This online discussion is open for comments October 8-14. The assignment description and grading requirements are available here.
As consumers and audience members, it’s easy for us to take musical sounds for granted—it seems like those sounds emerge out of nowhere, just for us, in that moment when we listen. But sounds come from somewhere—even “new” or “original” musical ideas grow out of or build upon musical ideas that have come before. Just like we alluded to in our discussion on musicking, music travels across time, geography, and genre, and the range of things we consume as listeners affects our expectations of how music “should” sound.
Let’s start with some pop music, by way of a piece from a composer you wrote about in your Analysis #1: Igor Stravinsky. Although Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird was composed in 1909, you’ve actually been listening to snippets of it most of your life.
Turtles all the way down
Modern pop music borrows a sound from pop music of the 1980s, and pop music of the 1980s was borrowing from classical music of the early 20th century. But as you know by now, Stravinsky isn’t the beginning of classical music, not by a long shot. The orchestra he used included winds, string, brass, and percussion—and in our discussion last week you noticed that not all of those instruments were used in the earliest symphonies. They all got there somehow.
Let’s take a closer look at percussion instruments as a case study. They add color, rhythm, volume, and power to the sound of an orchestra, and they’re now considered a standard part of that ensemble. But in the Classical era (when the orchestra first emerged), the ensemble emphasized string instruments, along with a handful of woodwinds, but brass was quite rare and percussion was almost never heard—it wasn’t yet part of the “normal” sounds that European listeners expected from their music.
But musicians from other parts of the world at that time were making much more use of percussion. In the Ottoman Empire, the Janissary bands that heralded the arrival of the Emperor used percussion and nasal-sounding wind instruments that were unfamiliar, frightening, and powerful-sounding for Europeans.
People living in Europe became familiar with these sounds during the Ottoman-Habsburg Wars (1526-1791), when Turkish armies made use of psychological warfare by having their Janissary bands perform outside the walls of a city under siege, psyching up their own troops and intimidating the citizens trapped inside. For European musicians like Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, these sounds were inspiring—a fresh set of orchestral colors to use and exploit.
In this slow movement from a symphony by Haydn, the percussion makes a grand, heavy entrance at around 1:37, a total contrast to the preceding piano, delicate, sweet sound of the strings and woodwinds (Symphony No. 100 “Military”, II. Allegretto, 1793).
Remixes
One semester, a student told me that pop music was more creative and better than classical music because it had remixes—and not just that it had remixes but that it invented them! However, in classical music not every work is wholly original or pretends to be—an enormous swath of musical output is of the kind we can call a pastiche, a parody, or a remix.
One of my favorite remixed ear-worms comes in MC Solaar’s 1997 “Paradisiaque”:
It samples Diana Ross’s 1976 “Love Hangover,” and listening to it feels like MC Solaar was inspired to re-imagine the first song in a new way (more specifically, MC Solaar’s work adds a new vocal layer on top of and bass line under an edited, sped-up version snipped off the introduction from Ross’ hit).
Let’s define “remixing” as when a musician is inspired to do something new with a musical idea that’s already been created. By this definition, classical musicians remix all the time! Taking a melody and dressing it up in new musical clothes (new instrumentation, new harmony, new texture, new added countermelody, etc.) is the defining feature of nearly all classical music—musical form is just repetition, contrast, and variation. As we’ve seen in class, the most common form used by musicians from the 1750s to today, sonata form, relies on “remixing” for the entirety of its development section.
Remixes are also a call-back to our discussion on musicking—listening to remixed, sampled, or reworked pieces like this can be an even richer experience (i.e., one that has more layers and nuance) if you are familiar with the original version: it’s like you’re experiencing two pieces at once!
This is what happens to my sister’s mom, a sweet 70-something-year-old lady who becomes both confused and disappointed when this song comes on the radio (Mary J. Blige and Method Man, “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need”, 1995—and version is itself a remix of Method Man’s 1994″All I Need”!)…
…because she starts experiencing this one in her head (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, “You’re All I Need to Get By,” 1968):
Sampling, remixing, or covers often arise out of admiration: enjoying another’s work in such a way that it inspires you to do something new with it. Or the sampled work is really catchy and the musician can’t get it out of their head when they sit down to compose or create something new.
The armed man
That’s the case with what may be the most-borrowed song you’ve probably never heard of, a pop song of the Renaissance era, L’homme armé (The armed man):
Text translation:
The armed man should be feared.
Everywhere it has been proclaimed
That each man shall arm himself
With a coat of iron mail.
The armed man should be feared.
Composers used this little ditty as the basis of dozens of other works, notably masses (the prayers of the Catholic Church). The melody would be sung in one of the voice parts, with new harmonies composed to sit on top of or underneath it. There are 40 surviving works from the 15th and 16th centuries that use L’homme armé as their starting point and then remix the original melody. Here is one from Guillaume Dufay (1397-1474):
Sometimes non-musicians didn’t even know they were listening to a popular song woven into their prayers, and this became a source of contention in the Catholic Church and was abolished during the Counter-Reformation (1545-63). We’ll revisit this issue of what’s considered “appropriate” in religious settings in class.
The birth of polyphony
Using an existing melody (often something popular, like a children’s song or drinking song) as the basis of a new piece of music was common outside of religious music, too. This was one of the avenues via which composers in the Renaissance experimented and discovered the art of writing pleasing polyphony: starting with an established melody that already works musically and adding something to it. A motet, for example, was a genre of song that often featured a borrowed melody with new melodies added on top (polyphony), usually with the new melodies sung in a different language!
Aucun vont / Amor qui cor / Kyrie (Anonymous) is an example of a motet in 3 languages: French (highest), Latin (middle), and Greek (lowest). Each one is about different levels of love: the French line is about those who are unfaithful in relationships; the middle line says that those who love ephemeral, worldly things have less room for God in their hearts; and the lowest line sings “Kyrie eleison” (Lord, have mercy)—devotional love. It’s a re-imagining of a common idea (the Kyrie, which we’ve heard an example of in class), dressed up in a totally new musical context.
Variations
Another kind of “remix” is the kind found in concert showpieces: opportunities for a performer to show off brilliant technique by adding variations to an existing melody. It was quite common in the 19th century for a traveling composer-performer to adapt the melodies of whatever opera was hot at the time into of a set of fantasy-variations. Audiences loved to hear melodies they already knew from the opera (much like we often love a good sample in hip-hop today), and they enjoyed being impressed with the performer’s virtuosity.
