Category Archives: remix

Trust In The World

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You find your happiness inside.

My brother posted on my FaceBook wall the other day. Seemed harmless, but its impact was wide and forever.

I have been wanting to remix and produce tracks for some time now. I’ll buy gear and software, and then muddle around with them to only give up hope. Apparently some learning was taking place, but either the pace or my patience was too slow or too short to make a go of it before.

You can do it… let me know how i can help.

Those were the words preceding the hyperlink he posted on my “wall” Friday morning.

The link is to a contest on indabamusic.com. The details for the contest are as follows:

Weezer has provided you with the stems for “Love Is The Answer”, a track off of their latest album, Raditude. Before the song was finished, the band reworked the song with their friends Ananda and Amrita Sen. Weezer liked the resulting version so much that they put it on Raditude. Now, Weezer is asking you to re-imagine the track in your own style to continue spreading the message of the song. They would love to hear as many different sounding versions as possible. Be it Ska, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Dance, Trance, Death Metal or Scream-O. Hopefully by the end of this contest there will be inspiring interpretations of the song in different languages from different countries with different styles but all relaying the meaning of the song…”Love Is The Answer”.

Step up to the challenge and show them that your mix is the answer. Use the stems to create a remix or cover the song in your own style to show the band what you’ve got. Weezer will be hand-picking the top submissions to be released as an official compilation and the winners will be paid appropriate royalties based on their version being on the release. One winner will also be selected to create a brand new song by collaborating with Rivers Cuomo on Indaba.

Granted I have put together some great DJ mixes over the last 10 years, and have done some reedits and mashups for these mixes, but an actual remix has always been a failed endeavor for me.

His confidence hit a chord in me. I wanted to do this. I was not going to fail this time. Even though I hated this new Weezer album, maybe I could create a remix that I loved. I cared less about winning a contest, but needed to jump over this final hurdle.

I download the stems. Drop them into Ableton, and begin fiddling around. Disaster. Delete.

Attempt number two, I just grab the drums stem. Looking for a loop that will define this sound for me. Finally I find a sound, and the right amount of effect that makes me move my head. I think I am onto something. I bring in the other stems. The bass, background vocals, keyboard all get included and manipulated. Some more than others, I leave the keyboards almost untouched. It’s going to be what ties my remix to the original.

The vocal is the part that makes me the most nervous. I want to loop the 4 main words of the chorus and leave it be, Love is the Answer and be done with it. A dub remix of sorts. It feels like a cop out though, so I add more of the song lyrics to the project.

It feels like the tough part is over, and now I just need to sequence these parts into a song. I need to create an intro and outro, I need breakdowns and buildups. I need a body for the hands and feet!

I need a break.

I step away from the project and play long stretches of Borderlands on the Xbox and take The Little One out to shop. We watch movies and eat dinner. Throughout all this I am formulating my plan. The road map to finishing this remix. It’s going to happen! I am stoked!

When I get back in front of my trusty Macbook, I start to build these individual parts. First the intro and a solid 32 bar main section. Then I work on a small breakdown after that. It’s at this point that I think I want to add a new kind of sound. Up until this point, every sound I was using was created from the stems that Weezer has provided us. When TLO and I were shopping, I found a beat up old drum that I quickly purchased. I love collecting instruments. I decided to use this drum in the song and it would make its appearance in the break down and later in the build up.

I save my work and grab the drum. I can’t find my drum sticks, but I already spot a replacement object to bang the drum with. A wood back scratcher in hand, I start recording myself playing along to the intro of my remix. I just want to record some sounds to manipulate with some effects processing. I am not sure even what it might turn into. Recording done, and I am cutting up the drumming and dropping some effects on it. Suddenly it sounds like some message from outer space. A message of love? I think so!

I scramble to finish the rest of the song. I want to see the finish line. Then a disaster. I seem to have knocked something out of time. I feel failure looming. TLO is home from work to eat lunch with me and I try to ignore her comings and goings so I can get the problem fixed. She makes it difficult to do this by making food. I love eating, so I must leave my remix in disarray.

