Breakthrough label, Overview Music, releases its first set of remixes since its inception less than two years ago. Featuring releases from rising stars and fresh faces, the label continues to turn heads with its dark and technical 21st Century sounds.
This latest EP provides us with reworks of some of the tracks from Overview’s stellar discography. Ill Truth have provided a haunting remix of ‘Save Me’ by Lockjaw & Missin, Rizzle powerfully flipped ‘Blue Circle’ by Ewol and Koherent chaotically remixed the legendary ‘Strained’ by Wingz, all from the first EP on the label.The last two remixes are of the first track released on Overview, ‘Fin Absolue’ by Gran Calavera. Cesco provided a stripped-back, slimy take on the original and the remix competition winner, Bidl, stole the show with his trippy, 140 flip.
We caught up with the artists behind the controls and talked about remixes, lockdown and alternative careers.
How have you been keeping yourself busy outside of music during lockdown?
Luke Koherent: I’ve spent a lot of time going on long hikes up on Dartmoor.
Haden Ill Truth: I’ve mainly been working on music to be honest, the Dub Wars competition took up a month. Other than that I’ve been exercising, cooking up some mad feasts and playing lots of Call of Duty.
Bidl: Cooking, /exercising, playing the Switch and doing my best to keep my plants alive.
Josh Koherent: Trying & failing to win at Warzone.
Rizzle: I’ve been doing loads of bits around the house. I sorted out the garden, did some painting around the house and put up a shed. I also tried my hand at learning a bit of p5 JavaScript and generative art!
Cesco: This question has made me realise I haven’t done anything during lockdown outside of music. Thanks guys.
What’s your favourite remix of all time and why?
Rizzle: It has to be Marcus and ST Files’ take on Just A Vision. Not many tunes come close to the vibe on that, so cheeky!
Bidl: Bonobo – Eyesdown (Machinedrum Remix). I just think it’s been so beautifully done and really does the original justice. The drums sound amazing and it can be played in almost any environment.
Cesco: For me it’s the Moody Good flip of Slum Village – Fall In Love. He respected the original and kept that vibe alive, but was also ballsy enough to put his sound all over it. That combined with the context of how it dropped means it’ll always be #1 for me.
Haden Ill Truth: That is such a hard question. A really strong one that comes to mind for me is Dom & Roland & Gridlok – Moodswings (Break Remix). All I will say is that’s one hell of an intro, the old approach mixed with the new.
Josh Koherent: Spectrasoul – Away With Me (Calibre Remix).
Luke Koherent: Phace & Rockwell – NO! (Submarine Remix). Probably not my favourite of all time but it really turned my head recently. It’s very strange to say it’s a techier version than the original when it’s a bloody Phace & Rockwell tune.(Gives Medal)
What do you like the most about the track that you remixed?
Cesco: I love the simplicity of it. My favourite tunes tend to be the ones with fewer elements and Gran Calavera made sure there was absolutely no fluff on that track.
Bidl: The top notch sound design and rugged Metalheadz feel tickles me.
Koherent: Raucous basses and nutty percussion from Wingz. What’s not to like?
Rizzle: I absolutely love the original and have been rinsing it in my sets since the promo came through. The atmosphere is super dope and I love the simplicity and repetition, it properly sucks you in and engulfs you. It was good fun working on the remix too!
Haden Ill Truth: I love the atmosphere and space it has, that is usually what draws me into remixing a track. A feeling of space and mood and this one has that eerie, odd, moody atmosphere that I love.
How do you approach remixing a tune?
Cesco: This is probably the same for a lot of producers, but the most important thing is striking that balance between putting your spin on the tune and respecting the original. Of course you don’t want it to sound identical, but I think you should always be able to recognise elements of the original track in a remix.
Koherent: Usually we try to find some kind of hook that we can manipulate to create the basis for the remix very early on. This helps us generate the vibe needed to carry it through for a full tune. Nothing is off-limits for hook discovery from the stems, be it looping, splicing, mashing or even bitcrushing even the smallest sound from the stems to find a vibe we like from the start.
Haden Ill Truth: Again, hard question. It’s different every time. The best remixes happen without you really trying I think. The main thing is taking the original pallet and really making it your own in a way that compliments the original.
Rizzle: I usually start by pulling all of the stems into a new project and seeing what’s what. If I have an idea of where I want to go with it, then I’ll start with the drums and then get a vibe going around those! I’ll add in atmosphere and other bits and bobs as I go along!
Bidl: I tend to load the stems into instruments so I have a performable version of the track to play with, along with my own sounds. Gives me a performable version of the tune to then improvise with and come up with something fresh!
If you woke up tomorrow and didn’t know how to produce anymore, what would you do instead?
Rizzle: If I couldn’t produce anymore, I’d just end up spending way too much time playing COD and getting fat. So just as well really!
Cesco: Probably start some kind of podcast or online music publication. I studied journalism and communications at uni and always considered that as the ‘backup’ career in case I ever forgot how to use Sausage Fattener.
Josh Koherent: I’d probably turn my production room into a gaming hive and habitually speedrun.
Bidl: Try and make it as a professional whistler.
Luke Koherent: I’d recluse to a cave somewhere with a cold climate and learn how to make snow cones just in case Mike Wazowski ever came to visit.
Haden Ill Truth: I’d probably learn how to knit and become super sick at it and knit some friends.