Composing a set of variations could also be a way for a composer to elevate a boring piece of music or flex their compositional chops. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Op. 120 (1823) begin with an innocuous tune (composed by Anton Diabelli) and take it on a remarkable, virtuosic journey that ends up sounding very little like the original:
A composer might also write a set of variations on their own music—remixing themselves, in effect. Kanye is not the first musician to be inspired by his own work! For example, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (1741) were written, as the story goes, to be played to lull an insomniac aristocrat to sleep, and they begin with a simple melody (an aria) written by Bach:
Finally, there’s a more abstract kind of remix that crops up all the time in the classical music world in the form of rehashing a trope or general idea which another artist has already explored. We’ve already seen Tchaikovsky’s ballet Sleeping Beauty (Analysis #1) which presented a new take on the well-known fairy tale: it effectively remixes the story in a new medium. Other works reinterpret a familiar character by placing them in a new context: Orpheus from Greek mythology and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust were and continue to be two extremely common topics of musical inspiration and reimagining.
Most abstractly, composers create symphonies, string quartets, piano sonatas, and other genres that have been done thousands of times before, reusing forms and gestures—the framework they use to present their musical ideas isn’t original, but their surface-level musical ideas (melody, harmony, texture, instrumentation) can be: they remix the form. In doing so, they’re checking off all the boxes that broadly define “remix”: 1) being inspired by or admiring previous artists’ work, 2) creating a situation in which the listener can simultaneously experience past works that share some musical DNA, and 3) the work is a response or continuation of an ongoing discussion between artists.
Perfectionism, “authenticity,” and listener expectations
The ascendancy and primacy of recorded music in the 20th century has changed how music is heard as well as how it is made. Improvements in microphones, mixers, and the advent of digital recording processes and editing software have all made it much easier to produce music that sounds excellent: rich, clear, enticing, and beautiful. Compare these two recordings of Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 (1826): the first was recorded by the Léner String Quartet in 1924—In addition to the omnipresent hiss of the recording technology itself, the sound is tinny, thin, and far-away, with very little audible dynamic or timbral contrast:
On the other hand, a live performance by the American String Quartet in 2013 is clear, conveys all the nuances and subtleties of the players, and has an overall rich or round sound quality:
The 1924 recording is more likely to be authentic—it took place closer to Beethoven’s lifetime, so the chances that one of the members of the string quartet knew someone who knew Beethoven aren’t impossible. That doesn’t mean it’s a better performance or that a listener would choose it over the 2013 recording.
The ubiquity of recorded music has two major effects on how we consume music and what we expect from it as listeners:
- Music should sound perfect; and
- Music should sound perfect all the time.
When a classical musician makes an album (except for recordings of live performances), the goal is a product that is worth listening to multiple times, one without glaring flaws and that is thoughtful and interesting to listen to. The process is comprised of obsessing over details: it is a painstaking marathon of recording every sound over and over again, sometimes playing the same 15 seconds of music (called a “take”) dozens of times to make sure that all aspects of the performance match with what the musician intended (timing, vibrato, intonation, coordination, tone quality). Then, the musician(s) will select the best takes, and the sound engineer will digitally stitch all these patchwork pieces of the performance together so that every single sound is as “perfect” as it can be.
When I recorded an album in 2016, we took 55 takes of one 9-minute piece of music over the course of a single afternoon—this is quite a small number for most classical recordings! A few weeks later, I listened all the takes and told the engineer that I wanted the first 3 notes from take 4, followed by two measures from take 15, then two beats from take 1, etc. all the way through the piece. All the takes are my playing, but I essentially created a Frankenstein performance of it, choosing the mini-performances in which I best executed my intentions. (The album is available here).
Perfectionism is all over the pop music industry, as well. In the past when physical CDs were the primary form of music distribution, the process of releasing music took much longer than it does now. After writing music, recording it in the studio, mixing, and editing, it would take around 6 weeks for the audio to be encoded onto CDs, CD jackets and booklets to be printed, and the product to be physically shipped to record stores. During this time, there would be a press tour to amp up excitement for the release, followed by a release party and scheduled date that consumers could purchase the album in stores. Audiences had to be patient, and artists couldn’t go back an alter their work once the marketing timeline had begun. However, most artists today rely much more heavily (or even exclusively) on digital releases of their work: uploading music to SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube. This means that the lead time between finishing a recording and making it available to the public can be reduced to a few hours rather than weeks. It also means that artists don’t necessarily have to adhere to firm deadlines and can instead continue to alter their music as long as they like–if they push back the drop date by a few hours, a couple days, or a year, there isn’t an expensive pre-scheduled marketing campaign or tour that is thrown out of whack. An article by Joe Coscarelli in The New York Times (August 5, 2016) outlines the ways in which established and new artists use the Internet to release their music (and have the flexibility to continue to tweak their tracks to meet their perfectionist creative standards). He discusses primarily Frank Ocean but also Kanye West, Beyoncé, and independent artists: Coscarelli, the Sudden Digital Drop – The New York Times
So what does this perfectionism do to the live music experience? On the classical side, there is a general expectation that the live performance will be as flawless as the studio version. It’s an impossibly high standard! Some audiophiles (people who love recorded sound) find live performances frustrating because the sound is imperfect: musicians make mistakes in live performances, people in the audience cough or shuffle their papers, or the sound in the hall might not be as pure as it is on their home speaker system.
Because most audience members come into contact with pieces of music first through recordings (perfect recordings!), their ears are primed to expect that every time they hear a given piece it will sound as perfect as their favorite recording. In turn, performers try to give the audience what they want: a flawless performance that matches a great recording. The problem with a flawless performance is that in order to play flawlessly, you must practice flawlessly–over and over and over again, until every sound comes out exactly the same way every single time and matches audience’s expectations. Performers are far less likely today to try something new or unprecedented on stage (or in an audition) than they were in the 19th century or first half of the 20th century.
The expectation that a live performance will match the crisp, coordinated, and sumptuous sound of a recorded album affects how many non-classical musicians perform, as well. Since the 1960s, the use of pre-recorded backing tracks for all or some of the sounds that comprise a “live” performance has become nearly ubiquitous (including vocals, backing vocals, instrumental tracks). There are many possible permutations of this, described here and here. To some degree this makes sense, since performers can’t dance and sing well simultaneously (think about what happens to your voice when you try to talk while jogging or doing jumping jacks). Sometimes “live” performances are completely fake, as with this list of examples from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beyoncé, Eminem, Nirvana, Milli Vanilli, Ashlee Simpson, and Jay-Z. And “Lip Sync Battle” was so popular on Jimmy Fallon that it’s now a well-rated spin-off show hosted by LL Cool J—it’s as if we love the energy and illusion of performance but not necessarily the music making.
