Today I officially release my remix of Rob Love’s track “Blue.” In reflecting on the process of writing it, I realized I’ve learned quite a bit along the way about remixing (this is only the second track I’ve remixed, here’s the first) and how writing them can actually teach you a lot about your style as a producer. I want to share with you two of my main takeaways, but first: check out the final product!
Stream the Blue Remix on the platform of your choice here and check out an incredible visualizer we made for the Blue Remix at the end of this post!
Focus on Only One or Two Aspects of the Original Song when Building Your Remix.
Starting a remix can be overwhelming. You want it to do justice to the original track, but also showcase your own style in the process. It can be easy to try to incorporate too many elements of the original which can result in the remix ultimately sounding uninspired. I discovered that if instead I isolated a few select parts of the song that really resonated with me (for “Blue” it was the vocal lead and chord progression in the verse), and listened to it over and over without the rest of the track, I could much more easily craft a vision for my personal interpretation of the song. The result was a much more innovative remix than if I’d tried to emulate the original track too closely and it blew Rob Love away because it was unique and new and different.
Remixes are an Opportunity to Be Playful and Experiment.
I love 80’s-style retrowave and synthwave music, but it’s always kind of been from afar. I never thought I’d actually produce a song so heavily influenced by that subgenre. But when I heard Rob’s vocals in this track, they had such a nostalgic feel to them. I thought this style could really elevate that feeling and share it with the listener, and it worked pretty well! The other thing that struck me was how much it felt like my originality as a producer really came through in the track, despite it being fundamentally different from a lot of my original stuff. The lesson learned for me here is that maybe your “style” is more about your process and approach to writing music than whatever vision you have for the end product of your sound.
I’m inspired now more than ever to experiment more with my original music and not be afraid to play around with ideas from other genres. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to see what I get into next!
Thank you for checking out this track and for your continued support!
💙 --LR