Why remix? Modernists believe in creation from scratch, while post-modernists scorn this view saying that one can build great works from pieces of other works. Remixing can often be decried as a sign of the fraying moral fabric of society, but I beg to differ. First I should note that I remix under the name of DJ Bulbaland, mostly focusing on what I call “atmosphere” remixes, which I shall explain further on. Remixing allows someone to take a piece and place their alternate view on it; a remix is a new interpretation of a song. Remixing is another musical outlet and can be quite different from creating a song from scratch. A musician can be a remixer – which is what often happens – thought sometimes a remixer might not be strictly a musician. In short: music skills translate well to remixing skills, but not always. Both activities require ingenuity and creativity in order to be actually good. Now, remixing has been discussed in many ways, but the musical impact on the remixed track itself is rarely talked about.
To begin, consider a few cases of remixing:
1. Mash ups/Dual mixes
2. A structural rearrangement, otherwise known as the “canon” remix
3. Remixes where the structure is left intact
a. Atmosphere remixes where elements of the atmosphere are changed but not the structure
b. Essentially a remaster
c. The addition of an instrument
Situation 1
In Situation 1, two or more tracks are fused in one sense. This approach can basically be done out of whim and may or may not change the music itself. Many mashups show variety in music taste or just drawn in listeners of a particular audience. The “for entertainment” reason is the most plausible with this situation. Mashups can be appealing due to the creation of a new atmosphere. Songs have an atmosphere no matter how mundane and mashing them up creates a new atmosphere. This resultant atmosphere itself is not necessarily exciting either, but it gives new opportunities for storytelling and making an interesting new sound. I have heard remixes however that do create an interesting atmosphere. The effect of lining up “Crystal Japan” by David Bowie, “A Warm Place” by Nine Inch Nails, and “Radio 4” by Public Image Ltd. is a peculiar new sound, for example.
Here is a video for one of my remixes. It is called “Tower of the Hyrulian Phoenix” in reference to its mashupped nature. It features “Fawkes the Phoenix” by John Williams, “Tower of the Gods” by Z.R.E.O. Team, and I believe “Hero of Winds” by the same group. The first song, “Fawkes” itself invokes a sense of curiosity but to me the remix nears enigma and full-fledged mystery as a result of the convergence of the sounds. Some remixes come together in very interesting ways.
Another interesting remix idea was mashing up with songs from Brian Eno’s experimental ambient work On Land. The contrast more often than not created a stronger sense of atmosphere for the non-ambient piece. For example, “Terminal Marsh,” one of my remixes, mixed “Terminal March” from the video game Bastion and “Lantern Marsh” by Brian Eno. To me the remix sounds much more ominous and dire than the original track was alone. Here’s another video!
Another quick example that I will just mention is my remix “Absent” which mixed the “Theme of Loneliness” and “Galcian’s Theme” from the video game Skies of Arcadia. The contrast between the two songs is a juxtaposition between strong (latter theme) and fragile (former theme), creating a whole new impression of the character.
Mashups are fascinating to work with because the feel of one can vary depending on what tracks are chosen. Had I chosen a Winter violin solo by Vivaldi in the prior remix the sound would have been much different. Even selecting a different song by Eno off the same album would have potentially created a starkly different interpretation. This conclusion is natural but it underlies an important fact: there are numerous possibilities in mashups.
Situation 2/3
The next two situations are not all that different asides from whether structural manipulation occurs. A remix can make a song be more appropriate for a particular musical context. The ability to re-interpret an individual song as desired is increased, naturally. This style is also easier to do simply because playing two songs against each other greatly increases the complexity. Remixes are usually made like this, in all honesty. Mashups sometimes seem like a novelty, more so than remixes – the “no skill” claim is probably made by this point – and people seem to prefer a remix over a mashup unless they like both songs mashed up. Remix albums also seem to work best with mashups – this is not a scientific superiority of some kind, but rather just how they tend to work. Overclocked Remix albums never seem to have a true mashup, from what I’ve seen.