After eating and chatting, TLO returns to save the world and I shrug off the feeling of defeat. I push through, reworking the screwed up parts and life is good again.

I make some final adjustments to track volume and the triggering of effects parameters. It’s done.

Love Is The Answer (Geebus Speaks to Me Remix)  by  geediablo

It’s not going to win, of this I am sure. After I uploaded my remix to Indaba I perused some of the other entries. There was some amazing work up there. Winning was not my goal though. My goal was to prove that I could do this. The final hurdle in my rearview, I feel relief.

Now I can’t wait to remix another song! Oh look! Indaba has a contest for Matisyahu! I can’t wait!

Progressive Pop

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New. Well not to the music scene.

Miike Snow is a new band from Sweden. Two of the band members, Pontus Winnberg and Kristian Carlsson as Bloodshy & Avant, co-wrote and produced Britney Spears’s Grammy-winning 2004 hit Toxic.

Don’t give up on them yet though!

With added member Andrew Wyatt, they have become something of what I want to dub Progressive Pop. (™ bitches) Imagine pop star Prince (…or formerly known as) collected animals. No wait. I got that wrong. Miike Snow is Prog Pop because they sound like Prince and Animal Collective! I mean if Progressive Rock is essentially a genre that pushes rock’s technical and compositional boundaries past what is traditionally called Rock, then how is Miike Snow not Progressive Pop?

Case in point? Let’s dissect one of my favorite tracks off the album. A Horse Is Not A Home:

[Download Miike Snow – A Horse Is Not a Home]

Progressive rock typically has lyrics similar to its musical ambition, tending to avoid typical rock/pop subjects such as love or dancing. If you listened to the lyrics of the above song, you will notice the imagery and symbolism.

Oh god I think I’m dying,
And our drinks were just poured,
Look outside someone’s waiting,
With a yellow horse

With a hole in the heart I was forced to ride
in morning traffic.
With a golden hand by your fortress side
but without magic.

Did you notice how catchy that song was? Piano and guitar driven pop. The music is light and approachable. Comfortable and accessible.

Probably one of the most blogged about songs on the album is Silvia. Check out the band performing this live on KCRW:


Another amazing song is also the bands first single. Watch the video for Burial here!

The group has roots in DJ and remix culture, so I have collected a remix by the band and for the band for your perusal.

[Download Miike Snow – Black And Blue (Capsa Remix)]

Loving the remix? The original is beautiful as well.

Here is a remix the band has done for another band you might know. Check out this remix of Peter Bjorn and John’s song Don’t Move Me.

[Download Peter Bjorn and John – Don’t Move Me (Miike Snow Remix)]

Please pick up this album. If you already have it, leave us a comment and tell us what you think too!

Will Not Lose. Ever.

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As many of you know, I’ve been preparing to release an exciting mixtape this summer called Southerngold. Basically, me mixing my favorite Southern rap vocals over remixed samples of my favorite Santigold influenced samples and tracks.

However, as I am about to release my mix on the internet tonight… literally, I am sitting at my desk in Brooklyn uploading the mix to YouSendIt.com, I get a cease and desist from lawyers at Santigold’s label, Downtown Records.

I’m not selling this, I’m not making a dime. I’m encouraging everyone to BUY Santigold’s album and I’m helping to expand her fan base to new markets. In addition, none of these songs are as they would appear on her actual album. EVERYTHING is remixed and redone so there is no competition with her actual in-stores album… It’s ironic that Downtown Records biggest group was signed due to a project with similar ambitions, Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse with The Grey Album.

–Terry Urban

I love mixtapes. They tend to be fun and interesting, and are crowd pleasers if you throw one on at a house party or on a road trip. There is a creativity in this idea of creating a mixtape that is usually rendered illegal and never a viable product to the paying masses.

