca.

The single comes out next week so you’ll have to wait a week to pick up a copy, and when you do make sure and grab Bottin’s similarly excellent Italo-style treatment of the same.

/// Brian Blackout

Ah, it’s a dreary post-summer Tuesday here in Brooklyn and what better way to enjoy the grey-day vibe than listen to Stevie Nicks and her gorgeous, smokey exhalations…”Thunder only happens when it’s raining”…indeed. This brand new remix by British production & DJ duo Psychemagik is their second rework of a Fleetwood Mac classic- check out their take on the Christine McVie fronted “Everywhere”– and it’s just as compelling. Psychemagik let the intro stretch out and linger for over three minutes, indulging us in a perfect pairing of the original song’s airy guitar work with some updated bass and drum punch, til Stevie’s voice breezes in and takes into the tune we all know and love so well.

This track is available as a free download through Psychemagik’s Facebook page. Just give ‘em a like and you’ll be golden.

– Spoolwork

Young Edits / River & Phoenix – Why Can’t I Be Hughes

Young Edits aka Brisbane AU’s Luke Foskey specializes in heavily reworking classics (Arthur Russell, Kate Bush).  He calls them edits, but these are often serious departures from the originals.  Sure, some feathers will get ruffled when even a hair is touched on their sacred cow.  (How’s that for a mixed metaphor?  Cow’s have hair, right?)  …But haters gonna hate as they say, and if you can add a synth baseline and an acid lead to a Pixies song and not piss me off, you’re doing something right.

The latest Young Edits release is the River & Phoenix Project – Castle Rock EP, (get it?).  Several tracks are transformed here, but for me the standout is Brisbane’s take on the Cure’s Why Can’t I Be You, entitled Why Can’t I Be Hughes?, the title an homage to the master of 80’s cinema and the track featuring vocals sampled from a master of 80’s synth-pop.  The re-edit borrows Robert Smith’s hoots and hook and a few guitar snippets and rebuilds from there.  The bass is replayed, acid is dropped and 808 woodblocks set loose.  It manages to be totally new and familiar at the same time.

If you like that one, dig through the pile of tracks on the Young Edits Soundcloud (49 as this is being written).  There are tons of rad chunes on there, but the one I really loved was his remix of Daniel Johnston‘s Something’s Last a Long Time.  Young Edits somehow turned the epitome of underproduced, off-kilter indie outsider-ism into a slick house production without losing its heart.  Forget Kanye, this is more 808s and heartbreak then he will ever manage.  Ok, I think they might be 909s, but you get the picture.  

-Dope Werewolf

Maxi Priest – Close 2 You (Frankie Goes Deep reconstruction)

Frankie Goes Deep, based out of Croatia, has been doing some fantastic edits and reworkings of later 80s R&B for some time now. His sample-filled edit of Jermaine Stewart’s “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes off,” filled with conversations about people losing their virginity, has been a staple of my sets for a while now.

Today he unleashed his newest tune, a reconstruction of Maxi Priest’s amazing “Close to You,” (peep the original video for some killer 1990-era kitsch). I don’t know what Croatia’s beaches are like right now, but here in Brooklyn it’s sweltering, and this tune is the perfect soundtrack for driving out to the Rockaways or perhaps some island off of Split, Croatia. Shimmering walls of synth, a little Summery guitar work, and a nice laid back vibe compliment Maxi Priest’s timeless vocals for a nice Balearic-style jaunt.

No free DL on this one yet, but Frankie has tons of good stuff up on his Soundcloud. As a bonus, here’s that hilarious We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes off edit.

