Death of the Remixer

After spending a great deal of time going through my 26,000+ mp3 collection, I'm saddened by the fact that there are no good remixers anymore.

Back in the 80's and 90s we had lots. Of course that was because remixing was still new and novel. Shep Pettibone is generally regarded as the godfather of remixing. Before then, dance versions were basically just longer versions of the original mix. He was the one that invented the idea of programming additional sequences and parts separate from what was already there. Others took up the reins when he faded from the scene.

Unfortunately he set in motion a movement that would eventually spin out of control. If you grew up on the 80's 12" singles and dance mixes like I did, and still follow those bands that were out back then and still are now, the Depeche Modes, the New Orders and so forth, you begin to see that the gap between original track and remixland become further and further apart.

Take Mode for example. for the last, oh, seven years or so, I have been hard pressed to find even one really good remix out of many in a single release. Instead, the long time fans are fed a steady supply of versions so far removed from the album version as to be unrecognizable. Weird blips, pops, bizzarre stuttering and dischordant effects that sometimes sound like mastering errors rather than intentionally done. Many remixes fade into the lo-fi realm, and many have no elements of the original track at all, contrary to the whole point, really.

Remixing began as a way to create an enhancement or accompanyment of the single version, wherein the remixer is taking the best parts of the song and integrating it into his vision, to make it playable for clubs. Now, the single version has become the afterthought in many cases, where a completely different song is created from scratch and the original material is added later, if at all.

Some people will never like remixes, and that's fine. But there are many who do, and at one point, single releases were created for the sake of the fans who enjoyed them. Now the remixes are made for the sake of the remixers themselves, and others of their ilk, not for the fans, per se. I'm not sure what the MO is for some of them; they aren't danceable, they mock the song it was supposed to be based on and many are just unlistenable.

As a producer, however unfamous or unknown I am, I always try to keep the original version of the song in mind when I attempt a remix, because otherwise there is no point. Mind you I am old school...

Having said that, there are a few remixers out there still that 'get it' and to name a few, I can think of Tiga, Peter Rauhofer, The Thin White Duke, Richard X, Gui Boratto, Roger Sanchez, Sasha and BT for a start. but gone are the days of shep Pettibone, Justin Strauss, Arthur Baker and william Orbit, et al.

I used to rush to the store to get the latest 12' or CD single of a favouite band, but since about the turn of the centruy it's been a crap shoot, since more and more remixes become less and less appealing since you never know if you ar epaying for something that you won't like. Add that to the advent of file sharing, and people wonder why there is so much pirating going on. When it comes to dance remixes of modern day, most of it is not worth paying for unless being a DJ is your trade, or you are a hard core collector.

Just my opinion.