I am not just talking about the compilation of love songs you recorded to tape for your girlfriend, although, this is also illegal if you try to sell that compilation.

A “Mixtape” is usually an album mainly made up of Remixes that are mainly made by DJs, and are released to promote the DJ, and all the other artists that are featured on the Mixtape. These mixtapes normally use music sampled from other artists’ songs, which are not normally cleared for use, but are overlooked by most music authorities, including those who’s music is sampled.


Rarely found on tape anymore, most mixtapes come packaged up in a .rar or .zip file.

The first mixtape where I ever heard of this stifling attempt by a label was The Grey Album. The Grey Album was DJ Dangermouse’s attempt to create a mixtape compilation between the lyrics from Jay-Z’s Black Album and the Beatles’ White Album. The label who lost their shit was EMI, who owns the rights to the Beatles music. Inadvertently, EMI shined such a bright light on this mixtape that it endsed up becoming an internet phenom.

Back when this was all going down with The Grey Album, the RIAA was taking college students, kids (some as young as 12), and the parents of file sharing children to court. I was generally digusted with how the label approached people sharing music, and when I heard about Dangermouse and his mix tape, I took it upon myself to share The Grey Album with all my friends. I even made CD liners and CD labels, using my own money to make the mixtape I was going to give away look good.

That was my personal FUCK YOU to the record label.

Earlier this month, Terry Urban, the man we quoted at the beginning of this post, was preparing to unleash his latest mixtape Southerngold which basically takes Santigold’s debut album and mashes it up with some popular rappers from the Dirty South. Santigold’s record label, Downtown Records, issues a cease and desist order and officially shut the project down.

Music Bitch reported that “Santigold herself declared that she supported the mixtape culture and she would like it to be released.”

While sitting down to a delicious lunch of Jack in the Box with TLO I ask her what she thinks about this mixtape drama going on. She asks the perfect question: Who is Santigold’s label? I have no clue, so I google it up. Oh shit. She’s on Downtown. Downtown is the label that picked up Gnarls Barkely, which is the brainchild of Dangermouse. See how we came full fucking circle?

Then TLO continues to drop knowledge. As I begin to rant about how fucking hypocritical Downtown is, she explains the simple truth. Downtown knows all about hype and mixtapes. They are shining the spotlight on purpose. They know the end result is more sales for Santigold.

Tricky bastards, yet, at least it’s a record label that gets it. Right?

Download Southerngold
Tracklist
1. M.I.A. Artistes (Ft. Pitbull & Ying Yang Twins)
2. You’ll Find A Way Player (Ft. Andre 3000 & Bun B)
3. Still Tippin’ It (Ft. Slim Thug & Mike Jones)
4. Can’t Say It (Ft. T-Pain)
5. Creating Kryptonite (Ft. Purple Ribbon All-Stars)
6. Fire Superman (Ft. Lil’ Wayne) [Prod. By Mike Cash]
7. Hustlin’ With The Lights Out (Ft. Rick Ross)
8. Shawty Is Starstuck (Ft. The Dream)
9. Unfreakable Girl (Ft. Gucci Mane)
10. Nann Lady (Ft. Trick Daddy & Trina) [Prod. By JKhan]
11. Anne’s Plan (Ft. Chip Tha Ripper) [Prod. By Mike Cash]
12. You’ll Go Crazy (Ft. Young Jeezy) [Prod. By Mike Cash]

I will share TLO’s favorite track off the mixtape:

[Download Rick Ross- Hustlin’ (Santogold vs. Rick Ross)]

Also, there are some great mixtapes out there. Another one I like is another Terry Urban effort of mixing up Coldplay and Jay-Z called Viva La Hova.

Here is one track off that mixtape:

[Download Jay-Z – Know My Place (HOVA vs. Coldplay)]

Support Terry, Jay-Z, Santigold, Granrls Barkley, Dangermouse, Downtown, Coldplay by spending your money on their shows, albums, and merch.

