Metal Lungies

This week, before I get into the actual remix writeup, I’d like to highlight two other sites who have been doing this weekly remix thing longer than I have.

More Than Milk do something called ‘Remix Tuesdays’ too but their featured remixes tend to be of the indie/electronic variety. Palms Out Sounds do a weekly Remix Sundays post that’s pretty great. Their Sample Wednesdays are amazing too, definitely worth a look for diggers and expert sample spotters.

The song being covered today is the Ultramagnetic MCs’ “Poppa Large”. The original, found on their second LP, Funk Your Head Up, is dope but the remix off the “Poppa Large” single improves on it in nearly every way.

The original has a laidback drum break and some funky guitar, with looped cheering in the background.. The instrumental is much slower and less, well, frenzied, compared to the remix.

The “East Coast” remix of the Ultramagnetic MCs’ “Poppa Large” is done by a production team called ‘Da BeatMinerz’. Not to be confused with Da Beatminerz, best known for working with the Boot Camp Clik (Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, etc.) ; these are an entirely different BeatMinerz, consisting of producers Ike Lee & Aaron Lyles.

The remix starts with a classic James Brown sample “Hit me!” being scratched. Then the ominous bassline comes in, sounding a bit like the bass line from “The Choice Is Yours”. Shortly after that, the frantic horns come in. Samples of James Brown (?) saying “I’m poppa” are integrated into the beat, along with the odd sample of Kool Keith. Keith comes in on this one like he’s possessed. It doesn’t even matter that nothing he’s saying really makes sense. A sample:

I’m a eat ’em wit popcorn and treat ’em like suds you duds
Coming out the wick wack, wicky, wickable wack
Black jack, that’s a fact, writing exact behind your back

I mean, does anyone have any idea what “Poppa Large” even means?

The remix keeps the original a capella, but Keith sound a lot more energized on the remix. That’s the signature of a great beat/vocal matchup.

Also, holy shit is the video fucking amazing. Kool Keith wearing a straitjacket? Kool Keith with a bird cage on his head? Yes please.

Have a listen to both and share your thoughts in the comments:

Ultramagnetic MCs – Poppa Large

Ultramagnetic MCs – Poppa Large (East Coast Remix)

Apologies for the week off, I’m back on course with a sureshot remix of one of my favourite songs. Queens-based duo Organized Konfusion consisted of rappers Prince Po & Pharaohe Monch. The song I’m covering today is “Stress”, off their classic sophomore effort, Stress : The Extinction Agenda. “Stress” was released as a single, in both 12” and “cassingle” formats. Each had a slightly different track listing but both had the original version of “Stress”, produced by Buckwild, and a remix done by Large Professor.

The album version of “Stress” features pounding, reverb soaked drum hits and an ill Charlie Mingus sample (from “Chazz Fingers” off Mingus Revisited). “Stress” begins with only a downbeat bassline (reminiscent of Buckwild’s work on OK affiliate O.C.’s “Time’s Up”) and gradually adds the other elements. High pitched keys are played just before the horns come in.

The song is interrupted in the middle by a dialogue interlude where Monch & Prince Po try to get a cab to Queens but the guy drives off. The single version omits the skit in the middle but as far as I can tell is identical otherwise.

The video for the album version is below and mostly consists of OK buggin’ out in the snow, seen through a fish eye lens. I don’t need to tell you how great it is.

As good as the original, this writeup is about the remix. The Extra P blessed remix features new verses from both Pharaohe & Po, along with a verse from the “live guy with glasses” himself. I’ll spare you detailed comparison of the two versions’ verses (compare original VS remix), but Large Pro’s verse is dope and I want to share it.

Now nothing ain’t deeper than having to throw a nigga in the sleeper
Don’t stress, and take that shit from Large Profess’
Cause I be on the train trying to maintain
Getting lower than the whole while the record man gain
And it make me want to sting somebody, with the shottie
Cause I can’t relate to living less than great
So I while I make a fat beat to eat
Some of my mans from John Ball high school are sleeping in the street
That stress shit is ill, if you let it, it will
Having your ass on the staircase smoking a scrill
Never that for me, nigga my name’s Extra P
I can’t afford to be stressed the fuck out in ’93
Or ’94, cause everybody knows my solution
to being stressed is looking at the front door

The remix replaces the paranoid, claustrophobic feel of the OG with a laidback, summery vibe. A warm jazz guitar loop and Extra P’s trademarked sleigh bells reverberate throughout the track. A smooth sax line comes in on the chorus. It sounds like it could be a Pete Rock remix from around the same period. The remix flips the chorus of “Crush, kill, destroy, stress” into a kind of cathartic mantra. A fantastic remix but it would sadly be one of the last few Large Professor remixes for a while, besides some great scattered work over ’95-96, on a Blue Note remix project and his dual remixes of Common’s “Resurrection”.

Organized Konfusion – Stress (Album Version)

Organized Konfusion – Stress (Large Professor Remix)

Just like last Tuesdays’ post on the Alkaholiks, I had some trouble finding a decent-sized cover of the single for this post. Plus this cover for the Lovesick 12′ is the closest I could find to a cover for this release of this particular remix of Gang Starr’s “Lovesick”.

