BEST OF 2002
Dec 1, 2002 12:00 PM
CREAMER & K
High-octane duo named best remixers of the year
By Kylee Swenson
When DJs or artists suddenly explode onto the scene, it's easy to despise them for being so lucky. It's even easier to forget that success is usually born from years of setbacks, not luck. Like most people, John Creamer and Stephane K have fallen down and picked themselves up plenty of times before getting their break. “Our dark, tribally kind of thing wasn't really getting accepted,” says Creamer. “But then it came back around, and we started doing really well.”
Five years ago, A&R man John Creamer met Stephane K and hired him to do some work for New York's Eightball Records. Almost immediately, they started producing together. A few years later, John Digweed caught on to the duo and started charting their remixes. Digweed then included Creamer & K's remix of Satoshi Tomiie's “Love in Traffic” on his Global Underground: Los Angeles (Global Underground) mix CD released in 2001. Since then, Creamer & K have invaded the dance community's consciousness with remixes of Kosheen's “Hide U” and Iio's “Rapture.”
This year has certainly been a hot one for the duo. Released in 2002 were their remixes of New Order's “Crystal,” Moony's “Dove,” Sinead O'Connor's “Troy,” Moby's “Extreme Ways” and Crystal Method's “You Know It's Hard.” A remix of Yoko Ono's “Will I?” will drop shortly. If that's not enough to digest, make room for Creamer & K's own productions, most recently including John Creamer and Prince Quick's “Fuck Sonnet” and Stephane K's “Numb.” Also this year, the duo released their Bedrock: Compiled and Mixed (Bedrock) mix CD, the fourth installment in the series.
As of late, Creamer & K have been a little overwhelmed by their sudden success. “Doing remixes, traveling how I travel and then also having any personal life — it's a bit difficult,” admits Creamer. But between DJ sets in Tokyo and Costa Rica, Creamer called from New York to discuss the art of remixing, and K, still abroad, checked in from his former hometown of Tokyo.
You've said that this Bedrock-series mix CD was no straight turntable mix, that you wanted it to be more of a remix album. How did you accomplish that?
John Creamer: It changed a bit from that because of the scheduling and the traveling I do. But it's definitely not a turntable mix. It's 100 percent computer-generated and edited. We never had any thought of doing it on turntables.
Did you infuse your own samples, musical elements and transitions into it?
Stephane K: We added a couple sound effects, but we didn't do a lot.
Creamer: There's so much — if we had a bit more time — that we would have done. I wanted to hire vocalists and have them sing vocal hooks over other people's stuff. But we edited everyone's material and rearranged it. Maybe for the next compilation, we'll do more.
What elements did you bring to Kosheen's “Hide U” that you feel made for a great remix?
Creamer: Not so much, because it was such a great song in the beginning. The original dun-dun-dun-dun pattern was so hypnotizing that you really didn't have to go that far with it. We added the 4/4 and some cool effects and just basically made it into house format. But I think it came at a time when people were looking for a different sound. Vocals weren't all over the place, and we kind of provided that. So it was good timing, and it's not an overproduced mix by any means. It's pretty perfect as far as how many elements are in it. There are a lot of people that really overproduce or over-remix records.
K: We don't have any theme; we just go with the flow. We just play the parts, but we always want to make our songs deep, tribal and New York — sounding. That's always a theme.
You've said that many of the producers making new progressive music don't really develop their tracks as real songs.
Creamer: Yeah, they're a bit boring. They don't go far enough. It's okay if you have a really good groove that can last 10 minutes and it's just heady enough to keep you occupied with enough elements coming in and out that keep you going. But I don't think a lot of people do that. I think that has to do with technology and the way people can make records on PCs now: They don't really need a full-on studio. People, over time, develop themselves and their own personalities, and that is reflected in their records.
What is important to create a well-produced and well-arranged piece of music?
K: The vocal is really important. So you can arrange the track according to the vocal. It's good to have a verse, a chorus and a bridge. We follow the pattern of the original sometimes. But when it's instrumental, I think it's okay if it's minimal; it doesn't have to go anywhere. I think it's okay to do anything. Also, if a track has too much energy, I don't like it. Most of our songs aren't big songs. They're mellow but quiet, not too many sounds coming in. They slowly build up. We don't have banging tracks. “Hide U” and “Rapture” are mellow.
Creamer: But something always has to be going on that's exciting in some way. It's much more a feeling than a premeditated formula. When we hear it through the equipment, the keyboards and the modules, we know when it's right.
Could you describe the process of doing a remix, from extracting the vocals to putting the finishing touches on the mix?
Creamer: We get the vocal, and we'll time-stretch it, generally to 130 bpm. If it sounds silly, we can go to 134, but we generally don't go below 130 or above 134. Then, we'll see how the vocals sound with a kick. From there, we'll probably just look for some sounds, just go through all of the equipment. We'll generally start with either the Access Virus or the E-mu Xtreme Lead-1. We'll look for sounds in those, figure out the key and just loop the main part of the vocal and the beat and find out the vibe of the song through one sound. From there, maybe we'll get two more sounds. By the time we get to three sounds that we're happy with, we'll probably start putting hi-hats and a clap in it. And then, from there, we would go to more sounds, a bass line, and we'd maybe mix it down a little bit, not completely done, but see how everything's going to work so that it's similar to when we're finished with it. From there, we'd arrange.