For fear of being forgotten…

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I don’t think the artist named himself after photic sneeze reflex, but it might be taken from a famous quote from the movie Gremlins.

Bright Light Bright Light is Welsh songwriter, producer, remixer and multi-instrumentalist Rod Thomas who, over the last year or so has moved swiftly from bedroom producing to appearing at Glastonbury, Latitude, Camp Bestival, Green Man, Innocent Village Fete and Summer Sundae festivals.

Interestingly enough, I was just contacted By Rod Thomas after I posted his remix of a song from the band Run Toto Run. (read it here)

He gave me the song below to listen to. It’s called Blueprint. This is Mr. Thomas on vocals. He also plays many of the instruments on the album, with the exception of the drums.

[Download Blueprint – Bright Light Bright Light]

It’s a real good song isn’t it? I dig the lyrics and the vibe of the track.

A relentless live schedule has seen him appear alongside Sparks, James Yuill, Gotye, Noah & The Whale, Casiokids and Au Revoir Simone as well as doing numerous sessions for Radio 1, BBC Wales, BBC Bristol, Channel M and Balcony TV.

He’s also playing with Run Toto Run this Wednesday. Which is sort of how he found this here blog. He came across our blog on elbo.ws, while looking for Run Toto Run news/tracks.

Rod’s material has become increasingly multi-layered and textured as his production skills have gone from strength to strength. Working with Boom Bip (of recent Neon Neon fame) on key Bright Light Bright Light tracks ‘A New Word To Say’ and ‘Disco Moment’ has paved the way for a more shimmering and shiny outlook which fills dancefloors just as much as the softer tones of ‘Same Old Lines’ gather crowds at festivals.

Speaking of Same Old Lines, I scrounged up a remix of this also awesome song by Thomas. It’s funky pop loveliness that makes me move my shoulders in time with the beat. Try it! It feels good!

[Download Same Old Lines – Rod Thomas (James Yuill Remix)]

The original of Same Old Lines is even better than the remix. It really shows the mastery of Rod Thomas to create what might be the perfect, catchy, can’t get it out of your head…but that’s ok, because it’s wonderful, kind of song.

Learn more at the Bright Light Bright Light myspace page, and pick up his album ‘Until Something Fits’

Until Something FIts

Click HERE to order direct

Don’t be silly, Toto. Scarecrows don’t talk.

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Courage! What makes a king out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the “ape” in apricot? What have they got that I ain’t got?

Run Toto Run!

Cool name for a band. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain though, because it’s a woman that we should be looking for.

Rachael Kitchenside, the lead vocalist and songwriter, seems to be the wizard of this magical group.

Like Dorothy, she is not alone. She is joined on a fantastic journey by her band mates Mike, Cazz, and K!d Farthing.

Mike Colombian born Mike or “The Hobo” as the rest of the band like to call him is the nicest guy on the face of the planet. Fact. Mike cut his musical teeth at the YMCA roller disco, and often fondly reminisces about it. (synths, backing vocals, keys and guitar).

Cazz is way prettier without the mask. Hot even. She used to drum for Stickboy, She is the only remaining UK Hanson fan. (keyboards, backing vocals, percussion, recorder, electronics)

K!d Farthing has a tattoo in Hungarian reading “born under a bad sign” and is the coolest kid to ever graduate from the RNCM with a first-class honours degree in violin. (violin, keyboards, electronics and clever stuff)

I was sent an amazing cover of Passion Pit’s Sleepyhead in my DropBox 4 days ago, recorded by Run Toto Run. I fell in love. Then I watched the video for the cover, and fell in love further. Like falling down the rabbit hole.

[Download
Run Toto Run – Sleepy Head (Cover)]

Isn’t that voice angelic? I also love the re-imagining of the music and ambiance of this. It’s fantastic. The video is adorable. Rachael looks adorable and the animals are so silly you can’t help but smile! Especially the very end…

You may have noticed that there is only one hot chick and two animals in the video. Shouldn’t there be a fourth? Rachael sent me an email this morning telling me that Cazz was at work when they recorded the video. I wonder if Cazz was mad about being left out? I’m a little sad about it. Maybe she’s the tin (wo)man that can’t get her feelings hurt, since she has no heart?

