Enjoy.
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Time for track three, you readers (all 6 of you! just kidding). This is by far one of my least favorite joints on the tape, as almost every version I’ve heard of “Chillin’” inevitably seems to be. What the hell is with these remixes?
Okay, we need to face it: “Chillin” wasn’t amazing to begin with. It was a noble effort on Wale’s part to find a chart-plausible single, but my guess is it may have been shoved down his throat by his label. Lady GaGa was a wise choice for that kind of move, the beat sounds like it should, and the lyrics are smart. But the whole joint feels empty. Even with Lady GaGa gettin’ her MIA on in the background, it fails to impress – it sounds like the token chart-friendly-single.
Calling this joint empty is harsh (and honest), so lets admit there are some great lines: “Let’s talk about the cars ya’ll got/You say you got a lotta whips? Well I’ve got a LOT.” This line is genius in it’s own way, if only because most people will never get it. He means a LOT, as in a car-lot of cars. It’s not obvious, but it is. Which makes it annoying and pseudo-clever. I like it. Whatever, shut up.
Now let’s talk about this remix. The intro sucks – it repeats the same orchestral hit WAY too many times in the same pitch before it leads into a totally disappointing beat. It isn’t a bad remix, but it certainly isn’t what I would expect from Nick Catchdubs regardless, but it certainly isn’t what I would put on a mixtape. The beat just doesn’t ever manage to make up for that truly awful intro, and every other time I hear the orchestral beat (every bar or so), I cringe.
Why did this make the cut? Honestly, I don’t get it. It’s a remix, Catchdubs did it, maybe that was enough – they certainly couldn’t include the lead-off single of Wale’s unreleased album on a mixtape as it was. Whatever, it’s hard to polish shit.
But IS “Chillin” shit? I’ll never really figure it out – it’s not TERRIBLE, but Wale is so much more. The music can be so much deeper, so much more raw in terms of energy – this beat is just totally over-produced, and GaGa’s presence (love her though I do) doesn’t help things.
Remixes of “Chillin’” worth listening to as alternatives? DJ Benzi and Skratch Bastid (via the fantastic Mixtape Maestro!) both have different takes on the track, and both are interesting in their own right. Benzi takes the acapella, speeds the crap out of it, and laces it over a Nightcrawler-The Feeling type house beat (with a video totally worth watching), while Skratch Bastid’s is more off the walls in an old-school hip hop and funk sort of a way. Just listen, you’ll understand what I mean – and enjoy the MIA/Arab Money samples at just the right parts.
…NEXT!
Wale – Chillin’ (Catchdubs v 9th) [mp3]
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Wale – Chillin’ (DJ Benzi remix) [mp3]
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Wale – Chillin’ (Skratch Bastid remix) [mp3]
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Holy. Crap. There are so many fantastic things to say right now, at 3am as I decide to post a few new tracks I’ve found.
First up: Are 80Kidz Better Than The Twelves?
Black Kids – I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance (80Kidz Remix) [mp3]
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Sooooooo good right now. It’s got the same great throwaway-feel that the Twelves remix gave us, but with more of a 70′s feel – it accentuates the bassline and takes out some of the plinky synths – replacing them with classic rock piano. There’s even some token strings and some “do do dooos.”
Turns out this came out last fall, and I should have done a little searching after the 80kidz did that great remix of MGMT’s “Kids,” but alas. This hasn’t been posted by too many blogs, which is a little surprising, but I’m feelin’ it. I guess it just didn’t stand up in other peoples’ eyes to the Twelves mix. Those people are wrong.
Second: The magic of DiscoTech
Alright, so I’ve been trying to avoid posting every fantastic dance-remix I come across, and this post is what I get for it. I’m unleashing every monster track I haven’t blogged about because I was afraid of being too dance-oriented. Whatever, these tracks are the shit. I’m just posting one remix from DiscoTech, but I’ll post links to the rest just for you.
The newest is the Foo Fighters’ “Everlong” built up for the dance floor. Not something I would throw on as anything besides an epic breather track, but I love it. The track is fast, but not out of control. The synths, with the help of a few filters, move this remix past the “just add drums” technique. It helps that they throw in what is either a live version or the Rock Band track with crowd noise. Either way, it’s appropriately massive but also a little restrained. You can find their SICK remixes of Viva La Vida, Satisfaction, Roxanne, and Homecoming from my links.
The Foo Fighters – Everlong (DiscoTech remix) [mp3]
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Lastly is the clever little remix of T-Pain’s “Can’t Believe It.” I first grabbed this from the great folks over at White Folks Get Crunk, but it’s been a mainstay in my listening for the past month or two. Upbeat and electro-pop, it’s a pleasant take on this “ballad.” There is so much cheez in the synths – it’s so wrong it’s right.
