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STUDIO CRAFT: Season of the Remix Mash-ups and remixes have been all over the news, centered on personalities as diverse as Gov. Howard Dean, folklorist Alan Lomax, contemporary artists Danger Mouse and Jay-Z, and old-timers David Bowie, Yoko Ono and the Beatles.
During the early months of the US presidential campaign season, a "Best of the Howard Dean remixes" was the opening section of Kelefa Sanneh's New York Times "Playlist" column. The one-time Presidential candidate and former Vermont Governor had given a rousing speech at the end of one particularly tough campaign day, over the din of a roaring crowd. When Dean's own voice was isolated in the sound mix, his strained voice and spirited scream of "Yahhhh!," struck some listeners as downright scary, although it could barely be heard at the time, in the original context. The recording of Dean's solo voice quickly made the rounds on the Internet, where it was mixed in with rap songs and given a wide variety of other musical accompaniments by literally hundreds of musical and/or political commentators of various stripes. Read Sanneh's New York Times column [fee required] A comprehensive "Unofficial Dean Scream Resource List" appears on Jason Calacanis's Weblog, although the MP3s seem to all have been removed in recent weeks MTV site contains a few versions, including a remix involving Ozzy Osborne's "Crazy Train." Read more from About.com or MSNBC
The biggest remix story of the season concerned the so-called "Grey Album" by Danger Mouse. His creative coup de grace mashed together rap lyrics from Jay-Z's "The Black Album" with melodies and rhythms from the Beatles "The White Album" and became an immediate underground hit. Problem is, as the music industry sees it, Danger Mouse didn't ask permission to use the Beatles' material. Their publishers EMI issued a "cease and desist" order to all web sites carrying the tracks, although the cat was already out of the bag, and the public controversy served to spread the illicit tracks far further than did the initial publicity of the release. Read about the "Grey Album" flap in a Reuters story, the New York Times Sunday Magazine [fee required], WIRED news Read a Rolling Stone review of "The Grey Album," visit creator DJ Danger Mouse, or (possibly, depending on the current state of the legal challenge) DOWNLOAD the controversial recordings yourself Jon Pareles' Playlist column in the New York Times (March 7, 2004) listed some of the many creations based on Jay-Z's "Black Album":
Remixed have shown up in a surprising place -- a collection of folk music in the Library of Congress. The late folklorist Alan Lomax roamed the back roads of the American South in the middle part of the 20th century, recording thousands of hours of roots music and bringing it to the masses. Rounder Records is in the process of compiling a 100-CD collection of Lomax' finds, but first out of the gate is their offbeat remix of his work. According to National Public Radio, producer Steve "Tangle Eye" Reynolds and Rounder's Steve Billington have remixed the originals, adding "new instrumentation and beats to the powerful voices Lomax captured on tape years ago." The new release, "Alan Lomax's Southern Journey Remixed," also features ace contemporary musicians George Porter, Jr., Corey Harris, Tony Trischka, Jeff Raines and Delfeayo Marsalis. Listen to the original and remixed Lomax recordings at NPR's site Visit the site of Rounder Records, the country's oldest independent record label
Meanwhile, some classic rockers are actually hoping to be remixed. Singer David Bowie recently invited his fans to try their hands at mashing together two of his songs, in a contest that ran in April and May. Entries with such mashed-up titles as "Let's Dance under the New Killer Star" and "Major Tom is a Lucky Guy" were judged by site visitors and judges, who on June 14 award a half-dozen contestants with prizes of music software and even an automobile. Read about Bowie's mash-up invitation and visit his site to hear the winning entries
Yoko Ono's "Hell in Paradise" peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Dance Club Play chart -- in 1985. This year it's back, debuting on the same charts at No. 43, and six weeks later, it's still there at an even stronger No. 8. However, this new hit version -- along with other Ono songs "Open Your Box" and "Walking on Thin Ice" -- have been remixed (by Orange Factory, Chus & Ceballos, Murk, and Minge Binge) to give a modern feel. Currently available only as a promotional single, a commercial release of the "Paradise" remix will be available later in June. Another batch of remixes are expected in November. Read more about the Ono remix project |
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