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MUSIC PRODUCTION / REMIXES / MUSIC VIDEOS / LYRIC VIDEOS
SELECTED REMIXES
On this page, I look in a little more detail at a few of the commissioned remixes I have had the pleasure of working on...
Dannii Minogue:
I Begin to Wonder
"I Begin to Wonder" was a huge pop and club hit around the world in 2003. It received further club appeal and commercial success when, almost immediately, it was mashed with Dead or Alive's seminal "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)". In either form, it's a timeless classic and an iconic record from the early noughties.
When I was asked to produce a new remix to accompany the 20th anniversary celebrations of the song's parent album, "Neon Nights", it was quickly agreed that the song would work well as a disco record, and so the next in the (very) occasional series of Project K's 'Night at 54' mixes was born.
This mix needed to be big and lush. In fact, it went on to become one of the most complex I've ever worked on. But I loved every minute of it. The "All Night at 54" mix is the full monty, with Dannii's self-assured vocals front and centre. It's as if she's performing the song from under a giant mirror ball at Studio 54! (There's a more radio friendly "Night at 54" edit, too, if you haven't got the time for the full experience!)
There's a completely different piano mix, too, so if you go for the sumptuous 7CD set (with over 100 songs and remixes) of the album, you get all three vocal mixes!
Kim Wilde:
Water On Glass
"Water On Glass" was originally British pop icon Kim's third single, reaching number 11 in the UK in 1981. No remixes or extended versions were commissioned or released at the time.
After remixing this song for the “Kim Wilde” [album] deluxe reissue in 2020, I wanted to do something much more ambitious, something bigger, for the song this time around.
The brief from Tom Parker, project manager and remix A&R for this compilation, was for all of the remixes to be sympathetic to the sounds of the early-to-mid 80s. I decided to take the song in a bit of a synth-wave direction, as that has its roots firmly in atmospheric 80s sounds. The other thing I really wanted to do was to have a big build, a climax, at the end of the mix, a little like I did with [Kim album track] “Can You Hear It” in 2020. In fact, as that track and this one share a “Can you hear it?” lyric, I end this remix of "Water On Glass" with the subtlest of nods to that track, so there’s a little Easter Egg for Kim’s über-fans to spot there.
View From a Bridge
“View From a Bridge” was originally released as the second single from Kim’s second album, “Select”, in 1982. It reached number 16 in the UK and hit the top 10 in several European countries and in Australia.
For this remix, I wanted to create something that was danceable but dramatic. The lyric is pretty dark, and Kim’s vocal delivery is brilliantly impassioned, so the production on this new version had to reflect that somehow. At around 145bpm, both “View” and “Water” are arguably a bit too fast for a typical 80’s flavoured dance mix but I did not want to time-stretch the vocal to slow down either track to suit the more traditional dancefloor.
What’s fascinating as a music geek, and a real privilege as a remixer in this position, is, when loading up the original stems, you get to hear all the component parts of a song you grew up with, a song you’ve loved for decades. When listening to all the various instrumental stems for “View”, a few of the synth and rhythm parts already sounded ‘early 80s disco’ to me, with a slight Moroder/Blondie vibe, so they were a great inspiration and steered the mix. I first created a “pure” extended version, using only the original stems - partly because one didn’t already exist anywhere, and partly to see how those disco elements worked in an extended remix format. Then I ventured on to replacing the drums, bass and other sounds for an all-new production. However, some of the original pads made it into my new mix, albeit chopped and gated to give movement and drama.
The studio tapes also revealed a cold ending that has never been heard. This isn’t an uncommon studio practice, and the plan was probably always to fade the track before it got to this almost “jammed” or improvised section, but I wanted to incorporate elements from this unheard ending into my mix, including that weird, distorted and clipped “…from a bridge” vocal echo that appears here exactly as it does on those original studio tapes. It sounded a bit wrong, almost damaged, and therefore perfect for this remix!