Smoke and mirrors
When we talk about authenticity, sometimes we’re referring to the heartfelt “self-expression” a singer exhibits—but what if the sentiments being expressed are really someone else’s creation? So much happens behind the scenes in pop music that comprises an artist’s public identity or image: making them sound the way they do by writing lyrics and producing tracks, making them look the way they do through fashion and styling, making them have a particular persona through interview coaching, scheduling appearances at certain events, creating beefs with other artists, or selling photographs to tabloids. An “artist” is oftentimes actually an army of several dozen people working together to create a coherent marketing product (that happens to include music).
For example, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Kesha, Pink, Nicki Minaj, David Guetta, The Weeknd, Fifth Harmony, Maroon 5, Ace of Base, Backstreet Boys, and Britney Spears are all pop artists who present distinctly different personas and musical identities to the public, but much of their music is all written by the same handful of song writers: Max Martin and Dr. Luke (whose work was featured in the video at the beginning of this post), often working together, or Karl Martin Sandberg. Max Martin’s writing credit discography ranges from Bon Jovi to Ariana Grande; Dr. Luke’s is similarly prolific, including Three 6 Mafia and Weezer. Other ubiquitous songwriters who have created the musical identities of headlining artists over the last 30 years include Babyface, Pharrell Williams, RedOne, Rick Rubin, and Sia.
Liar, liar
The idea of authenticity is often front-and-center in hip-hop: staying true to oneself, not selling out, or remaining true to one’s home, origins, and community.
“Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?” —Eminem, “The Real Slim Shady” (2000)
“I rap and I’m real / I’m one of the few here.” —Jay-Z, “Real As It Gets” (2009)
“First things first, I’m the realest.” —Iggy Azalea, “Fancy” (2014)
But, Iggy Azalea is liar. She has never been in “da murder business,” and she adopts an accent that implies a different country, ethnic group, and socio-economic class than the reality of her life. Much of the frustration with Azalea’s posturing is that it’s an example of cultural appropriation: she wears the accent like a coat, taking it off whenever she wants, and doing so without having to bear any of the burden of the lived experiences that create that traditionally black sonic identity. When she takes it off, she gets to return to the relative privilege of being a white Australian woman.
But it’s also possible to view Azalea’s behavior as fundamentally the same as how other musicians approach music making. Musicians use different sounds in different settings to fit audience expectations, and those expectations transcend the limitations of geography, time, and genre. Is the true measure authentic identity in hip-hop—or any of these genres—not to convey one’s lived reality, but simply to entertain?
Final thoughts
The more abstract or broad the definition of “remix” becomes, and the more we are aware of how sounds “migrate” from one place/time/genre to another, the less room there is for anything to be considered original at all. If, as James Baldwin (1965) argues, “history is literally present in all that we do” and that we are “unconsciously controlled” by history and the framework and systems we inherit, then we are not free to do absolutely anything we choose. We are not free to create out of the blue—everything is a reaction to something that has come before, whether we act in admiration or in rejection or even in ignorance, we have still reacted to what we inherit.
“Originality” as a synonym for creativity is often something that we say we value. But I would argue that we devalue creativity by lumping it together with originality—we are not creative because we are original, but rather we are creative despite the fact that we are unoriginal. It is the constraints of unoriginality that allow for creativity at all.
-Dr. J.
Dr. Jones' Music Classes 
When I think of remixes, I think of the same song being passes from different musicians who appreciate the song so they want to make a song out of it. This reminds me of today’s soundcloud rappers where many rappers take the beats or instrumentals of songs and create new songs and beats out of them taking excerpts of them and creating new flows. This is done much in today’s rap game because many producers use pre-made beats and remake them to sound better to the rappers flow. I feel that remixes does not devalue the originality but instead makes more valuable because now there are multiple versions for it to spread and more listeners to find out where the songs originality came from.
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I totally agree with you, sadly since it is so common in Today’s rap game many feel like they are being “robbed” from their originatlly. Also many may claim that is done out of spite. In multiple occasions the person doing the remix claims that they sound better than the originial, which brings issues within the industry.
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Yes, I agree. While the same beats are used it doesn’t make them any less interesting. If anything, it brings a greater appreciation to the beat.
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What’s a good beat that has been used and it only got better?
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I agree with you, and I think that you are right that remix now days are more originals, also when we listen to this remix, we get to know more songs that may be we didn’t know before, Also I agree with the example that you gave from SoundCloud, but how about YouTube?, YouTube is a website where we can see this kind of remix too. the immigration of songs is the best because as I said before we get to know more about another songs from the past.
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skyto123 the first sentence that you mention reminds me more of a cover of a song and not a remix. Covers and remix are different songs and structures, covers are songs that are almost if not the same (sounding was) as an original song. A remix is a song that takes another song and turns it too a different song. One example of a good cover song is “hurt” by Johnny cash, the orginal song by Nine Inch Nails. A good remix song is fitnesse by Bruno Mars and Cardi B, the original song is by Bruno Mars himself.
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People don’t actually realize that remixes are a blessing. The real reason why remixes happens are because of the appreciation of music itself and how the remixes blend into this generation. You think of some remixes such as “Finesse” by Bruno Mars & Cardi B as well as ” Despacito” with Luis Fonsi, Justin Bieber etc and you should realize that the remixes tend to levitate around today’s music. Music always has to change according to generations and that’s what remixes are for.
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I agree with you that remixes are a blessing and that Music always has to change according to generations. Originality is just a word today and doesn’t mean that any artist is untalented because they sampled a beat or was inspired to create another song with the same beat such as Bryson Tiller – Exchange and J.Cole – Deja Vu. I feel that remixes add more variation to the song so more people have more ideas to use from when they want to remix or sample another song not stealing the song and its originality.
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i absolutely agree ! Finesse is a great example along with one other remix that has been surrounded by a little bit of contoversy is Ella Mai’s song ‘Trip’ that was remixed by another artist known for remixing alot of songs, Jacqueese. i personally prefer the remix over the original version.
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I agree with what you said, and it also goes to show the statement that was made ” we are creative despite the fact that we are being unoriginal.
