#69 – Remix Roundup

Here are a few of my favourite remixes that have been sent my way / I’ve hunted down over the past couple of weeks.

First up is a sick mix of Toddla T’s recent single ‘Take It Back’. It takes a sample of the vocal (provided by Shola Ama) that’s got a great 90’s groove to it and adds it to a great new backing track. The song veers from the uncharacteristically poppy (but very likeable) original when it drops into a proper bassy, dancehall mix around 1:40. I would be very surprised if this didn’t get some massive rotation at all kinds of underground parties, especially up in Sheffield where it seems Toddla can do no wrong.

Toddla T – Take It Back (Dillon Francis Remix) [Buy]

Next is a straight-up dancehall mix of TV On The Radio’s ‘Will Do’. We stuck up a song off their new album last week and it’s been getting some serious attention. While this is miles away from the original it is a banger. I do like the cheesy autotune that has become pretty synonymous with the current crop of reggae/dancehall artists doing the rounds. I think it works well on this and the song is a great length too; just about leaves you wanting more.

TV On The Radio – Will Do (XXXChange Dancehall Mix) [Buy]

Now to Lykke Li. She is, in a word, awesome. Her first album was superbly crafted and so far her second effort has stood up to some pretty heavy rotation. The remixer here is Gold Panda, who is a very talented musician/producer in his own right and a favourite of Rupert’s. He’s taken an emotionally charged song and turned it into something that is immediately recognisable as both something that he would make and something Lykke Li would approve. It’s got a great lyric and his new backing track is also really, really good. His work is typically so idiosyncratic you could imagine some of the charm of the original being lost but that’s certainly not the case. He has changed the nature of this beast, but it remains heartachingly warm and tender.

Lykke Li – Sadness Is A Blessing (Gold Panda Remix) [Buy]

Finally on to this Mona remix by Dave Sitek. They are a band I know very little about, having seen their name about but never quite sitting down and listening to them. I was aware that they’ve got an album coming out soon (16th May in the UK, according to Google) and when I heard this mix it peaked my ears up. It’s a big, epic sound that makes me think of space and lasers and shit. Feel free to let me know what you think about it below.

Mona – Shoot The Moon (Dave Sitek Remix)