Bass Thumpin Thursdays

With this week’s edition of Bass Thumping Thursdays we take you to the love-it-or-hate-it-or-somewhat-indifferent-to-it land of remixes of rock songs.  Die hard rock fans believe these bastardizations of organic music should be excommunicated to one of the circles of hell.  For electro junkies, they are a glimpse of what music was like before Roland started tinkering with circuits.

But, well rounded listeners may see electro remixes as a genre in their own right.  DJs remixing songs (if done right) transform the original artist’s work into a new form.  The remix doesn’t supplant the original—it is a new artwork that builds upon what exists already, not substantially relying upon the prior work but instead contributing the DJ’s own ideas.  One might even say its fair use.  Enough with the jibber jabber already--on to the music!

This week features Benny Bensassi, nearly exclusively.  Why?  Because he’s just so damn good at remixing songs.  Kicking this week off is a classic that is spine tingling when heard live.  I saw Benassi spinning My Otherside, a reinvention of the Chili Peppers’ similarly title track, at the Electric Daisy Carnival in 2009.  Benny turned the music low while nearly 100,000 party goers in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum sang along with the track.  Then, he drove the crowd wild with the bending synths and that characteristic Benny bass drum.

Certain songs are sacred, and should not be messed with.  Unless done right.  I never thought that I would respect a remix of the late, great Jimi Hendrix, but Benassi surprised me earlier this year at POP2010 in San Francisco when I heard one of the most recognizable guitar riffs created--Purple Haze.  Note to DJs:  please keep your hands off of Stairway to Heaven.

The next track is the metaremix of Benassi’s remix of the Mamas and Papas' California Dreaming with Global DJ’s remix of Scott McKenzie’s San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).  A bit of trivia for you:  San Francisco was written by John Phillips of the Mamas and Papas.  Surprisingly, when you remix a remix it doesn’t go back to the original. 

Last up is another remix with a confusing nomenclature.  Benny’s signature track Satisfaction always begged for a mashup with the Rolling Stones’ signature track, Satisfaction.  Here it is.

--tonotopik

Bass Thumpin Thursdays

Leading this Thursday's picks is a superbly well-produced track by Jupiter entitled "Vox Populi."  This track's influences span decades, borrowing from funk, dance/disco, and trance, somehow arriving with a truly 80's feel.  Vox Populi is featured on the Kitsune Maison Compilation Vol. 9.  Check out the rest of the tracks on that CD here.

In 2007 Radiohead gave their record company the finger and released In Rainbows, sold online for whatever the consumer was willing to (or not) pay.  Despite what one imagines of music and the Internet, most fans paid nearly full price for the album and many bought the CD box set, shooting the album to Billboard's #1 spot.  Perhaps this song, "Reckoner," stands for the downfall of music's old business model.  And, perhaps Reckoner's cathartic tone reflects the bands freedom from the record company.  Or maybe it means nothing--who knows with Radiohead.

Now that you feel relaxed, yet slightly energized from that last track, this next one will hit you hard.  "Hymn 2.0" is the new release from Purple Haze a/k/a Sander van Doorn.  This fresh track has the most epic sound imaginable.  "Hymn 2.0" utilizes the superhero-movie chord progression (you'll recognize it instantly), strings, and a synth choir, giving it a "save the world" feeling.  This bootleg video is equally intense.

Speaking of Purple Haze, I leave you with this gem of modern history.  Jimi Hendrix's full-hearted, sincere rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" was initially accepted by society as a demonization of the American national anthem.  Hendrix's version epitomizes the freedoms of speech and art while also sparing the world of yet another miserable vocal rendition of the hardest song to sing.

Have a good 4th of July weekend!

--tonotopik