I suggest picking up their new EP from iTunes. It’s called The Plastic Gold. If you live in the UK, you can catch them on tour starting this Friday.

BONUS TRACK:
The B-Side of the bands first single was called Alice. Enjoy this remix of “Alice” by welsh synth-pop wizard Rod Thomas.

[Download
Run Toto Run – Alice (Rod Thomas Remix)]

Electro Pop and Indie Rock

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I am a sucker for these kinds of bands. They just get me on both sides of what I dig. The indie rock sound with its DIY ethos, and the DJ friendly-ish electronic pop sensibility.

The thing is, my love for them is shallow and fleeting. As soon as the next indie-rock/electronic-pop band/song/release/remix comes out…I just move on to that. Leaving a veritable graveyard of bands in this genre, in my wake.

Passion Pit is a band like this for me. Soon to be thrown in the trash like a paper plate. It’s hard to say that now, because I am totally digging it.

The more I listen to it, the more it reminds me of everything I liked about Prince.

Is it possible that this particular band with this particular album could remain in my heart?

[Download Passion Pit – To Kingdom Come]

The lead singer and songwriter, Michael Angelakos, says he wants to be the next Randy Newman. Whenever I listen to the song “To Kingdom Come”, I think I hear the influences of Newman. Maybe.

The best part of this album? The remixes that people have done off its release! I share one below from Wallpaper:

[Download Passion Pit – Reeling (Wallpaper Remix)]

Passion Pit even gets in on the remixing, taking on Dan Black of the now defunct The Servant.

[Download Dan Black – Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix)]

You may not have heard of Dan Black or The Servant. Dan Black has an album coming out, so keep an eye out for that. The song Symphonies was once called HYPNTZ and was a funky cover of Biggie Smalls track. Sadly, Big’s estate red-lighted that, and Dan had to write new lyrics. I am sure you are never gonna hear the old version on the radio, even though it’s super hot. So…we do it for you.

THE BONUS TRACK!

[Download Dan Black – Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix)]

Thin White Duke post

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So this week it’s finally nice outside, so I’ve been doing nothing but fucking around. Boston weather is messed up, so a nice day of mid 70’s can’t be wasted. So I thought of an old remix that Jacques Lu Cont – otherwise known as The Thin White Duke – had done for Felix Da Housecat a few years back, so it made me curious about other stuff he had done. So here are three of his remixes. Two of which I do like, the other I find horrid, but eh, you all can choose if you like it or not. Hint: It’s the Killers song I hate. Then again, I hate the Killers to begin with. Terrible band, IMO.

[Download Felix Da Housecat – Silver Screen Shower Scene (Thin White Duke mix)]

[Download Depeche Mode – Wrong (Thin White Duke mix)]

[Download The Killers – Mr. Brightside (Thin White Duke mix)]

Something really random here…..

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Okay, so I ran across this first track more on accident than anything else. It’s a freakishly simple casiotone sort of cut featuring what I’m guessing are the lyrics to “Technologic” by Daft Punk in reverse. The guy’s name is DJ Goldwwater (or Goldwater, the original blog I saw this on had both spellings). I’ve dug around for more info on this guy, but found absolutely zilch! So if you guys find something? Let me know.

[Download DJ Goldwater – Touch It (Goldwater Daft Punk Revverse)]

Next up for this week is something I had nearly forgotten about in my vinyl collection. The Rapture burst onto the scene back in 2003 with their album Echoes, but the single for the track “House Of Jealous Lovers” was what caught my attention. Included on the wax was a remix by Morgan Geist of Metro Area, and here I give you said remix. Enjoy!