T-Pain – Can’t Believe It (Gods of Fashion Remix) [mp3]
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Sunday, December 14th, 2008
A few new tracks to make the snowy days go easier…
The Game and Lil Wayne – Red Magic [mp3]
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Originally from The Drought Is Over mixtapes, this song is sick. The beat is absolutely beautiful, some sharp and thick horn stabs with a beat that doesn’t mess around. While this never got officially released, it made it’s way onto a mixtape and then was finally released without the obnoxious “EMPIRE!” DJ talking over it.
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When I listen to it, it’s overcast and grey out as, riding in your car, waiting for the heat to warm up. It’s got a great piano sample and the drums are tight and understated. The only I think I don’t like about it is the sinister organ stab at the end of every 4 bars, but whatevs. It’s a good feel anyway.
Kings of Convenience – I Don’t Know What I Can Save You From (Mojib Remix) [mp3]
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This is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous and melancholy. The original is really good, but this remix has the perfect breakbeat behind it, some incredible samples (including some strange vocal samples, talking about chord changes). The song is oddly compelling and the more I listen, the more I want to stick it on repeat.
Friday, September 26th, 2008
Alright, so I’ll have a new mix out soon, I know I owe you one. But here are some great songs to hold you off:
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This song appeared in one of the new Nano ads, and I’m in love with it. It’s like if the Weepies’ “Gotta Have You” met and fell madly in love with Yaz’s “Only You.” It’s a little sad but really beautiful. Not what I would usually post on here, but I do love it.
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Featuring John Legend, this is one of my favorite tracks on the recently-leaked “Paper Trail” album that wasn’t already leaked beforehand. “What Up,” “No Matter What,” and “Like I Do” were all great but this is something different. His cadence is great, the way each line flows into the next, and John Legend’s hook is so not like typical T.I., it’s really a little welcome.
Kanye West – Love Lockdown (Chew Fu Small Room Mix)
This came out probably two weeks ago or so, and it’s worth posting even though you’ll find it all over Hype Machine. Chew Fu manages to do with it what Kanye should have. I’m glad Yeezy has been pushing in new directions but that track just isn’t quite there yet. This, however, is perfect. It’s deep, spacey, and yet still keeps the original spirit of the track
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I don’t know anything about this guy, other than the fact that this beat is incredible and his rap is pretty damn good. This is great Jazz/Hip-Hop fusion. The beat would fit right in with some tracks on Guru’s Jazzmatazz.
Estelle (Feat. Sean Paul) – Come Over
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Remind you of Diana King? Maybe a little? Either way, I like this one a lot, it’s a slow “stir-it-up” anthem and it’s nice to hear Sean Paul slow down a little himself.
And in the “I can’t believe I didn’t post this thing sooner” category…
Kardinall Offishall (feat. Pussycat Dolls) – Tide is High
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I’ve been sitting on this one for almost a month but I never got around to posting it. The beat is great, and the lyrics are so much better when sung by the Pussycat Dolls than Rhianna. Rhianna’s voice just sounds kinda… meh. The Dolls’ voices fit perfectly over this beat and blasting this thing may be my current favorite guilty pleasure.
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
..that rappers let the beat carry their track for them?! Honestly, there are some great rappers out there. Many, many, many. But listen to almost any remix or top 40 rap track and you’ll see what I mean: rappers let the beat do all the work, like “oh, this beat is just so hot that no one will notice that my lyrics are non-sensical and lack a rhyme scheme.” Bullshit.
I get it, you can put out a remix really fast and get on the blogsites if the original is really hot, but oh my god there are some awful remixes that get posted just because they’re remixes. I just listened to the Freeway remix of “Paper Planes” (here), and half of it is great (“top me off like a toupee”? genius), and half of it just doesn’t really flow. Same deal with 90% of the remixes that get posted every day. Bleh.
On the upside, the new Coldplay album is the shit. Violet Hill, end of story. Also, Kid CuDi released a mixtape about a week ago, check out the tracks “Man on the Moon,” and “Is There Any Love?”.
What?! You still want more tracks to check out? Fineeee, you can have another new favorite. Rhymefest (feat. Wale) – Ya’ll Ain’t Heard It From Me. I cannot wait for that album. Speaking of the Chicago side, Kanye did some nice little singing on Bentley Fonzworth’s new track “Everybody” aka “C.O.L.O.U.R.S. (Cool Outrageous Lovers of Uniquely Raw Style). Don’t ask, just do.