/// Brian Blackout

Beach House – “10 Mile Stereo (Zopelar Remix)”

The heartbeat’s definitely throbbing a little harder and faster in this Zopelar remix of an otherwise laidback Beach House tune. The original, from the band’s third disc Teen Dream, is a gorgeous, midnight-ocean wash of soft synth sustain and arpeggiated glimmer, but here the Brazilian DJ adds a hefty kickdrum pulse and, most importantly, that bobbing disco bass, to push Victoria Legrand’s sweetly langorous voice out of the moonlit tide and onto solid ground. Sometimes you’re in the mood to feel something sturdy beneath your feet, and Zopelar grounds us perfectly, anchoring the expanse of Beach House to a tightly-coiled groove.

You can download this track for free from Zopelar’s Soundcloud page.

– Spoolwork

Venice Beach are a couple of Parisian DJs whose star is rising. A lot of folks are excited about their remix work of electro and indie musicians like Metronomy, M83, and Sebastian Tellier, but they also excel at taking classic dance tracks and tweaking them a bit for a modern dancefloor.

Based on their sound, it’s no surprise that these guys are big italo fans, and they’ve made several nice (and freely downloadable) versions of tracks like Mr. Flagio’s “Take a Chance,” Clio’s “Faces,” and a fun stop-start take on B.W.H.’s “Stop.” It was hard to pick just one to blog about, but I was most impressed with their version of Dharma’s “Plastic Doll.”

I’m not all that familiar with the original “Plastic Doll.” Typical of a lot of italo, it deftly combines robotic proto-house rhythms and soaring synthpop histrionics. Throw in some some disaffected, heavily accented vocals that culminate in a keening wail in a killer chorus. Venice Beach begin by housing up the kick drums and snares, loop things a bit, and then really get crazy with running little bits of the original through a lot of echo. The effect is stunning, and the track now nicely bridges between 80s production and modern electropop. It’s also a free download so head over to the Venice Beach soundcloud and pick up a few nice odds and ends.

Dharma – Plastic Doll (Venice Beach Rework)

/// Brian Blackout

There’s something just a tiny bit dated about the way Truefaux remixed Chauteaubriand’s “The Sunset”. It’s not dated in a way where it feels archaic, but it’s a slight throw back to the remix sound that permeated the blogosphere five years ago when outfits like The Twelves and RAC were at the absolute top of their games.

Back in 2007, I was throwing parties in our nation’s capitol. Hipster kids with skinny jeans and Code Pink shirts populated my dance floors while bass boomed just blocks away from the Supreme Court. And “The Sunset” sounds like the perfect way to revisit all these memories. Because of this jam was around back then, it would’ve fit perfectly into my sets.

But for now, this song is just the disco time capsule that never was. Nostalgia isn’t something you can dance to, but True Faux really banged this one out.

– Mister Disco

Another week, another italo disco jam from me. This one is off of Rayko‘s recent Rare Wiri Heroes release on his own label, and is a reworking of Mike Oldfield‘s “Foreign Affair.” You may know Mike Oldfield from his most famous work, “Tubular Bells,” (a.k.a. the theme from the Exorcist) which has been covered at least a couple times during the italo era. “Foreign Affair” has had its share of covers too (this Balearic one is ridiculous, for example) but this sounds to be a straight reworking of the original vocal track.

If you’re not familiar with Rayko, this most excellent Spaniard has one of the most active Soundcloud pages I have ever seen, covering everything from boogie to blue-eyed soul, and you can find a lot of his recent reworks on vinyl from folks like Kojak Giant Sounds.

The original “Foreign Affair” makes you feel you’re running along a moonlit beach, glancing back with every step to check for approaching zombies. For this version, Rayko swaps out the original’s sinister arpeggiated synth work with a more amiable and danceable chug. When paired with the some sing-song vocals about finding that special international tropical beach that you’re looking for, it banishes the zombies and evokes images of sun-dappled tides flowing in across your feet. If you’re anything like me, you’re counting down the days until you hit the beach, so this is probably only going to make it harder to wait. No free DL unfortunately, but you can pick the digital download up easily on Junodownload.