Usually, what happens is, everything would be arranged and pretty much ready to go, and we'll look for one last sound that's going to peak it out — you know, take it that one step higher. That's it. Then, we collect the money. Sometimes, it's a long process, and sometimes, it's really quick. “Rapture” was so quick. And then [Satoshi Tomiie's] “Love in Traffic” was six weeks. That was a strange one. There were a lot of vocals, so we had a lot to do.
What are the top pieces of gear used in your studio for remixing?
K: Access Virus, E-mu Xtreme Lead, [Clavia] Nord Lead 3, Novation Nova. Our studio is kind of small, lots of small modules. When we get stuck, we try to look for sounds from soft synths. I like Native Instruments Absynth and FM7. I also have Battery from the same company.
Creamer: MOTU Digital Performer, Access Virus, Xtreme Lead. The other stuff I'm pretty indifferent to. The Nord stuff is all right, too. We don't buy keyboards. We always buy the rackmount versions to save space. It's one controller and racks. We have a G4 dual processor and two [G3] laptops, which are more for the soft synths. But we mostly use the G4 with Digital Performer and lots of plug-ins for cool effects, like [Cycling '74] Pluggo.
You have a ton of rackmount gear.
Creamer: We have even more than are in these photos, because we used to do everything with audio. We'd record from the rack into the computer and arrange everything through the computer, so we'd wind up with 60 tracks, all with plug-ins. But now, to switch it up, we actually started using our old Mackie 1202. The older 1202s have a really cool sound. We used to have two Yamaha O3Ds, and both of the screens went out. Instead of taking them to get fixed, we just hooked up the Mackie, and it started sounding really good. We did that three weeks ago. Since we were using the Mackie, we just bought some processors and some outboard delays. Everything used to be plug-ins. We would have one track with one sound and nine plug-ins on it. So it would wind up being 10 tracks for this one little sound. We're simplifying it these days, not as heavy on the effects and more thumping sounds, which the Mackie works for because it's not digital.
When do you use a Roland Juno or a Clavia Nord, and when do you prefer using a soft synth?
Creamer: When we can't find anything anywhere else. That's kind of how we do it. If we want some weird bump sound, we'll go through the Xtreme or the Virus. But the soft synths have a lot of good mellow, airy sounds. Steph uses them more for his stuff.
K: Most of the time, it's easier to try the modules. Most of the time, we're looking for sound effects from soft synths — not bass, not drums, but some weird noise when we need that kind of sound. Absynth has unique sounds that fill the space. Sometimes you need noise.
You also have an Akai sampler in your arsenal.
Creamer: We haven't used the Akai in a year. And if we want to sample something from the turntables, we'll just go right into the computer. We sample some loops, but we don't sample drum sounds. We pretty much have our kit that we use. Sometimes, I'll come with, like, 60 or 70 records, and we'll just record and name them all day. Then, we'll go through them another day on the computer.
You just finished the Yoko Ono mix. What else are you working on?
Creamer: We have about eight originals floating around waiting for vocals and stuff. And we have a production with Sander Kleinenberg that we're really excited about that we did in his studio and here in New York.
Which other remixers and producers have influenced you?
K: A long time ago, I was influenced by Junior Vasquez, in '94 maybe. Then Danny Tenaglia. He did a couple of tracks I liked. I like Deep Dish, DJ Pierre and Felix da Housecat.
Creamer: Danny Tenaglia, Sander Kleinenberg, Felix da Housecat, DJ Pierre, Underground Sound of Lisbon, DJ Premier, people who just make quality shit. Even if I don't like it, I still think it is produced well.
REMIXERS OF THE YEAR
By Chris Gill and Kylee Swenson
BREAKS
Koma & Bones
Building upon the intense, dark yet irresistibly funky sounds of their acclaimed Blinded by Science (TCR, 2001) album released late this past year, the Lancaster, England-based trio of Andy “Koma” Duckmanton, Chris “Bones” Kirkbride and Jude “Proteus” Sebastian continued to take the nu-skool-breaks sound even further into the future. Überzone's Q included Koma & Bones' fiery remix of their own “Powercut” on his mix CD The Digital Mix (Moonshine, 2002), and Crystal Method hired the threesome to do a makeover of “You Know It's Hard,” which appeared on their Community Service (Ultra, 2002) mix CD. Koma & Bones' remixes of tunes by artists such as New Order, Mousse T and X-Press 2 earned them fans beyond the nu-skool scene and helped make breaks one of this year's hottest sounds. With several big-name progressive-house DJs adding breaks tunes to their sets, 2003 may become Koma & Bones' biggest year ever.
