This is kind of an ode to Radio Slave. To me, he is an amazing example of how a remixer (and a remix) can take a song in a totally different direction, change its meaning, flesh it out. Like opening a bottle of wine. Often its to "funk up" a slow or a "non-dance" song. Often this can turn out to be a big surprise, such as "Professional Widow" by Tori Amos or "Tom's Diner" by DNA...two very obvious examples (betcha hadn't thought about those songs in awhile). In the case of "Professional Widow", Armand Van Helden took a very mediocre song and strengthened it. In the case of "Tom's Diner", kudos to Suzanne Vega for stopping her record company from suing and releasing the record instead.
There are many many Radio Slave remixes out there (including a white label, I believe, of "Seven Nation Army" by White Stripes, although I could be wrong about that, but I think it put him on the map) as well as his own productions, which are also very cool. Plus he releases records as Radio Slave and his alter-ego Rekid AND DJ's. Almost without exception, I love everything he touches. But I am chosing the 3 I think best illustrate his talents.
First off, "Baboul Hair Cuttin'" by Agoria. The original...a very cool clanky electro track. Didn't love it...fun once. However, his minimal mix strips down the song to a very dark funky mood and then inserts all sorts of odd noises, most notably a riff from the original song. It has to be heard on earphones or in a club to get the full affect. He certainly makes the song danceable, although your head might feel a bit wonky.
Next up is "Moan" by Trentemoller. Trentemoller is a Danish artist and an amazing remixer in his own right (see "We Share Our Mother's Health" by the Knife). The original is a beautiful downtempo track and features vocals from Ane Trolle, who is without a doubt Scandinavian (I am gonna go with Denmark, second guess: Norway). I think this not only because of her name, but from her voice, which as very echoey distaff quality that I associate with vocalists from that region (Flunk, Emiliana Torrini, Ane Brun, Bjork). In its original incarnation, the song has a very sad and lonely feel to it. She sings about "constantly thinking about you" and seeing "the sunset with no sleep at all." My favorite lyric: "I've listened to all the tunes I love, they make me feel quite blue." [This reminds me of my breakup with my first boyfriend...I kept a tape handy of depressing songs to plug into my walkman anytime I felt my depression actually lifting. Ya know, The Cure, The Smiths, Siouxsie---oh how I swooned to "The Last Beat Of My Heart). To me, this version feels like a breakup song--in both a musical and lyrical sense. And t perfectly highlights the sitting-here-alone quality to Ane Trolle's vocals.
And there is the Radio Slave version. It opens with a minimal pulsing beat and then just builds from there (something I love about his remixes, they keep surprising you 7, 8 minutes in...this mix is over 11 minutes long). Her vocals don't drop in until well over 2 minutes into the song. This mix, uh, er...it doesn't feel like a breakup song at all. This mix perfectly highlights the sexual, softcore side of Ane Trolle's vocals...it feels like a song about infatuation, sexual longing, missing someone. Frankly, it feels like she is doing something to herself. Yeah, she wishes you were there...but she is taking care of business nonetheless...
But to me, THE mix is of Peace Division's "Blacklight Sleaze" which features Pleasant Gehman (I feel there is an inside joke there). The original...a cool track where Pleasant (or Ms. Gayman I mean Gehman) talks about her descent into drugs and prostitution and how her makes it feel. It works...but it doesn't blow me away. And frankly, it feels just a tad gimmicky, in a "oh I'm oh so decadent way."
The Radio Slave mix....OK...you know Jennifer Connelly's character in Requiem For A Dream on the night where she prostitutes herself at a sex party (if you have seen the movie, you know exactly the scene I am talking about). Now picture that character really really fucked up...in Times Square. The song manages to do 2 things beautifully...first off, it pushes her vocals even more to the forefront, almost like she is talking over the song playing behind her. Picture her standing there, burnt out, fuckedup...now picture the scariest music you have ever heard of in a club thomping away in the background. Honestly, it sounds like a fat guy's really deep voice that has been cut-up to make the beats. And then there's all kind of crazy noises swooping in and out of the background. Like some incidental music from Seven crossed with the human sacrifice scene from The Temple of Doom...you know, the drums. All the while Pleasant is tossing out vignettes like "I feel sorry for Stacy, her face looks as though it's been stepped on, and her body is like angel food, almost too beautiful to look at...her boyfriend probably doesn't when he hits her" and then as the bass seems to dive even deeper and the noises coming from your speakers get even more fucked up and scary Pleasant drones "I feel sorry for Babette, with her henna'd Cleopatra hair and her luminous eyes....her adorable accent and her broken English can't hide her drug habit and her predatory nature." OKAY, soooooo....you wanna dance. And it builds...and it builds and then..."sometimes i wonder what i am doing here, but... i like to sleep all day and stay out all night. the idea of a straight job is like the idea of a straight jacket. I like buying clothes, I like eating at expensive restaurants and taking taxis. I'm pretty and smart and sarcastic and selfish and I'm not going to be doing this forever."
And it's that last line...it gets me. You know its not true. She is going to be doing this forever, no matter how smart she is, how sarcastic she is. Kids, they are not going to Moscow, no matter what Irena says.
I would love to hear this in a club (I never have). Anyone paying attention will run crying from the dancefloor, sobbing. Fucking amazing and brilliant.
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