/// Brian Blackout

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Gigamesh was bound to end up in these pages sooner or later. He’s been making the A-grade in my digital crates pretty consistently these past few years, adding a glitter synth spit shine to the well-worn grooves the overused (à la Deee-Lite and the King of Pop) and pumping up the beats (and the kicks, for that matter) of great tunes that just needed a little extra bump in the trunk to keep a peak-hour crowd on its feet. His latest offering is a remix of James Curd’s new single, “Guide Me,” and after just a few bars Gigamesh puts us all at ease- no need to anchor himself to a classic to get our ears pricked up and the neurons humming. The man can take a track we’ve never heard before and spin it into the song we’ve been waiting to hear all night.

You can grab a free copy of this track from RCRD LBL.

– Spoolwork

Back in my college heyday, Chromeo was the band that bridged the musical gap between the salty hipsters and the wayward frat dudes who would wander their way down a country road and light things on fire in my backyard. If there was a struggle over the living room iPod between whether or not to play Annie or Chingy, simply putting on “Fancy Footwork” was the easiest way to settle the score and send people into a frenzy.

“Night by Night” as remixed by Shreddie Mercury (Sidenote: What is this, your roller derby name, guy?) isn’t just a way to settle the score; it’s the hi-score. Mix a dash of chiptune with some fuzzy Ed Banger attitude and you’ll get a dance floor jam that sounds like a Mega Man boss fight when it hits its apex.

Pay attention when you hear this one on the dancefloor. You might see Dr. Wily & Dr. Light engaging in a dance off under the disco ball.

– Mister Disco

Last Song Of The Night is a special category for the working DJ. By 4 AM, everyone’s well buzzed and bleary-eyed, seeing things in a bit of a haze, ears burnt from dancing by the speakers too long, throats all frazzled from yelling at the bar. No need to wallop the masses with another banger. The vibe should be a little sweet, even familiar, so Couple Making Out By The Photo Booth don’t get their mojo wrecked and Last Stragglers From Amy’s Birthday can stumble out singing, arms a-twirl, happy and exhausted. But you also need a track with enough oomph to get Sleeping Dude On The Sofa up and out the door, wiping the drool from his cheek as he makes his way to the corner diner to soak up whiskey with some chili fries. This pick should do just fine, a rework of Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Bring on the Dancing Horses” by Aussie lad Luke Foskey, aka Young Edits. It’s a bit nostalgic (wasn’t the original on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack?), with enough thump to get us headed to our next destination- all night diner, bed (our own or someone else’s), or maybe just a walk through the empty, sleeping streets, humming a familiar tune til the sun comes up.

– Spoolwork

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Piano house has had a huge comeback (much moreso than sax house), but even with Juan Maclean and the Rapture crafting piano house anthems, you might find difficulty breaking piano house classics with a rocker crowd.

Allow me to introduce Mr. Andrew Weatherall. In the early 90’s he was a sought after remixer and producer who worked with My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream and the Happy Mondays. In 1990, New Order recorded a theme song for the English 1990 World Cup team, which would go on to become their only #1 hit in the UK. The band turned to Weatherall for remix work.

Weatherall’s formula was simple:

1) Give more space to Bernard Sumner’s unmistakeable, anthemic vocals, throw in a little of Hooky’s bass for good measure.
2) Add heaps of Madchester-y percussion loops and big, bouncy beautiful pianos.

You might think this would lead to some strange hybrid of New Order and Ce Ce Peniston, but it works brilliantly for anglophiles and pianophiles alike. Grab a copy, it’s not hard to find if you know where to look.

/// Brian Blackout

Ever since some Bronx parking lot DJ plugged his decks into a lamppost and crossfaded “Trans Europe Express” into James Brown, electronic music’s been looking past its stiff, synthetic backbone to find its inner rubber-limbed soul. Add one more notch to this legacy with Shit Hot Soundsystem’s remix of Daft Punk. The Sussex-based DJ spreads his syncopated cowbell and agogo rolls all over the French droids’ beat, making it looser than ever. Layer in that monotonic babble from the lipless robot baby and you can feel the friction build- a rigid, animatronic vocal rubbing up against all that loose-jointed percussion, setting off sparks, til a blast furnace bassline lashes out just under the two minute mark and the whole damn thing catches fire.