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Yeah I see where you’re coming from with this reply. Sometimes remixes are good, but sometimes it can backfire lol
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Do you think that another artist can top Whitney Huston remix of I will always Love you originally sung by Dolly Parton? Whitney took that song into another era
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I agree that it can backfire, but i feel like sometimes remixes are so under-rated. Sometimes they take more creativity and really try to convey a message, or just connect with a different type of audience by incorporating sounds from the past.
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Right! I love hearing a remix to an old song like Ariana Grande’s song “Break Your Heart Right Back” featuring Childish Gambino sampled Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” (1980). Ariana Grande used Diana Ross’ background vocals during the chorus and incorporates the beat from the Ross’ original song.
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I agree with your response and thoughts about remix music. Of course the only reason why composers come up with remix music is because it’s a song that every generation can relate to the lyrics. And to make the music and rhythms more for our new generation they remix the song and don’t change the lyrics is some cases.
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Do you think that if remixes where never made that we would enjoy music they way we do today?
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Honestly, I don’t think so because in this generation, we like more upbeat songs. Like for instance, if you go and listen to Mozart piece it sounds quite boring, but if you add some beats on top and some different tones and whatever other stuff you add, the complete result will be fire. To me, remixes pave a way for other people’s originality.
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No, cause we wouldn’t be able to hear so many different sides to one story.
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I believe that we would not even tell because most of us would just enjoy what is out. Although remixing can do a song justice, like making despacito a mega hit(the remix at least), without the remix I believe that an song may have been successful.
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To be honest my favorite part of listening to a piece of music is knowing that their is going to be a remix of it. I find the remixes to be better because they are fast paced depending on the original piece. When I listen to a remix song I often times feel that it sounds better and makes the listening experience more exciting. I agree with skyto123, because the music today artists tend to use a beat that’s been already used to remake it how they want the tempo of the song to go with their singing. I
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Honestly, I agree with what your saying. Remixes can make a piece so much more interesting and up beat. Remixes are defiantly my favorite. It creates a different version of the song or beat from the original into something even better. Many artists create remixes that could be a disaster but can keep that song in your head for years. The chorus and new beats being heard, what better than that!
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Yes! That reminds me of some Adele songs. While some are heart-wrenching and at a slow pace, I love to hear a dance remix to it and it’s like, “okay, I can listen to this again while I’m not sad”, lol.
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that’s already been used, to remake the original piece, and change it to their choice of tempo known as a remix.* I personally feel that music in today’s society has migrated from generations before(similar to the title of this online discussion), musicians today are just remaking what they heard and presenting someone else’s idea as their own but recreating it. Their are many songs out there today that has been remixed and the fact that its not original does mean its stupid or wack. It is just reused in a way that’s different and its letting musicians express their creativity.
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Exactly. The fact that you can take an old piece, make it new and maybe add a new feeling to it that wasn’t felt before; that’s original.
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In classical era, Europeans were not familiar with the new unique instrument group called percussion. Later period, Europeans became familiar with this instrument (percussion) during the “Ottoman-Habsburg wars” reminds me of the video clip that i watched in the class today. The lady who used her voice to create a sound that people normally would not. On her concert, she sang a song without any words. I am not sure, if I can call this singing a song. First moment that i heard her singing, i had a headache. However, as the video kept continued I felt fine and started to accept that was another form of expressing the art in her own way. Some people still reject to take that as an art but i believe that as time goes by more and more people will accept it as an art just like the Europeans who felt the percussion was the inspiring and enjoyable during “Ottoman-Habsburg wars”.
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Singing doesn’t necessarily need words to be sung. If it wasn’t singing, what would you call it?
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I think the biggest problem in today’s society is that artists are more focused on reciprocating the format and composition of other popular songs, because they know that listeners will automatically like it. Furthermore, listeners of this generation are also being trained that when a composition is out of the ordinary, it can be seen as weird or unappealing. The reading describes listeners who don’t appreciate Iggy because she is trying to conform to American culture, however, if she were to be herself, would people give her music a chance in the first place? My question for today would be, if we look back to our generation now from the future, would we see more originality develop through the artists’ work, or would it just continue to reciprocate until all music sounds the same? In a way, it seems as though history is repeating itself, like in the Classical Era where an artist was valued for their skill, rather than their originality.
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Great point when you state that history is repeating itself. I agree 100%. Originality is always a bonus though when being evaluated.
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This post blog was interesting especially the first video “the sounds that connect stravinsky to bruno mars” but I have mixed opinions when it’s come to remix, it’s true some remixes tend to be better than the original song but the problem that I have sometimes is that i feel like some artists are not only inspired by the music or the instrumental, they appropriated the music completely.
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That is true too. But wouldn’t we want others not part of our culture to enjoy what we enjoy within our own culture? I feel like some people do it ignorantly for their own advantage and there’s others who do it for the sake of diversity in the listening experience.
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My thoughts on sound migration is that what it means by sound migration is that sounds such as verbal sounds are travelling or being copied from one artist to another such as back in the text Iggy Azalea is copying someone else’s accent and is giving off the impression of a different type of culture. Also another thing is that people giving of these impressions but they aren’t authentic or as said in the text ” heartfelt”. They incorporate impersonations of other to sell their music. But one thing good about sound migrations is that if you look at modern hip hop it borrowed classical music from the 20th century from Australia; so over here see see a little bit of cultural diffusion.
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Sometimes I’m not really a fan of remixes because i feel like nothing can top the original
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@ebonemilton20 some remixes I really dislike, I am mexican and when they try to make a bachata into cumbia 🤢 lol I’m sorry but thats very bad music.
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hhahaha I get it.
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Honestly i love remixes music, remixes can make you appreciate the original more but there are times where that remix totally overshadows the original sometimes to the point where you think the remix is the original
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Welcome to EDM! Haha
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That’s exactly how I feel. The remixes are just so good because those artists doing the remix build off the original song and improve upon in certain areas.
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I honestly feel like looking forward to a perfect live prformance nowadays from rappers or singers is like looking foward to eating your leftovers but your brothers already ate it… Disappointing. This is because when we listen to a certain song on souncloud or itunes, we think “yeah, I could really jam to this because this person have a nice voice” but when it comes down to performing live they sound completely different because of all the auto-tunes added to the voice in the studio, and that’s why releasing and album or a single song takes less time now than it would back in the days. In the past performers were more worried about sounding natural, and being able to relate to their audience through a CD and when it comes down to live performances. I guess its safe to say Technology changes everything.
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It’s true. Sometimes technology can enhance our listening experiences while it can also make us hate it completely. If you just want to make your voice sound smoother in a recording fine, but you better make sure you’re refining and practicing before a live performance because I don’t want to hear your voice crack every time you’re attempting to hit a high note lol.
