This year’s hype-magnet (deserving of it!) James Blake recently dissed the idea of the remix, calling them “musical prostitution.” Chaz Bundick of Toro Y Moi pretty much agreed. Yet sometimes a rework of a song can be more than just a desperate attempt to latch onto another artist’s good press. Take Hoshina Anniversary remix of “Shizzo” by Boys Noize and Housemeister. The original works in surprisingly minimal ways for dudes I mostly associate with the too-buzzy blog-house scene. Of course, “minimal” here isn’t used the same way it would when talking about, say, Blake’s music. It’s an OK track, one that sometimes comes off like a bunch of noises pulled out of a hat (Rollercoaster noises! Vocal samples! Lasers!) and arranged over some beating fuzz. What Hoshina does is transform “Shizzo” from so-so amusement park fare into the nightmare tunnel from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory if said tunnel also included strobe lights. It’s way louder and busier than the original, yet this cluttering changes the mood of “Shizzo” from scatterbrained to kinda intimidating, those coaster-induced yelps sounding much more menacing behind what Hoshina cooked up. And a gentle reminder remixes can be more than just audio ladies of the night.
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