I’ve recently acquired some new toys in my music studio here at the house that allows me to do some really nifty stuff. Do people say “nifty” anymore? “How cute is he? Oh he’s ‘nifty'”. Hmm, I don’t think nifty is a common phrase anymore.
Well my new toys are nifty. And groovy. And keen.
Anyways, I have a couple of remix ideas floating around in my head that I’m hoping to get down on virtual tape over the next couple of weeks. One of these ideas includes remixing an upbeat Carpenters track to adapt it for a dance floor. I realize the mound of legalities involved with that, so it would never, ever be commercially released in any shape or form but I’d still like to play around with the track in the studio, even if only for learning purposes and my own amazement.
I think Karen Carpenter has _the most beautiful_ pop female voice ever. Ever. Hands down, bar none. She has a natural musicality about her that has not been duplicated to this day, regardless of how many try with electronic gizmos. She was truly a talented musician and when she passed on at such a young age this world truly lost something special.
Because of the great respect I have for The Carpenters’ music, I’m wondering if today’s audience would be receptive to a remixing of one of their uptempo tracks or if it would just smack too close to tacky. I’m not talking about vocal or instrumental replacement in the track, but rather percussion and instrumental augmentation to make it a little more danceable. I shudder when I hear these remixes on satellite radio; some dance diva wannabe taking an 80s ballad, croaking it out with lots of electronic processing and then proclaiming a dance hit. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m looking to preserve the music of the Carpenters by bringing a slightly updated sound to it for modern audiences to enjoy.
Am I crazy?
