Some Traks

A-Trak recently produced Kid Cudi's 'Poke Her Face', a song of which I am not a fan - mostly because of the title, but also because of everything else about it.

However, seeing his name crop up again reminded me of all the good times. Like the time I heard his remix of Boys Noize 'Oh!', and the time I heard his remix of 'Idealistic' by Digitalism. He's a man of many talents, and remixing seems to be at the forefront of them - although he apparenlty also models (sometimes), is half of a record label, is half of Chromeo's brother, and is Kanye's current tour DJ, which explains his association with the aforementioned 'Poke Her Face' song (which Mr West features on.) But none of that is particularly important.

So, on to the songs... Both tracks show his flair for vocal sampling, and both are very solid tunes. His remix of 'Idealistic' is fast-paced, and it marries dancefloor-friendly wobbling bass with a grinding, distorted synth melody (for want of a better word) and a very tight snare, which is half-clap half-rimshot, and whole clubtastic. His Boys Noize remix uses the same kind of drum sounds, although the bass is slightly more punchy, and the hi-hat gets more of a say. Overall the song is less reverb-flooded and sharper, and the vocal sample and sirens give it a more aggressive feel.

Basically, they're both bangers. They've been out for a fairly long time, but for those who haven't heard them...

Digitalism - Idealistic (A-Trak Remix) Buy
Boys Noize - Oh! (A-Trak Remix) Buy

(His remix of Kanye's 'Stronger' is also one of my favourites, and one of the better mixes of that particular track. Well worth checking out.)