Situation 3c
3c is a tricky boundary between post modern creation and a remix: at some point the song becomes a new song, not just a remix. The listener has to create his own definition. Personally one instrument added to a song still qualifies as a remix. My remix of “Submerged Temple” from the video game Metroid Prime 2 features the use of a prepared acoustic grand piano. The piano adds to the music, but ultimately the sampled track is the main focus. Here is its video.
On the other hand, if one adds two or more instruments and changes the track drastically then it becomes a new creation. Depending on how drastic the change the remix becomes an original piece. Some musicians sample music without changing it – such as Wiz Khalifa’s infamous use of a Chrono Trigger song – which amounts to theft, but a sample can be used to create something new. Bringing one’s own original material to the new song amounts to more than just theft, though a modernist would likely disagree.
My song “Lily” consisted of two tracks off the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack as the base track; I merged them into one file to follow chronologically. I recorded piano, electric piano, and a dholki part for the piece, as well as adding bass guitar. Through adding these elements I changed the atmosphere of the piece to something beyond the original; at the same time I created a very new track, even though I sampled. Again, a link; he saves Hyrule a lot. Ha…ha…
Conclusion
Remixing is not something every would enjoy doing, but it is a substantive activity nonetheless. The act of interpreting someone else’s music in a unique manner makes the activity fun and rewarding. Remixes aren’t inherently shallow and can be quite creative.
Addendum
Situations 2 and 3c are referenced here, where 2 represents structural manipulation, and 3c represents the addition of an instrument.
I created two remixes that to a degree question the nature of how remixing impacts the music. On the other hand, I recently found a third remix, that I did not create, that also questions the nature of remxes.
1. “Persephone” by Dead Can Dance;
2. “Vigil” by Jack wall and Sam Hulick; and
3. “Celestial (Signal Fills The Void)” by Isis, remixed by Justin Broadrick1
For “Persephone” I recorded a soundscape from a balcony off my grandparents’ house. Naturally I remastered the track partially before incorporating the recording. Though the idea itself was not bizarre, I realized later on that the addition of the soundscape was quite unusual. In some regards, the remix sound like a scene in a film. Some time into the track an ambulance siren sounds, which added depth to the particular portion. The sound of crows also added background noise. “Persephone” is a remix without too much debate, but essentially it creates a new atmosphere by giving sounds indicative of a physical situation. The pairing of sound with the remix was interesting; it was as if I had paired music and images. Ultimately that result made me uncomfortable with keeping the remix, and I ended up demoting it to a “b-side.” “Persephone” felt as if it ruined the atmosphere, though it did create a scene. This remix was a nice reminder that sticking anything onto a song does not necessarily work.
“Vigil” on the other hand attained a multivalent complexity through the mixture of classical and ambient music. For this remix I added several instruments, particularly those that populated the bass frequencies; these instruments filled the space and created a fuller sound. The sampled track remained the dominant one; it was buttressed by these instruments. This creation is still a remix because “Vigil” remained the dominant portion of the track. I simply complemented the track, rather than making something new. At the same time I feel these instruments added depth and broadened the appeal of the song. In this case remixing strengthened the atmosphere already present. No video, but you can find a link to a .rar file of my remix album containing “Vigil” AND “Absent” here.
The “Celestial” remix I had not heard about until yesterday when I decided to search for Isis remixes on YouTube. Justin Broadrick takes the song and drastically reduces the heaviness by toning down Aaron Turner’s voice and by implementing electronic influences; in some manners the song is greatly changed and a lot is added to the piece. Allmusic1 notes how much more atmosphere is given by the remix. In this case, remixing can be very effective. I have trouble liking some of Isis’ material, but I can really appreciate this remix. Video.
1. Taylor, Ken. SGNL>05. Allmusic.com. Ravi. 9 Aug 2012.
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