– Spoolwork

Gospel’s been reborn on the DJ decks before (see Larry Levan’s retelling of “Stand on the Word” for the late night faithful at the Paradise Garage), but such resurrections are rare. Maybe the church and the dance floor should team up more often, though, seeing how they’re both working hard to feed our souls, or at least get them cranked and rattling and ready to meet the world again. “Take those shackles off my feet so I can dance,” Mary Mary sing in this Drop Out Orchestra mix, and even if we aren’t spinning next to them in the pew this Sunday, we’re just as ecstatic the night before, shaking off the weight of last week’s woes, feeling our flames catch hold and burn a little brighter and remembering that, at least right now, it feels pretty damn good to be alive. 

– Spoolwork

Unless you’ve been stuck beneath a rusted out Volvo under the BQE, you’ve probably heard of Gotye. The Belgian has somebody been making waves with “Somebody That I Used To Know” – a song I was pretty lukewarm on, but knew would be poised for a really solid remix.

Apaprently, ponder and you shall receive. The blog gods opened up the sky and spit down more remixes of this track than Rick Santorum has problems with brown people. The problem is, every single remix was as underwhelming as the original track.

Until, that is, some dude I’ve never heard of called The Fat Rat dropped his take on the song. For the first 90 seconds or so, I was pretty unimpressed until the thunderous bass line kicked in supported by some strings. Suddenly, it’s simultaneously 1995 and 2006 – the exact cross section between the heyday of Ed Banger Records and Phil Collins inspired vocals circa Genesis, and that’s not so bad.

– Mister Disco

New York is a big place, and just when you’ve got a handle on what’s happening, something creeps out of nowhere to surprise you. Such is the case with Morgan Z, aka Chrome Canyon. Chrome Canyon is merely a new guise for Z, who formerly played keyboards for glam rockers Apes and Androids. Stylistically his new work is nothing like his past, tackling disco and electro sounds more as tools to create pop music than blueprints to be followed.

On his new EP, Body Music, disco fuels his pop, and not the other way around. The results sound as scintillating during home listening as they would on a crowded dancefloor. The standout for me is the track above, Melee Beats‘ take on the a-side, “Computers of Love.” He works vocoder snippets from the original into a frothy mix of disco loops, with a light touch on the filters.

Body Music is out now on iTunes, so pick up some tracks. While you’re at it grab some of Chrome Canyon’s remixes off his soundcloud for your local listening pleasures.  A 6-pack of remixes yields mostly softer synthpop reworkings of indie standards. Standouts include Chrome Canyon’s take on Erika Spring’s recent “6 More Weeks” and a nice reimagining of Phoenix’s “Fences,” with enough oomph to get people out of their seats and onto the floor.

/// Brian Blackout

Arthur Russell spent endless hours in the 80s riding the Staten Island ferry by himself. He’d float back and forth over murky New York harbor, Walkman cranked, spare pair of AAs in his ski vest pocket, listening to unmixed dubs of his latest batch of tunes. Maybe the steady churn and breeze reminded him of those winds that swept through Iowa cornfields when he was a kid. Maybe he just liked the view. On at least one of these rides, he hit play and a demo of “That’s Us/Wild Combination” started up. It was a sweet-tempered piece of pop with a tempo aimed at the dance floor, but the overall sound still felt a little shy- more bedroom solo dance party than blown out club. Thirty years later, enter Estate, an electro collective from Minneapolis, who pop the cassette from Arthur’s Walkman, unspool the tape from its plastic chassis and stream it out across a solid piece of propulsive bass and glittering synth machinery. Arthur’s beautiful ideas are still intact, they’ve just been bolstered to meet the needs of a packed floor bouncing its way through Saturday night.

– Spoolwork