Love Blonde
This one was a bit different! As this song had an extended version made for its original release in ‘83 (Kim’s first ever 12” mix), and another one in the same style made for the 2020 “Catch As Catch Can” reissue, this mix had to offer something completely different. A track in rockabilly style, with swing timing on the vocals, won’t necessarily translate well to a rigid 4-on-the-floor dance mix, but I really wanted to take on the challenge!
The brief I was given was simple: “What would Shep Pettibone or Jellybean have done with this if EMI America had commissioned them to remix it for the US clubs at the time?”. Cue the TR-808 percussion, rapid-fire snares, reverbed claps, bouncy synth bassline, and syncopated piano stabs. It was so much fun to do! And with just a few very subtle tweaks to the vocal timing here and there, the song actually worked over the new 4/4 backing, although I chose to ease the listener in by having the first part of the first verse stripped to just un-quantized piano and pad chords.
All three mixes feature on the ten-track "Special Disco Mixes" disc in the "Love Blonde: The RAK Years" box set, which is out now to buy, download and stream. The "Special Disco Mixes" album was also released as a limited double transparent red vinyl for Record Store Day in April 2024.
It is an absolute privilege to get to remix songs as brilliantly written and produced as these. Kim’s vocals are always a joy to work with, and the passion and creativity that went into the original recordings is as evident when you pull the songs apart as it is when you hear them as finished articles. Refashioning songs this iconic into something of your own creative vision is very exciting, incredibly rewarding, and just a little bit terrifying. To receive a phone call from Ricky Wilde at the end of the process telling me how much he loved what I’d done with all three tracks was the most wonderful positive affirmation I could have hoped for.
Ace of Base:
The Juvenile
“The Juvenile” was originally written as “The Goldeneye” as a potential theme song for the Bond film of the same name. After deciding to withdraw from that process, the song was rewritten as “The Juvenile” for the band’s fourth album, “Da Capo”, and then released as that album’s second single in Germany.
But no remixes were commissioned… until now!
A gorgeous, gentle, and primarily acoustic track on the album, there was only one route I could take. “The Juvenile” needed to return to its Bond theme origins. And so 79 bpm became 170 bpm and the gentle touches of the album version were annihilated by bombastic drums, sweeping strings (including that classic Bond string line), dramatic orchestration and plenty of electro overdubs. The aim was to make it sound like the Bond theme it could have been in ’95.
Getting a text from Ace of Base’s founding member, Jonas, to tell me that Jenny (his sister, and the song’s vocalist) loved my remix made all the hours of sampling real strings, brass and drums worthwhile!
Would You Believe
So, I started with a strong four-on-the-floor, with perky percussion and handclaps, before adding a syncopated, slap-heavy octave bassline, and then topping off with slinky pianos, rhythm guitars, arpeggiated synths and plenty of disco strings!
Jonas got involved with final version of the shorter "Night at 54" version over the phone, email and via voice notes! As he loved the new disco elements, he requested that the instrumental middle-section be doubled in length in exchange for a couple of the choruses getting chopped!
“Would You Believe” was one of the last tracks recorded by the fab four in 2005 but was only released as a promo single 10 years later to accompany the “Hidden Gems” collection of previously unreleased tracks, demos and b-sides. Again, no remixes were commissioned at that time.
Whilst sifting through the studio masters, some unused string quartet overdubs were discovered. A couple of them even had a slight disco vibe about them. And so, the project co-ordinator asked if I could drag the track onto the dance floor of Studio 54. I did not need asking twice, as I’m a huge fan of classic disco.
Ace of Base:
All That She Wants | The Sign | Ace of Clubs MegaRemix
I was asked to create an all-new megamix for the 2023 singles box set, but one that would feature the vocals from numerous classic Ace of Base hits over a completely new, club-friendly backing track. (A more traditional slice ‘n’ splice megamix already exists and features in the set.)