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I agree with you “Technology changes everything.” If people pay money to see the performing live but a singer’s voice is completely different than his or her album. It can be 100% disappointed.
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what do you think about Iggy Azalea and how she present herself to her audience?
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i dont like her music but i think what’s bother the most with Iggy is that she did not come with her own style, she tries to embody something she is not and im not saying that because she’s white, I just think she should have been inspired by eminem and try to bring something new instead of just imitating or to just be herself.
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@kora I personally do not listen to her but she does what the audience wants. If she makes money doing it does originality really matter?
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I still get amazed at the little bits of earlier music being used in today’s music. In reference to the first video about Stravinsky and Bruno Mars’ connection with each other through the Fairlight-created, “orchestra hit”, I didn’t even know that such a device existed. I always thought that sounds were just recorded live with a recording device along with other sounds simultaneously, (or something like that). It definitely didn’t seem as easy as using the Fairlight Digital Sampler. This does make me think of Tiësto’s “Adagio For Strings” and if the Fairlight helped in creating that song. At the time the song came out, I was musically shocked to hear an electronic version of a classical piece. In reference to the second video, I’m grateful that the Turks introduced percussion sounds to the orchestra because I can’t think of an orchestra without the strong sound of a drum or a steady beat from the percussion family.
I have always appreciated remixes as they prevented some of my favorite songs from becoming potentially boring or “played out”. It just comes to shows that originality can stem from imitation or copying. As they say, “life imitates art” and art imitates itself, creating never versions of itself which translates to original copies. On the other hand, it can be frustrating to hear an introduction to a song that you really like and it turns out to be a different completely song. Thank you, weekend radio mashups, lol.
Variations in melody in this post was discussed through instrumental concert show pieces in opera. What about Beyoncé? She’s a great example of variation. She used the same melody, but exercises her vocals and flexes her range in ad-libbing and rifting. For example, she does this in her ballad “Dangerously in Love”. She may have sung that song so many different times in different ways as she would improvise the after the bridge beautifully. Beyoncé delivers a performance virtually flawlessly as her recordings, but when she starts to play with the melodies and harmonies, it’s just out of this world. This form of variation is common in popular music that we listen to today.
As a listener, I do tend to compare live performances to the master recordings of songs. Yes, Ariana Grande is amazing, but I do get that the acoustics in the venue she’s performing in can make her sound a little pitchy or sometimes flat or sharp on certain notes. (Don’t come for me.) It’s still very impressive how close of a performance she gives and uses the acoustics of a setting to her advantage in order to stay in tune. Also, when it comes to recording albums, I didn’t know that the process was so intricate to the point that the final result is all these pieces put together to give us the master recording. (Kudos to you, Dr. Jones for recording an album!) I honestly thought that a master recording was recorded from start to finish in most cases or at least a whole section.
Lastly, I do agree with the professor as she stated in about the idea of the authenticity in today’s music. From Iggy Azalea culture appropriating (which she sucks for) to artists claiming that they write their own music when in fact, ghost writers were needed. I get that these artists want to related to the masses, but it shouldn’t be at the cost of your true self. Simply being yourself is what I think truly connects with an audience. As musicians, listeners and humans, we will continue creating and while our creations may be similar to each other, the process is always different. And that contrast is what’s beautiful and unique.
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I want to make reference to the point that sounds we’re accustomed to hearing can concieve notions in our minds or influence our expectations of what a particular piece should sound like. That is very true. For instance, the 70-something-year-old lady and how she’d feel confused and disappointed when she heard a remixed version of a particular song, expecting to hear the original song. I can relate. Sometimes when I hear a melody or a beat, I start singing the words I think should follow the melody, but sometimes it ends up being a different song. Dat happens not only with remixed songs but with songs on a similar melody or beat. E.g. I’m familiar with the songs “One by One” by Movado – https://youtu.be/bL41vXN8gHg and “Electric” by Vybz Kartel – https://youtu.be/TcDVCpHjHew. The two songs are on the same beat and when one comes on, I sometimes think it’s the other. Also, when I hear the beat or melody to “Hold On” by Drake – https://youtu.be/IHzpNt3H74o, instantly I anticipate hearing either “One by One” or “Electric.” I get a similar feeling when I hear the beginning of these songs I guess it’s because to me they have a very similar beat. That assesses how my exposure to a type of music influences how I listen for or hear other sounds.
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As it relates to remixes, I think a good example of modern pop remix would be Rihanna’s “Work”. The song has been remixed to add dancehall and reggae flavors. Take a listen! Original – https://youtu.be/e82VE8UtW8A, Dancehall remix – https://youtu.be/fvQa-mfGfbw, and Reggae remix – https://youtu.be/uzPFuFudxMA.
Also Drake ft. Popcaan “My Chargie,” https://youtu.be/vqW18C4plZ8 remixed as Drake ft. Wizkid “Come Closer,” https://youtu.be/vqW18C4plZ8 to add an African flavor.
I always enjoy these remixes because it gives me a different way to listen to the songs and I feel a different vybe with each. I think remixing is an enhancement to the original song, most of the times.
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Wooo amazing I just love remix songs because it has more than 2 songs in one piece. It has flavor of many songs put them together to make a excellent piece. I especially love to listen to remix songs because i sometimes like the some mid part of song or just some part of music not the whole song so some of the remix songs pick that part of a particular song and put that in the remix song and that makes me enjoy the remix. Remix songs are made by a particular arrangements so that it would not feel weird or makes no sense, it should make sense so that for listers it would be love to listen.
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I agree with your thoughts that’s the beautiful thing about remix music you get a taste of the old version with newer more modern instruments in it. While keeping the lyrics the same or almost the same for the new generation that likes hip hop.
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Question; what is the difference between the remix song and a mashup song? Is this the same thing having no difference or have a difference?
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A remixed song is using the same beat as an original song with different content such as vocals/lyrics while a mashup is just pretty much combing 2 or more songs into a long song but it’s usually using the original songs and playing different parts of the beat in layers. Example: You can find many remixes to Rihanna’s songs with either the same beat with different vocals of another artist or the same lyrics from Rihanna’s songs with a different beat. A mashup would be either two songs that have the same meter and they go back and forth with verses and choruses or the mashup could be Rihanna’s discography with a song ending and beginning with another (almost like what DJ’s do).
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The difference between a mashup song and a mixtape is that a mixtape is a song of another song and a mashup song is a combination of two or more different songs.
