Let’s begin our workweek with a mellow little remix. Yo La Tengo has a really great song called “Autumn Sweater” which is one of my enduring favorites. It starts simply, with a steady drumbeat, and builds slowly without ever really getting intense. Also, I have no idea what it’s about. It’s not an epic rock ballad, it’s just a sweet song with a harmonious organ and mellifluous bass line. In keeping with that tone, this remix, by Mike Paradinas, AKA µ-ziq, really isn’t too different from the original (with one notable exception. It starts with the organ instead of the drums, and it’s maybe a little bit slower, languid. The drums are distorted, the rest of the audio is run through some kinda wavy filter so it sounds like you’re hearing it underwater… and (here comes that exception) there are no vocals. It’s kinda like listening to the original while half-asleep. If you’re going to remix a song, the result has to have something to distinguish it from the original in a meaningful way–I don’t necessarily think this remix is better than the original, but I think it emphasizes its dreamy atmosphere to great effect. To me, this version sounds like a lazy afternoon feels.

Here it is: Autumn Sweater – Yo La Tengo (µ-ziq remix).

 

Yesterday, we looked at the preeminent example of the mashup. Today, we look at one of my favorite examples of the remix. Ratatat is an extremely excellent instrumental hip-hop/rock outfit that spends its spare time making awesome rappers sound explosively great. I had a lot of trouble deciding which of their songs to include here–in fact, I changed my mind in penning this introduction. I guess my point is, if you like the song I’m about to give you a link to, please make sure you check out the rest of Ratatat’s discography. Both their original works and their remixes are radical.

I’ll probably have more to say about the remix qua remix at some point, but for now I think I’m satisfied with pointing you to this one and letting you draw your own conclusions. So here’s a song featuring vocals by a bunch of guys, who vary from the famous (T.I.) to the funny-named (Bun-B) to the etc. (Slim Thug). What ties them together? Ratatat’s awesome remix.

Enjoy: Slim Thug, T.I. & Bun-B – Three Kings (Ratatat)

Spoiler alert, Ratatat will be making another appearance in this series. Stay tuned.

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