by YoniSep 27, 2009479
Primal Scream 'Burning Wheel' (Chemical Brothers Remix)
This one is pure nostalgia. I first really got into Primal Scream when the Vanishing Point album came out, way back in 1997. Burning Wheel was a single from that album, and was released as part of an EP that you really should go and buy right now! As well as the original song, it contains an amazing early demo of Higher Than The Sun that we actually included on our ‘Album Influences’ Mixtape , and this track; the Chemical Brothers remix of Burning Wheel.
The ‘big beat’ rhythm section of this track really dates it now but I think that this is the first remix I ever really loved and I think it still has a lot going for it twelve years on. It’s a really good example of remixers taking the strongest elements from an original track and turning them into something new. When remixing a song, the vast majority of remixers will only use the vocals and ignore the original backing track completely – we certainly tend to do this ourselves! What the Chemical Brothers do brilliantly here is not only use the original Bobby Gillespie vocal, but they work part of the original bass line seamlessly into their own, much funkier rhythm track. As the original bass line – a real psychedelic Paul McCartney style effort – is one of my favourites of all time, this is without doubt a good thing! It goes to show how successful a remix can be if you delve a little deeper into the orignal track.
Go seek this track out, and check Primal Scream out playing the original on Jools Holland below as well – it takes me back to those heady post-Britpop days!
This one is pure nostalgia. I first really got into Primal Scream when the Vanishing Point album came out, way back in 1997. Burning Wheel was a single from that album, and was released as part of an EP that you really should go and buy right now! As well as the original song, it contains an amazing early demo of Higher Than The Sun that we actually included on our ‘Album Influences’ Mixtape , and this track; the Chemical Brothers remix of Burning Wheel.
The ‘big beat’ rhythm section of this track really dates it now but I think that this is the first remix I ever really loved and I think it still has a lot going for it twelve years on. It’s a really good example of remixers taking the strongest elements from an original track and turning them into something new. When remixing a song, the vast majority of remixers will only use the vocals and ignore the original backing track completely – we certainly tend to do this ourselves! What the Chemical Brothers do brilliantly here is not only use the original Bobby Gillespie vocal, but they work part of the original bass line seamlessly into their own, much funkier rhythm track. As the original bass line – a real psychedelic Paul McCartney style effort – is one of my favourites of all time, this is without doubt a good thing! It goes to show how successful a remix can be if you delve a little deeper into the orignal track.
Go seek this track out, and check Primal Scream out playing the original on Jools Holland below as well – it takes me back to those heady post-Britpop days!
by YoniSep 13, 20091361
Fever Ray ‘Seven’ (Crookers & CSS remixes)
I’ve always thought that pop stars should seem like they’ve been beamed in from another planet. From Bowie to Lady Gaga, great pop music should be dramatic, ridiculous and challenging as well as entertaining. Fever Ray, the latest project from Karen Dreijer of The Knife, is an excellent case in point. If you’ve heard the eponymous debut album, seen the skeleton-face make-up press shots or watched any of the videos, notably ‘When I Grow Up’, you’ll know that Fever Ray teeters along a fine line between compellingly dark pop music and overblown pretension. Luckily, Dreijer and producer Christoffer Berg have managed to pull it off by crafting one of the best electronic records of the year.
There have been several remixes of the current Fever Ray single ‘Seven’ but the Crookers and CSS remixes are the pick of the bunch; they are also completely different, demonstrating that the best remixes are far more than knuckleheaded kick drums, octaving basslines and disco hihats!
Crookers deliver a characteristically hard electro reworking of the original. The vocal is chopped, stretched and pasted on top of retro ringtones and a synth line which is half Vangelis and half US Civil War bugle; the only identifiable remnant of the original is the repeated line “if we have time”. By contrast, the CSS remix is more faithful to the original but swaps Dreijer’s ambient backing vocals and Berg’s staccato rhythms for a dark 80s funfair synth, Stuart Price bassline and skittery 808s.
Both remixes are fantastic but if forced to choose I’d go for Crookers. Go here to listen to the single version of ‘Seven’ along with the remixes (the Martyn remix is pretty cool too) to see whether you agree! The video for ‘Seven’ is also worth a watch - check it out below.
I’ve always thought that pop stars should seem like they’ve been beamed in from another planet. From Bowie to Lady Gaga, great pop music should be dramatic, ridiculous and challenging as well as entertaining. Fever Ray, the latest project from Karen Dreijer of The Knife, is an excellent case in point. If you’ve heard the eponymous debut album, seen the skeleton-face make-up press shots or watched any of the videos, notably ‘When I Grow Up’, you’ll know that Fever Ray teeters along a fine line between compellingly dark pop music and overblown pretension. Luckily, Dreijer and producer Christoffer Berg have managed to pull it off by crafting one of the best electronic records of the year.