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Thanks but yeah we can say it’s the different music is added to that song or any other song’s beat or lyrics
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Throughout generations music will always change, but that’s all because of remixes. When I listen to a song that is remixed for some reason I see a different perspective from it rather than its original song. A remix gives a different touch to the song, it can switch up the whole beat to it. Its amazing how someone can get an original old piece, listen to it and tweak it with today’s music generation and give the whole entire music a different feel to it.
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Yes you are right I think remix is not good in a way where sad songs that is old, after so many years means now they have made it the version remix that makes people mad I love to listen old songs but when I hear the remix it’s not a sad song anymore it changes the whole flavor of the song. If the music is pop or classic then it feels good to listen but sad song remix never
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I agree, we live in a would were music will always change and when a song is remixed by an artist they are adding their own story to the music.
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I believe when artists remix a song it could be a way of modernizing the song or even to bring an older song into circulation. Musicians often make music to reach a wider audience, which is why a lot of artists change their genre. For example. many European artists sound American when singing because they grew up listening to that kind of music, or maybe it’s because that’s what they think will sell. Maybe by remixing another artist’s song, they hope to reach that artist’s audience as well.
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Originality can be slippery sometimes.People tend to go crazy about originality but I believe in order to be an artist, you have to first be able to get inspired by other artist’s work. That is why David Bowie himself declared “The only art I’ll study is art I can steal from.” Remixes bring a different point of views of a song. Through a remix, one can see different colors of music that you do not notice from the original piece.
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On the contrary to your David Bowie reference, David Bowie really did not steal any ideas. David Bowie was a world class artist. He broke the stigma around what we know is “weird.” Bowie was a kind of his own. He was Ziggy Stardust an alien sent from outer space to revive love and hope in our world. He was also the Thin White Duke who was a coke-obsessed Nazi villain which seemed contradictory to everything Bowie was but, that’s just it! He was Bowie. He was original.
P. S. I’ve written a paper about him and his legacy. I also went to the Bowie Exhibit which if it is still there, I highly recommend.
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I like the idea of remixes music because different generations have their own idea and it can always change the way how they remix it again. and this is what remixes here for and sometimes when we listen remixes song we can see a different image from that .
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One claim from the overall reading is that music, in essence, is not really original. Musical sounds build upon other sounds, as one sound influences another sound and another sound; and sort of creates like a continued ‘chain reaction’ effect. This is how we get music to move across different genres. For instance, Pop music lately has been heavily influenced by Caribbean music. According to this article: http://www.largeup.com/2016/12/19/caribbean-inspired-pop-songs-2016/, Justin Bieber “Sorry,” Rihanna “Work,” Drake “Controlla,” “One Dance,” and “Too Good,” Clean Bandit ft Sean Paul “Rockabye,” Arianna Grande ft Nicki Minaj “Side by Side,” Rihanna “Man Down,” Beyonce “Hold Up,” and Fifth Harmony ft. Fetty Wap “Flex,” all have Caribbean influences & flavors. This is also a perfect illustration of how music moves across geographic location as people from outside of the Caribbean are still being exposed to Caribbean culture through music.
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Would one say that Kanye West ‘Famous’ https://youtu.be/1wYXSxCvN68 samples from Sister Nancy ‘Bam Bam’ https://youtu.be/OcaPu9JPenU ? And that Rihanna ‘Work’ https://youtu.be/HL1UzIK-flA builds from Richie Stephens ‘Sail Away’ https://youtu.be/h1r5Wd6O9yY ? I think so, I hear how both songs ‘Famous’ and ‘Work’ contains pieces from the other two songs.
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Alot of artists have made remixes of many original songs its to the point where sometimes you dont even know what song was the original. I feel like if you were to do a remix of a song it should sound better or add on to the original song. Also the influence of music comes across different locations where people add on the beat of the song or mix it into a different language to fit the crowd the artist is aiming for. However it is I believe remixes are just a way of continuing the entertainment from the song to the younger generation
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I don’t typically enjoy remixes because I’ve always been someone who loves the original, unique thought. However, what I do love about remixes is that someone found something they truly enjoyed listening to and loved it so much they chose to express their love for it in their own unique way.
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I agree that the love for a particular song may want another artist to remix that song in there own style, but sometimes the remix does no justice to the song so that’s why the artist have to be very particular about the choice of the song and the original artist.
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Exactly. They can be both a good and bad thing.
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I think an original piece is like cement for other artist, it’s a foundation for others to use and make it part of their culture. If we truly listen to music from all parts of the world we realize we listen to the same things but differently. Like food, rice is basic but someone had to make it (produce,collect, sell) then someone else comes and makes it whichever way they like for their own culture. I like the part in the reading that states “then we are not free to do absolutely anything we choose”.
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Personally I have mix feelings about remixing, some songs should remain in its original form, and some songs are just untouchable, because it has gone to a high that no remix will make it sound any better.
Some songs have a mixture of emotions and feelings involved, in this case I think a remix is a bad idea because it degrades the originality.
And on the other hand remixing of some song gives a refreshing and energetic feeling to our mind and body and also give music artists a way to showcase their own style and creativity.
In today’s world entertainers are coming up with creative ways to reach out to their audience which includes the older and younger generations who has their own taste regardless of race or culture.
Remixing could be in some form a rise or fall for that particular artist, so it could be a bad thing that’s why I say some songs are just better left in its original form.
I also think that it’s all about the preference of the person.
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I personally love remixes. It is as some would describe “in accordance to the generation”. It is much similar to automobiles. In this case we’ll use a ford mustang which was made from the early 60’s and is continuing to trend. One can clearly see and appreciate the years that it has came through to looking the way it does now with a little more “spice” from the previous generations. The way I see music remixes is the lyrics being the “make”, and the music being the “model”. It really distinguishes how music has evolved from the previous trends, and it is definitely something to listen to.
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What I learned about this weeks reading that I found interesting is that 1980s pop was inspired by classical music. It was interesting to know that Beethoven and Ludwig would help inspire to create a genre that is popular today.
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What I learned about this weeks reading that I found interesting is that 1980s pop was inspired by classical music. It was interesting to know that artists such Beethoven would help inspire to create a genre that is popular today. I honestly thought that modern pop was inspired by jazz or blues like how hip hop was created.
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I believe that remixes being good or bad all depends on the song. There are some songs that you might think wont need a remix, might need a little changing, or perhaps a completely different different voice on the same beat. I also dont mind people reusing beats
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Remixes definitely give a lot of ideas to other artist or use sort of the same sound or beat to produce a new piece of music . Remixes can definitely be their own kind of genre of music . Remixes are definitely very important to music in the way that it continues to change and develop .
