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André Allen Anjos is a Portland electronic artist who performs under the name Remix Artist Collective, or RAC. As a producer with a particular interest in pushing the art of the remix beyond mere club bangers, we asked him to name some of his favorite remixes of all-time.
1. Cornelius, "Tender" (by Blur)
It's more about his body of work. He started doing these remix albums, and I would credit those albums as a big reason I started doing remixes, or why I thought it might be a viable creative outlet. He did "Tender" by Blur—which, if you have to pick one, I'd go with that one—and that Moby track "We Are All Made of Stars," and even like a Sting song, a Tahiti 80 song. It was the first time I heard a remix that wasn't a club mix at all. That whole realm of work he did really inspired me, not in the sense that I was trying to rip off his style, but more conceptually, of what you can do with a remix.
2. Classixx, "Psychic City" (by YACHT)
They took that song to another level—another place. It was really smooth compared to a lot of the stuff from that time, which was really big and abrasive, like Justice—which is great, too, but at the time it came out, it was just really nice. Like, oh, it doesn't have to be loud and annoying.
3. Jacques Renault, "Beam Me Up" (by Midnight Magic)
He made it slightly faster. He didn't mess with the song a lot, but he changed the pattern of the piano and made it a lot groovier. He cut out a weird bridge part that was always really strange when DJing the original. It just moves more fluidly.
4. Four Tet, "Leave a Trace" (by Chvrches)
I've always loved Four Tet's work, but he really outdid himself on this one. It's simple and focused. He dialed in the glitchiness and used reverb really tastefully. It's driving and beautiful at the same time.
5. RAC, "Home" (by Edward Sharpe)
Not that I think it's an amazing remix or anything, but it made a huge impact on my career. Going back to that Cornelius thing, I realized you don't have to do a four-on-the-floor dance remix. It was the first time I felt like I was finally able to break away from the dance thing and do a remix I thought was appropriate for the original song, which is basically a folk song.
SEE IT: RAC plays Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., with Big Data, Karl Kling and Filous, on Wednesday, Nov. 25. 8 pm. $25 advance, $30 day of show. All ages.
Willamette Week