There have been several remixes of the current Fever Ray single ‘Seven’ but the Crookers and CSS remixes are the pick of the bunch; they are also completely different, demonstrating that the best remixes are far more than knuckleheaded kick drums, octaving basslines and disco hihats!
Crookers deliver a characteristically hard electro reworking of the original. The vocal is chopped, stretched and pasted on top of retro ringtones and a synth line which is half Vangelis and half US Civil War bugle; the only identifiable remnant of the original is the repeated line “if we have time”. By contrast, the CSS remix is more faithful to the original but swaps Dreijer’s ambient backing vocals and Berg’s staccato rhythms for a dark 80s funfair synth, Stuart Price bassline and skittery 808s.
Both remixes are fantastic but if forced to choose I’d go for Crookers. Go here to listen to the single version of ‘Seven’ along with the remixes (the Martyn remix is pretty cool too) to see whether you agree! The video for ‘Seven’ is also worth a watch - check it out below.
by YoniSep 09, 2009828
Stardust 'Music Sounds Better With You' (Miami Horror remix)
Arghh not that bloody song!!! That's Yoni and Becky’s reaction (along with a decent proportion of the world's population) and I suppose I can see their point. The original was everywhere in 1998/99 and, with its sheer repetitiveness, was likely to inspire hatred in those didn’t like it the first time they heard it. I have to hold my hands up though because I’m a sucker for this song – sure it’s cheesy and doesn’t really go anywhere but it’s pretty irresistible on the dancefloor at the right time of night!
This was demonstrated on a massive scale when we all went to see Daft Punk on their Alive tour. Daft Punk dropped the track during their encore and 40,000 people went beserk! I find that kind of universality fascinating, especially when you consider that there’s really not much to the track at all: a repetitive rhythm instrumental by Thomas Bangalter and Alan Braxe; the briefest of samples from the Chaka Khan track ‘Hate’; and an unbelievably simplistic vocal from the over earnest Benjamin Diamond.
I first heard the Miami Horror remix last year and instantly loved it. The remix hasn’t messed around with the summery feel of the original but has instead updated it with a little rhythmic invention. This is great as it means it still works like the original in clubs but also makes the track sound fresh and exciting again (or at least it did when it first appeared!). I recommend checking out Miami Horror’s own tracks too as he’s done some great stuff, as well as a cool remix of the early Prince track ‘Bambi’ (http://www.myspace.com/miamihorror).
In the end, many people will still hate ‘Music Sounds Better With You’ no matter how good the remix but everyone should enjoy this syncing of the Miami Horror remix with some 70s roller-disco footage – I guess it says it all…
Arghh not that bloody song!!! That's Yoni and Becky’s reaction (along with a decent proportion of the world's population) and I suppose I can see their point. The original was everywhere in 1998/99 and, with its sheer repetitiveness, was likely to inspire hatred in those didn’t like it the first time they heard it. I have to hold my hands up though because I’m a sucker for this song – sure it’s cheesy and doesn’t really go anywhere but it’s pretty irresistible on the dancefloor at the right time of night!
This was demonstrated on a massive scale when we all went to see Daft Punk on their Alive tour. Daft Punk dropped the track during their encore and 40,000 people went beserk! I find that kind of universality fascinating, especially when you consider that there’s really not much to the track at all: a repetitive rhythm instrumental by Thomas Bangalter and Alan Braxe; the briefest of samples from the Chaka Khan track ‘Hate’; and an unbelievably simplistic vocal from the over earnest Benjamin Diamond.
I first heard the Miami Horror remix last year and instantly loved it. The remix hasn’t messed around with the summery feel of the original but has instead updated it with a little rhythmic invention. This is great as it means it still works like the original in clubs but also makes the track sound fresh and exciting again (or at least it did when it first appeared!). I recommend checking out Miami Horror’s own tracks too as he’s done some great stuff, as well as a cool remix of the early Prince track ‘Bambi’ (http://www.myspace.com/miamihorror).
In the end, many people will still hate ‘Music Sounds Better With You’ no matter how good the remix but everyone should enjoy this syncing of the Miami Horror remix with some 70s roller-disco footage – I guess it says it all…
by YoniSep 09, 20095364
Wham! vs Digitalism - 'Ray Of Zdarlight' (The Avalanches remix)
Mash-ups are always a bit hit and miss. The idea of throwing-together two completely unrelated tracks can be fantastic (the 2 Many DJs mix of 10cc with Destiny's Child springs to mind) but can also sound far too contrived to be enjoyable. Back in about 2001 indie clubs were awash with 'A Stroke of Genie-us' and the Radio Soulwax album but the whole thing seemed to fall out of favour as increasingly "ironic" and musically ill-fitting mash-ups appeared. It therefore seemed out of step when The Avalanches' mash-up of Wham!'s 'Ray Of Sunshine' and Digitalism's 'Zdarlight' made it's way onto blogs in 2007.