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Would it be possible to try and remix music from past times to the music of today ?
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I think it is definitely possible, but would Beethovens moonlight sonata, sound good with Biggie Small Ready to Die, or Kick in the Door? This would be something that can be attempted, but I believe that samples/sounds can be used such as in Otis with Jay and Kanye West using Otis Redding’s sample to create an entirely new hip piece of music, but will this always be the case, let us know your thoughts?
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I think that this is extremely possible somebody just have to make sure they do it the right way. there are a lot of songs out that have been remixes to song that came out in the 90s or even late 80s.
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Listening to recorded music without the interruptions of other sounds can lead some people to think that a piece will sound perfect in a live concert. I have not been to many concerts but from the ones that I have been to none of them have been perfect, but the imperfections that exist in the live performance makes us remember and appreciate that nothing will ever be perfect when a person is performing it, or another person is rehearsing a certain piece, and especially not multiple pieces, and even less so when another person has wrote down the words and you are just repeating what you have memorized but that does not stem from your own personal identity and psyche. But coming together with this is the idea of a personal identity, not the person that you are but the person that you want to be, a performer is almost a performer and also. regular person, it is a costume that you put on to live out your dreams of performing on a stage for people and bringing those people together to praise your skill. Some people never know who they really are because they are constantly trying to repress themselves and in that process lock up their real or another identity in a subconscious box, until it breaks free and can cause fugues, episodes in which a person is not their current self, but a new self and they lave and g and start new lives. This too can happen with performers, here is link https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/04/02/how-a-young-woman-lost-her-identity.
Do you believe that acting as someone else can lead to a crisis of identity for you?
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When I read the article I got a different meaning of remix in music I thought it was copyrighted where someone copy a song and just change few lines did not know it was appropriated and changed other materials to create something new. As I got in depth with my reading I understood a little more about it. I listen to the few remixes which changes the songs gave it a dynamic sound and feelings.
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An artist’s voice during their performance and their voice in a studio recording can sound totally different. Some artists sound extremely close to the studio recording while others don’t. Sometimes it’s disappointing when I go see an artist sing live because I forget to prepare myself for the outcome that they might not sound the same. I think remixes are great because a lot of the time an different artist may make the beat sound better to the listener by the artist adding their own little twist to it. Even though there are some songs where I feel should’ve been left alone because it was perfect the way it was. I know a lot of people who prefer remixes to songs, for example a lot of people prefer to listen to Jacquees version of Ella mai song “trip” because they say his voice adds something different to the beat. This is another example on how making a remix to someone else song doesn’t always end right because it can get taken down from the internet because of copy right issues. I love when artist remix song from the 90s because I absolutely love 90s music and putting in a little new school feel to it, I find it amazing. I found it very interesting how classical music influenced pop because to me pop is completely different form of music and it gives off a different type of vibe.
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People may not listen 100% original music in today society, and it is a new window for people to listen the different types of music from other countries, musicians. I agree with “Fade188 The only are I’ll study is art I can steal from-David Bowie” Musicians need more sources to create new music, and they pick up favorite parts or popular parts from classic music because they know what types of music people like. I think remixes=recreate music. it is good for people’s taste today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKAFK5djSk Wiz khlifa-see you again, and this song mixes with pop, rapping,and classic factors (piano).My question today is why the 80s or 90s remixes of pop songs are popular today? (for example Bruno Mars’s songs). We hear the perfect music from CD, itunes not from the performance live; i I feel so disappointed about that because singers’ voices are not always perfect, Ugly true!
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I really enjoy it when I hear a remixed song from back when I was younger and when I notice pieces of music that were sampled from others. I interpret it as a way to pass on what has been learned and remembered fondly. Even if it is sampled from classical music that is not as well known in the main stream today. It may be just my personal experience but I always encounter people that have a strange disdain for remixed music, trying to discredit its quality because it is just an old “rehashed” piece that isn’t relevant anymore. It also moves into the topic of greed and rehashing music for the sake of profit. A lot of this I can understand where the argument is coming from and I also understand and firmly believe that everyone interprets music differently. I personally believe that any sort of contribution can help in the long run to enhance the industry.
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When I listen to a song that is a remix it makes me remember of my moms generation. As I listen to todays generation and the generations from before we can all notice that music is connected in a way because some artist have an original beat used in all their music. Also the artist who make remix music of an artist may be because the beat interested them or just because they admire the artist or the artist is their mentor. As of todays generation, artist on Soundcloud remix music but also add a little of their own to the music. For example, some of the rap artist I listen to on Soundcloud like Lil Tjay use personal life experiences like pain in order to give their music an original touch. They also use situations happening in the world as example to make their music original.
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i definitely love remixes, although others might not and they might believe that people are being unoriginal and taking their music, but it is the total opposite. Remixes advertise the originality of the song as well as make it their own and this is where your creativity comes in. In today’s generation, rappers, singers and songwriters create remixes and change the rhythm, the sound and the words, but the song sometimes will give you the same feeling. although sometimes the music might give you the same feeling, other times it might give you an even better feeling, this doesn’t mean the music from the original artist is being taken or stolen, they’re just changing the materials and the components of the specific song to add something new. Remixes are never going to stop, people will continuously make remixes of different music and people will love it, some of the artist themselves promote remixes because it advertises their actual music. Just like Dr Jones said ” We are creative despite the fact that we are unoriginal ” Creativity comes in all shapes, sizes and forms, music is one of the biggest ones. Depending on the different settings, artists use different sounds to make sure the expectations fit what is supposed to be happening.
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We all are familiar with the concept of remixes but they happen to be way different than what a “remix” is described as in this article. Remixes these days happen to be very upbeat and added with a lot of instruments. Before, the concept of remixing was the idea of taking a simple tune and adding voices to it, or another melody to it, creating polyphonic music. I think we do this on a daily basis when we take our own take on a piece of music while singing it. Every person has their own interpretation of things and the same goes for musicking.
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In my opinion, we, as listeners have been blessed with remixes. I feel like they show us what the song, piece of music, could’ve sounded like if the remix were the original. It may sound a bit confusing, but that’s how I perceive remixes. Though some remixes are a hit, not all of them make it to our ‘most played’ on our playlist. I think a singer puts their own types of ideas and thoughts in a remix. I enjoy when I see a favorite song of mine has a remix. Remixes also allow for music to travel through time. I can take an 80’s song and add a little touch of mine even though time has passed since the song was released. Music, on its own, provokes a lot of emotions that we can’t explain.
