- Wed, 2012-08-01 10:34
For some musicians it can take months or even years to write a good song. Not so for Joe Goddard. Not only is he a founding member and lead songwriter of the prolifically creative and ever-idiosyncratic Hot Chip, but he is also one half of the brilliant alternative dance duo The 2 Bears, and he's got one solo album under his belt with plans for a second underway. In all, he has released seven albums in eight years, not to mention a slew of EPs. It's a wonder that he ever leaves the studio. Maybe he doesn't.
And yet, even with three day-jobs, he has still found the time and inspiration to release a series of incredible remixes of other people's tunes. Let's check a few out...
Nneka - Shining Star (Joe Goddard Remix)
A highlight of her recent album Soul Is Heavy, Nneka's Shining Star is a bruised soul song with a head-nodding beat. In Goddard's hands it is a nine minute epic that begins as a dark, cold garage-house beat before being lit up by a series of warm, whispered harmonies at around the three minute mark. From there Nneka's vocal blossoms and basks in the heat before the darkness descends once more at the song's conclusion.
Delilah - Love You So (Joe Goddard Remix)
Already a thundering pop song, the rich orchestration and powerful vocal's of Delilah's original are chopped, screwed and put through the grinder as a bassy two-step beat first rumbles and then explodes underneath.
Disclosure feat. Ria Ritchie - Control (Joe Goddard Remix)
Much closer to Goddard's normal territory to begin with, Disclosure's Control already has the two-step beat, the soulful female vocals and the beautifully produced synths in it's original form, so what can he bring to the table? Huge bass, dub echoes and an underlying sense of threat, giving the track a snarling set of teeth where before it had a seductive smile.
Santigold - Disparate Youth (The 2 Bears Remix)
The track that reintroduced Santigold to the world after a four year break, Disparate Youth is a smooth dose of synthpop with a stuttering, sputtering beat at its heart. Goddard takes those rolling rhythms and drags them to the forefront of his remix, furnishing them with subtly bubbling synths, choirs of softly humming voices, and Santigold's own yearning vocal.
Metronomy - The Bay (The 2 Bears Remix
It's no easy task to remix a band with a sound as unique as Metronomy's; you can't expect to mess with a song as finely crafted as The Bay without damaging some of its magic. Goddard strips the track down to its bear bones, adds his characteristic two-step beat and introduces an element of freneticism while preserving the eccentricity and drive of the original. Job done.