Thankfully 'Ray Of Zdarlight' is a return to the irreverent approach taken by the best mash-up artists such as 2 Many DJs and the KLF. At the time Digitalism, along with Justice, were hailed as the saviours of modern electro. The Avalanches' response was to take Digitalism's breakthrough hit and splice it with some musical gorgonzola! Luckily, the addition of Wham!'s funk-disco bassline, choppy guitar and cheesy vocal hooks actually works with the minimalism of the Digitalism track to create a great, summery floor-filler. It's a guilty pleasure sure but then sometimes life's too short...
In truth, the main reason that this is one of "our" favourite remixes is that Becky is probably the biggest Wham! fan known to man. We're not joking - this is genuine George'n'Andy love! This remix, she argues, allows us to play Wham! when we DJ. Yoni and I aren't entirely convinced (it's usually the time we choose to get a drink) but I suppose it does have a certain charm. Check it out here
and make up your own mind!
Mash-ups are always a bit hit and miss. The idea of throwing-together two completely unrelated tracks can be fantastic (the 2 Many DJs mix of 10cc with Destiny's Child springs to mind) but can also sound far too contrived to be enjoyable. Back in about 2001 indie clubs were awash with 'A Stroke of Genie-us' and the Radio Soulwax album but the whole thing seemed to fall out of favour as increasingly "ironic" and musically ill-fitting mash-ups appeared. It therefore seemed out of step when The Avalanches' mash-up of Wham!'s 'Ray Of Sunshine' and Digitalism's 'Zdarlight' made it's way onto blogs in 2007.
Thankfully 'Ray Of Zdarlight' is a return to the irreverent approach taken by the best mash-up artists such as 2 Many DJs and the KLF. At the time Digitalism, along with Justice, were hailed as the saviours of modern electro. The Avalanches' response was to take Digitalism's breakthrough hit and splice it with some musical gorgonzola! Luckily, the addition of Wham!'s funk-disco bassline, choppy guitar and cheesy vocal hooks actually works with the minimalism of the Digitalism track to create a great, summery floor-filler. It's a guilty pleasure sure but then sometimes life's too short...
In truth, the main reason that this is one of "our" favourite remixes is that Becky is probably the biggest Wham! fan known to man. We're not joking - this is genuine George'n'Andy love! This remix, she argues, allows us to play Wham! when we DJ. Yoni and I aren't entirely convinced (it's usually the time we choose to get a drink) but I suppose it does have a certain charm. Check it out here
and make up your own mind!
by YoniSep 09, 20092795
The Rolling Stones - 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' (Soulwax remix)
Great remixes are like great cover versions – they're either completely different to the original or simply much better than the original. The Soulwax remix of the Stones’ classic ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ is a perfect example of the former.
Built upon a snaking synth bassline and rhythm track similar to many of the songs on the Soulwax album Nite Versions this remix favours the Stones’ post-Altamont voodoo-blues shake over the choral pomp of the original song. The Stones’ backing track is cut up and glued back together in a William S Burroughs-esque bricolage which shows scant regard for classic rock reverence - Keith Richards would probably approve! By contrast, Soulwax leave Mick Jagger's lyrical day-in-the-life of the counter-culture aristocracy largely unaltered; his encounters with freaks, scenesters, prescription pills and cherry red soda remaining as camply nonchalant as ever. The result is that Soulwax make the song sound fresh and exciting without losing its original charm.
This is ace for playing out at the end of a night as the original is a song that everyone knows and loves to hear blasted out of a big system but the remix is warped enough to fit the messy mood of that time of night! Check out this video for the remix made up of Stones archive footage:
and you'll see what we mean!
Great remixes are like great cover versions – they're either completely different to the original or simply much better than the original. The Soulwax remix of the Stones’ classic ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’ is a perfect example of the former.
Built upon a snaking synth bassline and rhythm track similar to many of the songs on the Soulwax album Nite Versions this remix favours the Stones’ post-Altamont voodoo-blues shake over the choral pomp of the original song. The Stones’ backing track is cut up and glued back together in a William S Burroughs-esque bricolage which shows scant regard for classic rock reverence - Keith Richards would probably approve! By contrast, Soulwax leave Mick Jagger's lyrical day-in-the-life of the counter-culture aristocracy largely unaltered; his encounters with freaks, scenesters, prescription pills and cherry red soda remaining as camply nonchalant as ever. The result is that Soulwax make the song sound fresh and exciting without losing its original charm.
This is ace for playing out at the end of a night as the original is a song that everyone knows and loves to hear blasted out of a big system but the remix is warped enough to fit the messy mood of that time of night! Check out this video for the remix made up of Stones archive footage:
and you'll see what we mean!
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