Failed It/Nailed It

-in which we discuss: Success where others have failed.



Let me preface this by saying, The Juan Maclean do not need to be remixed. Given the nature of their tunes, this is inevitable, but with all the fleshed out blips and beeps in their under-two-to-over-fourteen minute songs, they've pretty much covered every which way to interpret Indie/Disco House/Electronica.

In the Happy House 12" single we see a couple attempts at shortening the track by the likes of Lee Douglas and Prince Language (whose can be heard by clicking his name). Where these remixes fail however is in offering a new perspective on the track. Though titled (Prince Language dub mix) I fail to see any dub influence beyond that which the track itself offers. Lee Douglas comes a little closer, mixing in a way that creates a sort of frantic nature from a track that is fairly mellow albeit totally dancey. His remix, however, fails to give significance to the vocals, using them as a sort of add on rather than justification as on the originals next to 13 minutes.



The original begins in true DFA fashion, bass accompanied by cow-bell esque bongos which lead into hand claps to keep the beat. Keys give the track a real 70's feel and provide a countdown to the 'launching into space'. Between bass, keys and claps we have essentially 3 beats going that could become boring if not for the addition of said cow-bell and vocals to remind us that this track is "Excellent". Though the remixes offer A.D.D. friendly versions of Happy House, cutting at least 4 minutes from the original, they fail in letting the respective mixes flesh out any one of the three beats, leaving the track haphazard where it was originally so focused.

The Juan Maclean - Happy House
Happy House 12" single came out 3/04/08 on DFA


Also unmentioned but sort of note worthy is Them Jeans' take, which falsely implies there is fat here to trim.
The Juan Maclean - Happy House (Them Jeans Trim The Fat Edit)

Failed It/Nailed It

-in which we discuss: Success where others have failed.



Remixing one’s own work is a curious idea. Surely we’ve seen this done before by the likes of Gabriel Ananda on 'Der Sinn des Lebens', and even Trentemøller remixed his own “Always Something Better”, but unlike those two, Gui Boratto has taken the track that undoubtedly made him as popular as he is and reworked it entirely.

What makes this remix so curious is Gui’s withdrawal from the upbeat certainty of the original. Even the original song itself begins with a lone beat that is so subdued it suggests Gui’s intention to have us consider the subtleties. With this remix however, we aren’t brought to the same climactic conclusion as we are in the original. Here, Gui is entirely introspective throughout.

From the beginning we are given this inquisitive tinkering that eventually leads us to a flat beat which, in itself, suggests that there is something we aren’t being told. As the song progresses we hear waves of indecisive vocals entangled with understated synth that almost cover up a snapping sound which leads us to believe that Gui’s decided where to go with this. Shortly after we have the vocals fully realized, “What a beautiful life, what a beautiful life.” But soon as they are offered they are taken as if to allow us (or Gui himself) room to contemplate why. A snare introduces a hopeful feeling that is then complimented by synth that morphs in an out of the soundscape.

It isn’t until the end that we learn what it is that makes life, and the original message of the song, so beautiful, “I can see life, I can feel life, I can see the sun”. This brief statement says so much about Gui, and in turn justifies the remix. Although we have all come to appreciate Gui’s grandiose claim to fame, this remix allows us to understand Gui’s original intent: to look inside oneself, and out, and see the beauty that is life whether subtle or bombastic in nature.

Gui Boratto - Beautiful Life (Gui Boratto Remix)