The musings of a teenage audiophile. Indie, Rock, Hip-Hop, Rap, Dance, Dubstep, Garage, Metal... music crosses all boundaries.
The Cold Cut is devoted to giving you a taste of what's going on in music at the moment.
A 17 year old taking his first tentative steps into the world of blogging. In my first year, its been up and down, from the slow first months to a busy time around the one year anniversary.
Unlike many of the bigger blogs out there, I've kept 'Love Lockdown' at arm's reach... not because I don't like it, but because I wanted the dust to settle before I posted a definitive remix. I've also tried to keep the number of 'hot tracks' down to a minimum for the last few weeks, purely because its nice to have something in reserve when you need it.
Let me state my position: 'Love Lockdown' is such a grower. If you break it down, its a pretty simple composition, but Kanye has really impressed me by upping the audience-input, evolving the song little by little and responding to the backlash. The 'Love Lockdown' that I now sing along to is not the same song that he debuted at the VMA's. I also don't believe that this version will appear on the album, as Kanye has displayed an experimentive nature that will no doubt carry over to the album.
Anyway, after sifting through the remixes (trust me, there are waaay to many), I chose one definitive song. As well as taking the song somewhere totally new, the artwork is incredible. Feel free to keep the creativity alive by downloading the stems (they're all over the net).
So, Rihanna has really changed. There is obviously much more to this Barbadian teen (apparently not- she's now 20) that we first thought.
'Disturbia' is a departure for Rihanna- it's not as chart-safe as her previous output, and with the exception of 'Umbrella', arguably superior. The video has been long in the making- ever since I heard the opening line 'What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like this?', we've known that something was up.
The video is a weird mix between a 'Blue Orchid' style stop motion with some very strange imagery. From bodypaint to bodybuilders, this video exudes a feeling of unease. This is what pop music videos are meant to be like. Do you love it?
Someone told me it would happen. Within a few days of listening to Cut Copy, I would be unconditionally in love with their brand of electropop. And they were correct.
The real draw here is the fact that Cut Copy can re-package 80's new-wave into something with a more modern facade. 'In Ghost Colours', their second album, is almost perfect, and easily one of the top 10 records of 2008. As vocalist Dan Whiford said:
"The album is a lot more realized than the first one. I think all of us, when we think of the first one, we agree we sort of got half way there."
With remixes, I'm easily impressed. Attach a sufficiently huge bass-line, chop and change the song format, affix some other random sounds and we can have a long lasting relationship.
I was destined, therefore, to love Crookers. They've got a simple formula, which delivers, over and over again: take a song no-one else has touched, glue a grungy bassline to it and then present it as musical gold.
Crookers are an Italian duo: DJ PHRA and Bot, with a stash of remixes to their name. Given the nature of their music (solely remixes) the prospect of a Crookers album is confusing. Which direction will they take? Will they produce original material? Or will they continue to remix tracks?
Anyway, check out the ACDC remix below (great for sport, trust me) and a nice new version of Trash by The Whip.
When I first heard Justice's '†', I was impressed, but not as much as the hype said I should be. Worst of all, I found the Daft Punk comparisons confusing: they're a duo, and they're French. Must be the next Homem-Christo and Bangalter, then. Never mind the fact that their music is only loosely similar.
However, the album really crept up on me- mostly due to its marketing: the videos have all been excellent (watch DVNO, NOW), and the endless stream of remixes has kept up their exposure. Everyone has had a go, and whilst some have been more successful than others, there is no doubt that '†' is remix fodder. Even Justice have contributed- "What? So you weren't happy with the original song? Oh well...". Put it this way- wikipedia has a whole page devoted to Justice remixes. Here are a few of the best: Justice- DVNO (Justice Remix) Justice- Phantom Pt. II (Boyz Noize Remix) Justice- D.A.N.C.E. (Les Rhythmes Digitales Remix)
Over the last few weeks, a more interesting application of '†' has emerged: the backing for a rap. Wale did it first, with the unbelievably amazing W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E., which I was only alerted to a couple of days ago. He really does kill it, and its an intuitive use of a brilliant song. I await his label debut: check out some mixtapes over at DatPiff. 'Cut beats; I'm a fucking word surgeon. Scalpel... Sponge... This working. D.A.N.C.E.'
