Top 6 Gorillaz remixes
Because 5 is Arbitrarily Too Little and 7 is Arbitrarily Too Much
Over the course of 18 years more than 90 Gorillaz remixes were made (not counting the ones from Spackemonkeyz ). As a fan of most of these, I thought it would be nice to make a list ranking my personal top 6 Gorillaz remixes. I am not including any from the Gorillaz Sound System or the Spacemonkeyz album Laika Come Home on the list, because Gorillaz were heavily involved with the making of said remixes and I am not including any that were made by fans or were unauthorized by the label.
DARE (Chab Remix)
You would think a remix of ‘DARE’ with the word “Chab” tagged on it would sound like obnoxious shit, but thats where you’re wrong. The dirty synth and the sped up percussion alone makes the Chab Remix really a really good boppin’ tune alone. Rosie Wilson and Shaun Ryder’s vocals go along well with the song while the main synth line pops in as a little treat.
19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)
The ‘19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)’ is probably one of the most successful Gorillaz remixes. Instead of making the song a completely different animal (which most remixes do) it adds a layer of polish. The additional piano and synths on the track is a great addition along with the percussion. Even though I slightly like the original version of ‘19-2000’ slightly more, I have to admit that the Soulchild remix is much more exciting in a way.
Dirty Harry (Chopper Remix)
This remix almost breaks the rules of the list since it was done by two thirds of The Spacemonkeyz. I am including the Chopper Remix of ‘Dirty Harry” anyways, just because Gorillaz were not as involved with the making of this one as much as with the songs on Laika Come Home.
The Chopper remix for me marks a rare occasion when it comes to Gorillaz remixes… It’s actually a rare occasion for remixes in general; where the remix is better than the actual song. Unlike the original version of ‘Dirty Harry’, the kids aren’t the main focus of the song; Instead it’s Bootie Brown’s verse that takes center stage. The funky beat that comes with a cowbell on the side accompains Bootie’s verse better than the original version of the song which was loud; “too much” for the lack of a better phrase in my opinion. What also makes this track great is the funky bass and guitar which gives it a groovy vibe that makes the song much more enjoyable.
Empire Ants (Miami Horror Remix)
Did you know Plastic Beach had 40 remixes? I’m gonna be honest, there were probably better remixes that I could’ve picked from Plastic Beach but, after listening to all of them, they kind of all slowly blended together with a few standing out for either being horrifically bad (which we will get to on some later date) or really good but not good enough for a a top 6 list. Anyways, let’s talk about the remix.
I believe the Miami Horror remix of ‘Empire Ants’ suits the “sit back, relax and, watch plastic swirl around the ocean as the sun sets while brooding about how fucked the planet is” vibe that Plastic Beach got going. The remix uses Yukimi Nagano’s verse effectively with the bright poppy syths going on in the background. The track uses other elements of the song sprinkled along the song. For example, the guitar and high pitched synth from the original version appears in breath segments of the song. The song slows down in the middle with Damon’s verse and quickly kicks back in with Yukimi’s verse on repeat.
As someone who wasn’t too excited to dig in through the Plastic Beach remixes, ‘Empire Ants (Miami Horror Remix)’ (along with a few other gems I found) made me not regret doing that for this list.
El Manana (Metronomy Remix)
In the Gorillaz fandom you would only find people that love or hate the Metronomy remix of ‘El Manana’. The loud and chaotic synth is very off putting to some people which is understandable. The reason why I enjoy the Metronomy remix is because of the controlled mayhem it brings to the song. What makes this remix enjoyable for me is the last half where the synths slowly build up and get louder as it just deafens your ear in a good way. For some weird reason I can see the Metronomy remix working well with the music video for ‘El Manana’; I believe that because everytime I hear the synths escalate I can imagine the windmill getting shot up and being taken down.
DARE (DFA Remix)
It was done by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem so therefore it’s good. Anyways that’s the list I hope you enjoyed it… But no really the DFA remix of ‘DARE’ is really good. Some dislike it for it’s 12 minute track duration which is understandable.
The track kicks off with an organ synth that stays throughout the duration of it in a continuous stream as it slowly grows more chaotic. Damon’s backing vocals being moved to the front gives the remix a somewhat more raw energy to the song along with the synths to the track. The percussion being accompanied with the cowbell was additoned to the track making it more boppable (boppable? Is that the right word for this? Fuck, it’s good enough). The main organ synth gets more chaotic towards the end of the track and once it ascends to its climax, a burst of energy is released. It’s good to know that James Murphy worked with Gorillaz more directly six years on ‘DoYaThing’ along with Andre 3000.