The challenge here was to create a backing track that would have constant features and sounds for consistency and continuity, without sounding too samey all the way through. It also needed to have a constant (or near-constant) tempo and avoid the ear-melting key changes or clashing chords that blight some megamixes. Additionally, I wanted to use a couple of musical motifs repeatedly, throughout the whole of the mix, to give it a feeling of unity. This is why the chorus of “All That She Wants” crops up a few times during the mix (and in more than one key!) and why the rap from “Living in Danger” returns throughout. It’s part megamix, part mash-up, and all remix.
(For those wondering why the MegaRemix includes “Whenever You’re Near Me” instead of “Life is a Flower”, this was purely down to the vocal stems that were available at the time, and is not an indicator of my personal preference!)
After submitting the mix, I was asked if I could expand the “All That She Wants” and “The Sign” segments into their own standalone remixes...
Earn remix credits for two of the best pop songs of the nineties? Oh, go on then, you’ve twisted my arm! And so, the Project K Acid-Base remixes of these two classic singles were created.
Shakespear's Sister:
You Made Me Come To This
Originally a CD bonus track on the 1989 release of Shakespear's Sister's debut album, "You Made Me Come To This" quickly became a fan favourite. Including for this fan!
Quirky and campy, with a synth-driven production, it was the fabulously bitter evil sister of debut single "Break My Heart". There just aren't enough songs with lyrics about new leather catsuits, are there?
When the album was expanded and reissued in 2020 for the career-encompassing "Our History" deluxe box set, I jumped at the chance to produce "a good old fashioned: extended mix for that collection. The idea was to produce the extended mix that should have been made and released in '89.
Whilst searching through the original studio stems, I came across a few unused vocals from both ladies - a couple of brilliant spoken ad-libs from Siobhan and a wonderful diva-wail from Marcy. Needless to say, they all made it into my mix!
The "Our History" box set is long out of print (and goes for a lot of money on the second-hand market!) but you can get my extended remix of "You Made Me Come To This" on the expanded 2 CD set of "Sacred Heart"
Bright Light Bright Light:
Being Sentimental
Having made records with Elton John, a couple of Scissor Sisters, Andy Bell, Sam Sparro and many others, the Welshman-in-New-York known as BLx2 decided to turn the public's attention to his high quality b-sides and non-album tracks in 2021 with the compilation "So Gay. So Dramatic."
To celebrate its release, he invited remixes for the b-side to 2011's "Disco Moment" single, "Being Sentimental", before asking his army of patron fans to vote for their favourites.
For this remix, I decided to pay tribute to one of my all-time favourite remixers, so you may hear a Shep Pettibone vibe in this mix. Rapid-fire house snares? Check. Bouncey baseline? Check. Energetic piano solo? Check.
I was beyond delighted when my remix was one of four selected by his fans to join BLx2's own extended version on the 2021 Remixes EP. The remixes were released exclusively via Bandcamp and the artist donated 20% of his profits to an LGBT+ charity in the US.
Haywoode:
Roses | Love Eternally
"Roses" was a number 11 smash for Haywoode in 1986, also hitting the top 30 of the US Dance Chart in the same year.
As a fan of that original version, I was delighted to be asked to remix the song for Energise's 2018 reissue. With the original being the epitome of 80s pop, a fairly radical remix was needed, whilst retaining the song's catchy melody and classic pop sensibility.
The breakdown in the middle of this remix goes off in its own direction, with a completely different baseline, lush pad chords and choppy vocal locs.
"Love Eternally" was the second of three tracks I remixed for Haywoode (the third is "If You Give Love") and was released as single no.3 from her "Bounce Back" album, with my radio remix chosen as the lead mix. My club mix, however, pays tribute to Donna Summer's seminal "I Feel Love" in its breakdown (as does an unreleased "I Feel Dub" mix).
My remixes of "Love Eternally" and "If You Give Love", feature on the 2CD deluxe version of "Bounce Back". My remixes of "Roses" and "Love Eternally" are also available on their respective singles on all streaming and download platforms.