Justice/Wale- W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E. Only minutes after hearing Wale's interpretation of the song, I received an email from Webbafied. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, this up and coming hip hop artist had me hooked from the moment I opened the email. Justice's '†', re-tooled with a rapper. The whole thing. Free. With the 'Grey Album', Dangermouse took two distant albums- The Beatles 'White Album' and Jay-Z's 'The Black Album'- and created something new, but retaining the quality of the original work. Webbafied has pulled off a familiar feat with 'Webbafied Does It Justice', except rather than working as a producer (like DM), he has lent his lyrical wit to the songs.
Admittedly, its an ambitious project, and not every track has the necessary space or vocal cues that Webbafied needs to work with. There are a handful of occasions, though, when the potential of such a project is fulfilled: the new version of 'Let There Be Light' sends shivers down my spine... 'Valentine' takes on a heartful meaning: 'Everyday is February 14th. Say my prayers hoping that you won't leave. All my life I waited for the right one. You're the type I need to mother my son.' Best of all, though, is 'DVNO', a song that has felt the power of ressurection. With So-Me's video and this re-tool, it is rapidly developing into my favourite Justice release, period.
The intelligence of Webbafied is clear: his interpretation of what the original songs are actually about is generally spot on. Artists hoping to cut a path into the big-time should follow his example: coupling your skills with an album of well known songs is a sure-fire way to get noticed. In doing so, he has already jumped the first hurdle: familiarity. And with a respect for the original material, he cannot fail: whereas Wale turns the backing treble right down, Webbafied waits for the gaps to do his thing. Sometimes, this creates awkward silences, but it's the right approach to take for an album interpolation.
You should check out Webbafied's MySpace page, where 'Webbafied Does It Justice' can be downloaded for free. Also, make sure you have a listen to his extensive back-catalogue.
Update: A behind the scenes look at the making of 'Webbafied Does It Justice'...
There's been a definite change in direction for the music industry: any song that makes it onto the charts has it's own set of remixes before you can say "cash-cow". I made it my job today to dig through the mountain of material and find some of the real gems:
This is an interesting one: I shamefully admit that I'm a massive fan of the original, and Chris Brown is a solid addition, slotting in his computer-enhanced voice and some original lyrics: "Baby girl you can be my Cinderella, ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh" It was a brilliantly bold hip-hop song to begin with: add Chris Brown, some more 'direct 'lyrics and you have an even superior version... but please don't spoil the magic and re-release it (as if Rihanna needs more money anyway?). Feist- My Moon My Man (Boyz Noize Remix)
You might spot the trend (yes, I only just wrote about Boyz Noize), but this is a lot more than I expected from him on the remix front. You have to have balls to mix Feist's whispy voice with a bloody great voice synth, but the bravery pays off. I've listened to this about 15 times and I can't see any reason to dislike it- someone influential get a hold of this, I beg you, and give credit where it's deserved (Yes, Zane Lowe, YOU, if for some crazy reason you're reading).
The sign of a skilled DJ/MC is that they can remix a song with an artist you hate an make you love them 3 minutes later. I have always been quick to show my confusion towards Battles and their space-rock- how else can you describe it?- and Akon has been a thorn in my side since 'Lonely' clogged up MTV Base. Mix these together with M.I.A.'s insanely brilliant Boyz, however, and you have something which miraculously works, and even sounds less 'out-there' than most of Kala, her latest album. Please let me know how you feel about these songs- isn't Boyz Noize remix awesome?
So there you have it: some DJ's do themselves proud and outdo the numerous "Jazzy Phizzle produc-shizzles" which get dumped on the music industry each year.
All the tracks available for download on this blog are there purely in the interest of the artists; I offer music to the masses for a short time only in order to promote those artists who I think deserve more publicity. If you want any of your tracks removed, please leave a comment and I will do so.
Wouldn't your inner audiophile feel better if you bought some CD's every now and then? Please make an effort to support the artists featured on this blog (if you like them!).
Kanye West- Love Lockdown (T-Minus 321 Remix) (Link 2)
