Yes indeed … say “Sayounara!” to 2009 and bring on 2010 as we celebrate on the rooftop at SkySixty under the stars, here in Orlando. I’ll be supplying a specially selected potpourri of funky tunes and party sounds for the entire evening. Champagne specials all night, and good times all around. 21 and up / $10 cover. We’ll see you there!
An eclectic mix experiment journeying though housey, techy, and disco-y sounds. Enjoy!
Yep, here’s hoping you and yours has a fantastic holiday season. I’m really looking forward to 2010 … there’s so much in store right off the bat.
Here’s some Xmas remix action to listen to as you toke on the yule log:
Johnny Mercer With The Pied Pipers – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) by Q-Burns Abstract Message
Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) by Q-Burns Abstract Message
I’m giving you something a little different this week for ‘remix Wednesday.’ Mercy Machine is a band I’ve collaborated with a few times, previously contributing a couple of remixes for their In My Bed remix collection. The band sought reinterpretations of their songs once again for their stark, religion-themed album The Devil I Know and I was certainly up for attempting a couple more. The fruits of our labor are below (and they are well-suited for these gray winter days).
As you’ll hear if you check out The Devil I Know album (click HERE to give it a listen) these are hardly what you’d call easily remix-able dance tracks. Many of the songs are percussion-less, featuring just the singer’s voice and some guitar. So indeed this was a remix challenge … and I like remix challenges. Here was a chance to try out some new tricks and draw from my somewhat eclectic musical background.
Around the time I was doing these remixes I was actively experimenting with the idea of creating contexts through sonic ‘mini-movies’ in music, an idea I was turned on to years ago by the singer/songwriter Jim White who I was doing some production for. The lyrics for both these Mercy Machine songs easily lent themselves to various mentally visual situations. The opportunity to remix these tunes fit right in with what I was experimenting with at the time.
First up, “The Devil I Know” in which I only used the vocal and created all the other sounds and music myself. I’ll leave it to you to imagine what is happening in this song but I will hint that a lonely singer is joined by quite a few (un?)welcome visitors by the end of the track:
Mercy Machine – The Devil I Know (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) by Q-Burns Abstract Message
The second remix I did for Mercy Machine was for the album track “I Need A New Jesus” (a Wise Blood reference, perhaps?). I based my mix around a piece of the original’s guitar melody and created a sort of ‘dub’ around the vocal. I added some slide dobro, bass guitar, and a cheap xylophone I bought at a market in Bogota, Colombia. I like that the result kind of sounds like a gothic early-80’s post punk band. Spooky stuff, I think. Anyway, there’s a ‘plot-line’ going on in this version as well but, again, I’ll leave the interpretation up to you.
Mercy Machine – I Need A New Jesus (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) by Q-Burns Abstract Message
We’re tackling a full-on Moonboot Session on Friday night as Q-Burns Abstract Message unveils a 5 hour DJ set under the lunar light (well, sort of … it’ll be a ‘waning crescent’). Tons of top tunes of various dancey varieties will be unleashed and you are encouraged to parade around the dancefloor in full-on Moonbooty regalia. Or just what you normally would wear on a fun Friday night out and about. We’ll be thrilled to see you either way, and it’s gonna be a blast.
This occurs Friday, December 11 at the new and revamped SkySixty located in downtown Orlando on the rooftop of The Social. Click HERE for a map or directions. There is no cover, and it’s 21 and up.
We’ll see you at SkySixty for the Moonboot Session!
Also, coming soon: New Year’s Eve at SkySixty with Q-Burns Abstract Message …
I’m sort of a sucker for guitars in dance music. It’s probably from a youth immersed in all those Manchester bands but I do indeed like how chiming guitars and electronic drum beats go together. Thus I was immediately drawn to South African combo Bang Bang and their “Bikini Days“, a cool and gentle track certainly evoking some sort of beachside romp. Quickly snatched up and released on my Eighth Dimension label, I dug the song enough to partake in a remix of my own. You can hear the result here:
Bang Bang – Bikini Days (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) (Eighth Dimension Records) by Q-Burns Abstract Message
I kind of went for a psychedelic, Balearic feel making the aforementioned guitars all twisty and using the vocal verse of the song as if it were the chorus. The rhythms build a bit and the full brunt of the bass doesn’t really kick in until over halfway through (an exercise in patience on my part). I like the idea of the focused bits interchanging with the atmospheric sections, sort of like a camera lens in close-up suddenly pulling back for the wide shot.
“Twas the night of ¡Club Queso! and all through the club /
All the creatures were dancing to the housey hubbub”
Suddenly another year of ¡Club Queso! is coming to a close and thus we celebrate with our special holiday edition: ¡La Navidad Es Para Los Luchadores! – this Friday, December 4 – at The Peacock Room.
Join your jolly hosts Q-Burns Abstract Message, Atnarko, and Sleazy McQueen as they fire up the mistletoe and DJ funky sets of gift-wrapped beats guaranteed to make you shake your jingle bells. Lola B supplies the holiday spirit décor to the Peacock Room and Show Source Productions make things sound extra-juicy. Santa-wrestling super-villians and luchadores have been invited.
This all takes place this Friday, December 4 – at The Peacock Room, located near downtown Orlando by the corner of Mills and Virginia. Click HERE for a map or directions. There’s a $5 cover, it’s 21 and up, and the first 50 people will get a free cheesy mix CD.
We’ll see you there!
Here’s my somewhat ghostly version of my Brazilian buddy Jota Wagner’s track “Acid Resolution.” In this remix I went for some jittery beats and echoey synth action, as well as a cameo from Mr. Leary himself. Decidedly deep, suspiciously spacey, invitingly electronic. Listen here:
Jota Wagner – Acid Resolution (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) (Lunatic Jazz Recordings) by Q-Burns Abstract Message
This track has been released on Jota Wagner’s In My City EP via his own Lunatic Jazz Recordings label. You can find it on Beatport, Stompy, and Juno Download. Nifty.
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