This remix is done by someone named John Waddell, whose Discogs profile is pretty sparse; I think his Gang Starr remix might be his earliest release but in the field of hip hop, he did some work for Monie Love & Queen Latifah, among others. Educate me, ML readers, if you have any more info.

With that out of the way, let’s break down the two versions I’m comparing today: The first is the original “Lovesick”, produced by DJ Premier. The remix is “Lovesick (Upbeat Mix)”, produced by the aforementioned Waddell.

The Premier original floats by on a jaunty horn stab, a slow piano line and an understated bass line. Guru ends every verse with some variation of “I’m lovesick” which leads into Premo’s now trademarked scratch chorus: “Love…” “Sick, sick, sick…” I think the “sick” scratch is of Shock G of Digital Underground but I’m not totally sure. Anyone know?

The instrumental is pretty, understated and a lot slower in this version, as compared to Waddell’s remix indicated by the “Upbeat” tag applied to his version. The Upbeat Mix has a kind of 1920s-40s jazz feel to it, oddly enough seeming to foreshadow Premier’s work with Christina Aguilera in 2006 (for comparison’s sake, listen to Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man“). It features a catchy piano line that runs throughout the song, the bass line is a lot bouncier, and a trumpet enters the mix every few lines. Enhancing the jazz feel of the song is the fact that each of the aforementioned instruments solos at the end of each of Guru’s verses. The chorus has changed as well; Guru says “And now I’m lovesick”, the trumpets from the verses blare loudly and there is a little call-and-response that occurs twice per chorus:

Guru: ‘And now I’m lovesick.’

Backing vocals: ‘Hey hey hey!’

Sampled female vocal: ‘Lovesick!’

Backing vocals: ‘Ho ho ho!’

The whole package works really well, and actually manages to be about 50 seconds longer than the original, mostly from the new chorus. A nice addition to your Gang Starr collection (speaking of which, don’t sleep on Know The Ledge’s massive collection of Gang Starr rarities and treats. Here’s a link to pick up part 1 of their 5 part collection.)

I couldn’t find a video with the original version but they made a video for the Upbeat Mix, which I’ve embedded below. I won’t get into too much description for it, but it features Premo on the turntables, Guru walking around with some girls, a jazz band and um, dancers in baggy pants. It’s kinda cool to see Premier & Guru so young though. Listen to both versions below:

Gang Starr- Lovesick

Gang Starr- Lovesick (Upbeat Mix)

Gang Starr – Lovesick (John Waddell Upbeat Mix)

Bonus Beats: While I was searching for the video for “Lovesick”, I found this bizarre video of a bald German man lipsyncing to “Lovesick” wearing an unbuttoned shirt. He actually imitates Guru pretty well. I’m not going to embed it for your own sake but this amused the hell out of me. You can watch it here.

Today is a very special Remix Tuesday because the remix I’m covering was NEVER pressed to wax. It’s a very dope remix of one of my favourite songs, “Whateva Man” by Redman. Here’s the catch: this is a radio rip off of a radio show. You know what makes that alright? It’s a Pete Rock beat!

Yes, the Chocolate Boy Wonder laces this remix, live on his Future Flavas show with Marley Marl. So let’s get to the breakdown of the original and the remix.

The original beat is propelled by a low bass line and light drum hits, occasionally punctuated with a distorted vocal sample. It gives enough room for Redman to flex and deliver some of the funniest lines of his career. Here’s my favourite quotable:

I smoked with a lot of college students
Most of ’em wasn’t graduatin’ and they knew it

The Pete Rock mix of the song has neck snapping drums and warm keys and vibes backing the Funk Doctor Spock’s punchlines. The rip is unfortunately censored with dropouts, with Red’s objectionable words replaced by static. But it’s still a pleasant surprise for any PR or Redman fan who’s never heard it before. For those who enjoyed Pete & Red’s chemistry on “How To Roll A Blunt” and “Gimme One” (Buhizzle knows what’s up), this is a must-hear.

Redman – Whateva Man (Pete Rock Remix)

Here’s the awesome video for the original version, which has Red & Method Man dressed as the Blues Brothers, and the unforgettable image of Redman dancing with an umbrella.

Bonus beats: Read Jeff Weiss’s brilliant writeup of Muddy Waters, the album “Whateva Man” is from.

Today I’m doing an RT on one of my favourite West Coast groups (word to Trav at WYDU). Today I’m covering two different remixes for the Liks’ classic “DAAAM!”, off the equally dope Coast II Coast.

First, let’s go over the original, produced by Alkaholiks member E-Swift. The album version floats on a thumping bassline and a synth-y sample. It brings in the always fresh Nautilus sample on the chorus, which is probably one of the most sampled breaks ever. You can see the video for it below.

The first remix is on the original single release for the song, done by E-Swift himself. The “Swift Mix” rocks much harder drums, downbeat piano keys and an upbeat horn sample. It has new verses from each Liks member too.

