I’ve come across a few covers songs lately, so I thought I’d contribute a favorite of mine from DJ Deckstream’s Music Castle. Deckstream is a DJ/producer from Japan who could be classified in either hip-hop or jazz depending on the song/album. In Music Castle, Deckstream covers quite a few different oldies, all with a nu jazz style. Some famous songs include Tom’s Diner, Tripping Out, Just the Two of Us and my personal favorite, Sweet Child O’ Mine.
I chose Deckstream’s remix of Sweet Child O’ Mine because of its dreamy, relaxing take on a classic by Guns N’ Roses. One thing I would’ve loved to have seen on the track, along with a few others, is the original vocals included. It would’ve been interesting to hear Axl Rose’s voice over these instrumentals, but as this album is more intented as background music that may have been why Deckstream had chosen to leave him out.
This song actually brought up an interesting question in my mind: would you consider this a cover or remix? What are the differences? I think of a remix as cutting up a song, rearranging it, adding or removing parts and really making it your own. Compare this to covering a song where the song is relatively kept in its original form, but the performers put a little of their own style into it. As you can tell I marked this as a cover. What do you think?
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I can’t believe I haven’t featured a song from Triangulation Station or, for that matter, any of Opio’s other solo projects before. Yea, he’s got some more recent work out now, but this album is his masterpiece. Opio is from one of the best hip hop groups of all time, Hieroglyphics. Comprised of a talented pool of MC’s, Hieroglyphics was the best of the best in the late 90′s/early 00′s (for an underground group). The only MC from Hiero that comes close to Opio’s talent is Del who collaborated with Dan the Automator & Kid Koala to construct Deltron 3030, a revolutionary hip hop album that’ll still be talked about for years to come… or should, at least. But enough of all that, let’s get to the good stuff…
“Granite Earth” is one of many stylistic songs from Triangulation Station. The reason I chose to feature this song is because of the chorus by Pigeon John coupled by the overall mood/lyrics of it. Opio & Pigeon John create a harmonic duo that’s on key throughout the entire piece. I’ve heard a couple stories about Pigeon John and how foolish he is in concert (my friends think he is an absolute joke because of it), but he’s got one smooth voice on this track and some thoughtful lyrics, as well (which I’m sure Opio wrote up). To be honest, though, I’ve checked out one of Pigeon John’s solo albums and it was nothing to defend.
So, what do you all think of the two on this track? Anyone seen either of them live?
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I was watching one of my favorite mockumentaries, The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down, when I heard a song by Zero 7. Before I get to the song I gotta talk a little about the film. If you haven’t gotten the opportunity to see it, you definitely should. It may at first seem like just a cheesy film about stupid American 20-year-olds, and as much as it is, it’s also very funny and well written.
I included a clip of the film where the song appears, which I cut down and uploaded just for y’all. Just to let you know what’s happened so far in the film, everyone is going home to crash after a night of drugs, partying and debauchery. The video captures the morning as a serene contemplation of the night before, but in my experience this is hardly the case. Anytime you’ve stayed out so late that you get a nice glimpse of the morning sunrise… well, let’s just say it’s anything but pleasant. But this film catches its beauty (somehow) with some nice shots of the LA scenery. The clip also includes the scene after, which is pretty funny (especially if you watch the whole film), but is a bit obscene if you just jump right in (and even if ya don’t).
Finally, the reason I chose this song was mainly because of the film. The two complimented each other so well, not to mention I’ve been a fan of Zero 7 for a while. Give me your thoughts on the clip of the film which features “Today” and the scene after, if you’d like.
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