BY MIKEY MIGO
If you don't own at least one remix in your music collection then odds are you're not really a music fan. Every genre, every style, and just about every major artist has had their art remixed. It might be by the artist, a collaborator, or a fan but there is plenty of remixes out there.
The old folklore about remixes is that they're all techno based remixes. It's a song with random beats and it's always ALWAYS made for the "club scene". Not true. There are plenty of remixes that are stripped down and mellow. There's also the folklore about how remixes are never EVER as good as the original. That's a subjective idea, but again I say it's not true.
In the late 60s and early 70's remixing became popular in Jamaican dance hall music. Then the remixer would rearrange popular reggae tracks to make them more "ska" or "danceable". They would pretty much create what we're used to as a modern remix. They would slow things down, add sound effects, and loop certain hooks and beats to increase the tempo. From there it was the DJ's using disco vinyl and incorporating the "remix" in their scratching. In the 80's it would evolve with hip hop.
By the time the 80's came we had a whole new brand of "pop" music that would be altered in "extended versions", "dance versions", and any other version a crowd could dance to and ultimately want to own themselves. As it grew in popularity, more artists would start experimenting with the songs and almost completely altering them to an unrecognizable state. These late 80's and early 90's remixes were sometimes grouped together with "house music". I remember being a preteen and listening to the local Chicago hip hop station to hear this new brand of "house music". It was glorified techno, but it kept my interest because I enjoyed hearing familiar songs redone in other styles.
As the remix became more prominent to music a lot of artists would start to fully embrace it. Some would rerecord vocals to make them fit into a new music arrangement, some would get other artists to make their own rendition, and some would even release an entire remix album as part of their discography. At this point, remixes secured their spot in music.
Now we have bands that provide raw tracks to their fans to remix it themselves. A lot of pop singles will have sometimes up to four remixes for different occasions. Hip Hop artists will do a remix, but have a new verse by a "Special Guest". Most of the time when we hear Busta Rhymes on the radio, it's because he's jumping in and adding something to someone else's remix. Sure his last few albums weren't the great shit he put out in the late 90's, but he's still out there.
Are remixes a true art form? I'd say so. I've heard some pretty horrible remixes and I understand how people can get annoyed with them. I just think that these complainers aren't looking hard enough. There are some remixes that are truly great. With any genre or music style there's the good and the bad. You just have to look hard enough. For instance I think Lil Wayne is HORRIBLE. Does that mean I must hate ALL rap music because I don't like the mainstream? Not at all. I went out and found real artists like Mos Def, Saul Williams, and other competent lyricists.
I think it all depends on the artists you like. If you like an artist's music then odds is you're going to be more open to the idea of one of their remixes. If you like death metal then odds is you're not going to like a remix until it's insanely fast. If you like hip hop, you'd be a little more open to new beats and styles. If you like emo, you don't want your music to be happy and danceable. I hear it's a bitch to slit your wrist while break dancing.
I know this is hard to believe, but I've actually enjoyed some remixes MORE than the original. There are a small handful of Nine Inch Nails tracks that I like more as a remix than the original. There are some U2 dance tracks that are really fun and most of Missy Elliot's remixes are better crafted than the original. It all depends on your personal taste. There is a certain art of making a remix that some people like Danny Lohner or Timbaland have perfected.
Music is music and remixes are still within that medium. Why not be a little more open to them?
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