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I really appreciate remixes because I am a Dj. Remixes to songs make my music library larger and more diverse than other Djs I know. Remixes also allow artists to remake original songs or to add on to good ideas in the original song.
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Question: Is originality the only thing that makes a ‘remix’ a hit song?
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In my opinion, I love remixes. They make you appreciate the originals even more. They’re a great way for a producer to show off their “spiciness” for reimagining tracks.
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In my opinion i feel like remixes make the original song sound better because they add a few extra beats and instruments that can really make all the difference
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Are remixes good trend in nowadays’ music? I mean more and more songs are getting remixed now.
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So what I’ve basically gotten from the reading is that it’s really damn hard to be “original”. And while normally outside of music [ and sometimes, within] it’s not okay, most of the time everything is just coming up roses. It would seem that when people compose songs they’re oblivious to the fact that they are often drawing on someone’s else’s work. And that’s quite alright because it means to me that these works have had such an impact on oneself ‘s and they don’t even recognize it. I am positively sure that I’ll be saying this in every single online discussion throughout the semester; I actually really learned something today. And I’m really impressed. When I think about the concept of remixes, I think of trippy beats, popular featured artists; not something a classical musician would do. But by the definition provided, that’s exactly what classical musicians do and they’ve been going at it for a long time. I’d also like to briefly touch on the subject of perfection in music. It’s impossible! To one person, a piece might sound great and to another, it might sound dissonant. People who are used to listening to music through recordings solely because they sound “better” are seriously missing out. Although on a deeper level, I understand why. If you spent your whole life drinking filter water, how would you feel if someone suddenly told you to drink tap? All music is great, remixes are great. Although nowadays there are so many remixes to one song that is getting a bit ridiculous. Another great reading, thank you.
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Do you think that people that make mixtapes are just copycats or do you think they’re just trying to make something new out of something else?
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It surprises me that I just know the older version of remix music – classical music. I like very few of remix music today, I do not like it as a whole. Good remix music makes different emotions than the original music and sometimes it brings you to another side of the view of the original music. I used to belive remix music is a better version of the original music song until there’s more and more remix music made in the same way in China. I am not sure if this happens in American as well.
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I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with remixes because I felt certain songs should be left alone. But I do agree that it is a sign of being inspired or a sign of respect. There is nothing new under the sun. But I want to know is where did the 1st person to do something get their inspiration from, since nothing is really original.
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One questions I wanted to express was If music and sounds are something that is created but with always similar formality and structure from throughout history, should artist in the 21st century be still frowned upon for sampling or using other artist melodies, instrumentals, or composition ?
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I feel like this idea of authenticity/originality is not real. Even though you sample someones music/whatever don’t mean the original idea is yours. At the end of the day all you did was take someones work and added to what was already there. Though you created something “new” doesn’t make it original. I feel like everything in music we heard, it just that people find “new” and creative was to say the same thing to make it seem like it’s different. So with that being said, is the last three songs you listen to today truly original or a remake?
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I agree, whatever an artist creates shouldn’t be critiqued just because it isn’t original. Some people may find value in authenticity, but at the end of the day everybody still creates their own music or their twist on it and they shouldn’t be judged for that.
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I love this article percisley because it express the perfection of the studio performance but also the stage performance as well. It also talks about the differences between the two, it was imperative performers come with outstanding performances even better then the studio recording in the 19th century. It’s is something I feel has took a change but has been advanced by technology and the entertainment aspect of the artist. Great read !
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I agree with the concept of how music that is being remix or creating comes from the idea or melody of another song,piece or sound.
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When I think of remixes, I immediately think of Dominican remixes of English songs, for example: Scooby Doo Pa Pa. Scooby Doo Pa Pa is a remix of Fire in the Booth by Big Shaq. Personally, I don’t like either songs, but I think Scooby Doo Pa Pa takes away from the value of the original because it doesn’t give the same message as the original, yet it uses the same beats. In general, I feel most remixes don’t do the original any justice because they usually tend to never reach the same or higher potential. When I say potential, I’m referring to how well the song does in the music business, do people actually sing along or dance? Is it played often in events? On the radio? You, know? In comparison to some original songs that despite being old, are still often played because they haven’t been topped. Even then, it is a matter of appreciating music and making it your own when it comes to remixes. So it’s all very subjective to decide whether a remix is better than the original. -Diana L
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Do you think that there’s ever been a time where there was song that was a great hit and the composer who makes it actually gets the credit or someone took that credit ?
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To me, Remix’s are very important. It shows connection between the artists because of their mutual passion in music. In hip hop, rappers constantly rap over on eachother’s beats. Some remix’s are even better than the original. Take for example J coles, “ album of the year freestyle” which used the beat from nas’s “ oochie Wally”. I also disagree with the liar liar segment of the article. To say that Iggy Azalea is a liar, is an ignorant statement. Artists should feel free to do anything they want when it comes to their music.
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reading this article had me thinking more in depth in the way of living for example how we eat, walk, talk or anything what we do with our bodies and the choices we make in our lives.they’re all connected from a piece of the past just like music migration. just as mentioned in the article today’s sounds or the popular ones that were aired had something to do with the pieces being played in the 1900’s original sounds which got me thinking where did that original sound for that piece came from. a endless journey that can never be solved.
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I think that due to remixes that music will always differ throughout the coming ages. When one remixes a song one can give a whole different feeling to it; the flow (rhythm) might change, or even the style (genre) of the music might change up. I for one, when I listen to a remixed song, feel different from how I feel about the original version. Now I do t always like it, but it gives me an opportunity to hear something different that I can like more the original. It’s extraordinary how we have the technology to remix songs in infinite amount of ways. Music will forever be changing and fickle.
Throughout generations music will always change, but that’s all because of remixes. When I listen to a song that is remixed for some reason I see a different perspective from it rather than its original song. A remix gives a different touch to the song, it can switch up the whole beat to it. Its amazing how someone can get an original old piece, listen to it and tweak it with today’s music generation and give the whole entire music a different feel to it.
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I feel that music is just a bunch of remixes in most genre, and it seems remixing has been going on for some time. This really helped me see that this isn’t new and kind of normal.
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I feel as if remixing of music isnt a bad idea at all. Artist are coming up with innovative and creative thinking just for the sake of entertainment. Remixing is nothing but an old product in a new package.
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Do you have a favorite song that you swear is a “original”? It might be using a sample from an other song, search it up.
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