[Download The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers (Morgan Geist remix)]

And if you have a sac, you’ll go out and buy stuff and support these guys. If you’re a chick, I guess that means you don’t have a sac. So I’ve really got nothing. I’ll just pretend I don’t want you or something. And trust me, that would hurt. Time to drink heavily, now.

And now for something completely different……

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Remember Cornershop? No? Yes? Who cares? Well, I just felt the need to post a couple songs of theirs. The first one is the first track off of When I Was Born For The 7th Time. The latter? Well, you may recognize it from the overkill it got on the radio a good 12 years ago. It’s not the original, however, but the Fatboy Slim remix of their massive hit “Brimful of Asha”. All-in-all, the album could be one of the most underrated albums of the ’90’s, not to mention one of the best from that decade. It took time to grow on me, but now every so often I have to take a listen and be reminded just how good this one was. Enjoy.

[Download Cornershop – Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim remix)]

[Download Cornershop – Sleep on the Left Side]

And yes. I want you to buy something. Stop cheaping out. I’m watching you. Like Santa Claus with a bad meth habit and a restraining order. Or something like that. Either way, it’s scary.

Glowsticks in the air!

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With a career spanning more than seventeen years, Robert Oleysyck has emerged as one of the worlds most talented, diverse, and respected DJs. Roberts list of accomplishments not only speaks volumes about his dedication to the art and total immersion in the music industry, but his personal belief in music as the soundtrack of life and an ultimate form of expression.

[The Dandy Warhols – Scientist (Robert Oleysyck Extended Edit)]

I first heard Oleysyck spinning at the famous Utopia in Las Vegas. It was this night when I realized that I wanted to be a DJ. Robert was flawless behind the decks. At the time he was mostly spinning the most epic of trance tunes. He would blend them seamlessly and deep. Creating something new in the middle.

I didn’t even like Trance, and I don’t really like Trance now, but with a surgeon-like precision that Robert O brings, you could fall in love with whatever he was working with that night.

As a driving force in the west coast for many years, Robert captivates and inspiring audiences with his unique blend of forward thinking electronic music. Whether he’s playing house, progressive, breaks, trance, or even a mix of rock, 80s, hip-hop and electronica, his ability to seamlessly merge a variety of styles into a cohesive, inspirational, entertaining set, has won over the hearts of legions of fans and industry peers. Known as one of the best programmers and most technically fluid DJs around, his vast knowledge of music and the science behind the art allows him to create true magic.

I recently rediscovered Robert while looking for a good mix cd to listen to while getting some writing done. He’s on myspace and facebook, so it was not hard to find him.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Robert immigrated to New York in 1974. His fascination with beats and drums was apparent at an early age, and served as a vehicle for his burgeoning musical interests. It wasn’t until Robert went to college at Villanova in Philadelphia (oddly enough as a Pre-Med Major) that he first discovered DJing. In a short time, Robert started mastering his mixing abilities at mobile gigs, college bars, and frat parties spinning diverse sets that included music by New Order, Depeche Mode, Information Society and Grand Master Flash. Robert’s style began to develop more when he moved to Memphis, and was exposed to artists such as Kraftwerk, Dee-Lite, Black Box and Front 242. There, Robert carefully blended alternative electronic sounds like Depeche Mode with Italian House and Hip House. Las Vegas was the pivotal shift in Robert’s style and career. In the early 90s, he began incorporating artists like Fluke, Jam & Spoon, The Prodigy, and Moby into his gigs at infamous venues like the Palladium and the Shark Club, constantly walking a fine line between educating audiences with new sounds, while entertaining them with classics and favorites.

[Simian Mobile Disco – I Believe(Robert Oleysyck Extended Edit)]

After downloading a few mix CDs (Look for the This is Not Commercial series) I discovered Oleysyck has posted some of his remixes and re-edits for download. As a DJ myself, I was interested. He’s got some choice stuff to share. A few I have re-shared here for you, but if you want more, check out his download site.