The second scored its own single, done by DITC producer Buckwild. The Buckwild remix puts a much breezier backing behind the original verses. It floats on smooth keys and what sounds like sleighbells. There’s the odd “Check it out y’all” Big Daddy Kane sample that pops up here & there as well. All three versions are well worth your time, which can’t be said about a lot of remixes.

DAAAM! (Album version)

DAAAM! (Swift Mix)

DAAAM! (Buckwild Remix)

One thing I wanted to ask my readers here: when I do Remix Tuesdays, do you guys want/expect instrumentals or acapellas as well? Or are you cool with standard vocal versions? Let me know in the comments.

Haha, I keep forgetting about this series but I finally got a new one together for y’all. (sidenote: if anyone really digs these posts, leave a comment. I’m really trying to do these on a weekly basis and a little encouragement would help me out.)

Today’s remix is from the 1996 promotional “O.D.B. EP” release. It has a few non-album goodies on it but the real treat is the remix of “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”, done by Bay Area producer (& frequent E-40 collaborator) Studio Ton. Ton’s remix replaces the dusty drums and and memorable piano sample of the original with a fat bassline, squelchy synths and Zapp-style claps.

ODB raps over his own vocals throughout the song, occasionally shouting along with himself. He even flatly resings the chorus over the original, which is played in the background. Ason also adds a new verse at the end of the song, along with an amusing series of shout-outs. Of course, there are also excellent guest verses from MC Eiht & E-40. They even did a pretty crazy video for it, with fake looking fire effects and some hilarious dancing from ODB.

Here’s one of the two videos for the original song for comparison:

Listen: Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Studio Ton Remix)

Making up for skipping it last week: it’s another Tuesday so naturally ML hits you, the reader, off with some heat on the remix tip.

Edan is a dope emcee, DJ & producer from Boston, Mass who mixes late 80s-early 90s hip hop with a variety of different musical styles. On his most recent album, 2005’s Beauty And The Beat, he fuses golden age hip hop with 60s psychedelia to accomplish his goal of putting “Syd Barrett’s face on Biz Markie’s body” with “Kool G Rap’s brain”. It’s wildly creative and really consistently great all the way through.

The standout song for me and the one I’m specifically writing about today is “Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme”. Edan uses the song to educate the listener about the true pioneers in hip hop and urges them to “Pump your fist, but first give praise to the true scientists”.

The OG version, produced by Edan himself, rocked a dusty drum break, Mellotron sounding synths, and a vocoder singing the song’s title as a hook.

The remix I’m covering today was never actually pressed to vinyl, unfortunately. It was done by currently unsigned Toronto producer Beat Chemist and was originally put up on his now defunct website. It replaces the spacey synths and vocoder and switches out Edan’s drums for a more frantic break, accompanied by pumping horns. Chemist adds some scratches of Das EFX (“REAL HIP HOP!”) and of all the rappers Edan mentions throughout the track.

Both versions are dope but Chemist really brought out some uncut raw dopeness in the song. As mentioned, though BC’s official site is down, he has some great beats and instrumentals at his MySpace and his New Music Canada page that you should check out.

Listen to “Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme” here.

Listen to the Beat Chemist remix of “Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme” here.

Buy Beauty And The Beat while you’re at it.

It’s another Tuesday, which means the latest entry in ML’s ongoing series, Remix Tuesdays (read the first installment here). Today our remix is the Showbiz remix of Diamond D’s ode to the neighbourhood slut, “Sally Got A One Track Mind” off the song’s 12′.(See also: Jonathan Coulton’s song, “The Town Crotch.” Not hip hop, just really funny).

The original version, produced by Diamond, works the classic drum break from “It’s A New Day” by the Skull Snaps and a psychedelic sounding guitar loop from a Tower of Power record.

Fellow D.I.T.C. member Showbiz’s remix of “Sally” has harder drums and really smooth horns that get louder on the chorus. I think I might actually like it better than the original.

Listen to the Showbiz remix here and listen to the original version of “Sally Got A One Track Mind” here.

Props to And It’s Still All Good for tipping me off to this remix.

I’m using this post to start my new weekly series of posts, Remix Tuesdays.

Every Tuesday, I’m going to upload a dope remix and write a little bit about it. Today I’m writing about DJ Premier’s remix of Da King & I’s song “Flip Da Script”.

Da King & I was a Brooklyn based hip hop group, consisting of MC Izzy Ice and producer DJ Majesty. They put out one album together, 1993’s Contemporary Jeep Music, released on Dallas Austin’s record label (yep, Boyz II Men Dallas Austin). It’s an excellent jazz-rap album with virtually no filter and was very overlooked at the time.

Premo’s remix is based around a jazzy sax line that slips in and out of the mix and a smooth bass line. DJ Premier puts his signature scratches on the chorus, tearing up a sample from Grand Puba’s “Check It Out” , of Stud Doogie saying “flippin’ the script!” (thanks to Mike Czech for identifying the sample!)

The DJ Premier remix can be found here and here’s the instrumental.

Buy Contemporary Jeep Music, it’s worth it!

Bonus links: An interview on the awesome From Da Bricks with Da King & I producer DJ Majesty.

The link to the video for the original song (embedding disabled, unfortunately)