Crystal Method, “You Know It's Hard” (Outpost)
Kosheen, “Hide U” (TCR)
New Order, “Confusion” (Whacked)
Meat Katie and Dylan Rhymes, “Moist” (Whole 9 Yards)
X-Press 2, “Smoke Machine” (Skint)
DEEP HOUSE
King Britt
Philadelphia's King Britt made his mark DJing under the name Silkworm for Digable Planets and producing solo albums as Sylk 130. He's also worked steadily for years as a remixer reconstructing songs for artists such as Miles Davis, Macy Gray, Bebel Gilberto, Tori Amos, Yoko Ono, Kruder and Dorfmeister, and Femi Kuti. Britt's experiments with deep house, afro-tech, hip-hop, broken beat and nu-jazz have kept his production plate overflowing. His latest project for house productions is Scuba, and the first release under that pseudonym — a collection of slinky remixes called Hidden Treasures (Om) — dropped earlier this year. In 2002, Britt also remixed tracks for King Britt Presents: The Philadelphia Experiment Remixed (Ropeadope) and was nominated for the Dancestar Remix of the Year award for his take of Josh One's “Contemplation.” When not caught up in remixing deadlines, Britt is working on an album of original hip-hop tracks, along with conscious rappers Quasimoto and Bahamadia, for release next year on BBE.
Vikter Duplaix, “Looking for Love (King Britt Scuba Mix)” (Hollywood)
Jazzanova “Mwela Mwela” (JCR/Compost)
Josh One, “Contemplation (King Britt Funke Mix)” (Prolifica)
Alex Kidd, “Strawberry Lane” (F Communications)
Philadelphia Experiment, “Miles Hit” (Ropeadope/Atlantic)
DRUM 'N' BASS
High Contrast
Welsh new-kid-on-the-block High Contrast (aka Lincoln Barrett) has been in the drum 'n' bass scene for a mere hot minute, but even before releasing his straight-from-the-bedroom debut, True Colors (Breakbeat Science, 2002), High Contrast took the trophy for Best Producer at the Welsh Dance Music Awards and has since won the distinction of Best Newcomer at the Drum 'n' Bass Arena Awards. High Contrast got his start releasing his Steinberg Cubase — built productions on the UK label Hospital Records. Since then, he's worked nonstop at DJing, producing and remixing. Only a year in the public eye as a producer, Contrast is proving to be a prolific beat maker, infusing disco, house, garage and jungle into his drum 'n' bass mixes. “The new producers who have come through — and myself, as well — have pushed what you can put into a track,” he says. “There don't seem to be as many limits on the music as there used to be.”
Adam F Featuring Guru, “Karma” (Kaos)
Blue Sonix, “This Feeling” (Phuturistic Bluez)
Hatiras, “Spaced Invader” (Canvas)
Ils, “No Soul,” (Marine Parade)
The Streets, “It's Come to This” (Virgin)
HARD HOUSE
BK
Call him the hardest working man in hard house. One of the most prolific artists on the esteemed Nukleuz label, Ben Keen, better known to fans as BK, cranked out several stunning remixes this year, in addition to a handful of must-have singles that were favorites of DJs such as Lisa Lashes, Fergie and Mario Piu. This British producer's remix of Tony de Vit's “I Don't Care,” a banging, irresistible update of a classic tune, was one of the top hard-house tunes of the summer. He also teamed up with Nukleuz label-mate Nick Sentience to work on several bosh-worthy remixes, including “Baddest Mutha” by Lisa Pin-Up. BK's original single “The Revolution” found its way into the record boxes of trance and progressive-house DJs, including Christopher Lawrence. In addition to DJing all over the world, BK found time this year to put finishing touches on his long-awaited artist album debut, which will be released in early 2003.
Tony de Vit, “I Don't Care” (Tidy)
Andy Farley, “Concentrate” (Nukleuz Blue)
Hardbeat Presents Lisa Pin-Up, “Baddest Mutha (BK & Nick Sentience Remix)” (Nukleuz Blue)
Joy Kitikonti, “Joydontstop” (BXR)
Red Alien Featuring Afrika Islam, “Red Alien (BK & Nick Sentience Mix)” (Nebula)
HIP-HOP
DJ Spinna
As a remixer and producer, Brooklyn's DJ Spinna has mad cred. He digs deeper than an archeologist for sample-worthy sounds and pieces his tracks together like a sonic scientist off his rocker. It's no wonder Herbie Hancock is a fan. Although Spinna's remixes are more on the cutting-edge tip of hip-hop and house, he has given his own spin to the more bling-bling of hip-hop, R&B and even rock, including Mary J. Blige featuring George Michael, Jackson 5 and 311. But he's also conquered the conscious rap of Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch and has worked with artists in the realm of gospel, electronic and pop. Furthermore, his Jigmastas project — with MC Kriminul — won him rave reviews for the 2001 album Infectious (Beyond Real). In the midst of cranking out more remixes, Spinna will also release Here to There, the next installment of BBE/Rapster's Beat Generation series, in February 2003.
Shaun Escoffery, “Days Like These” (Oyster)
Kim Hill, “Summertime in Aspen” (Up Above)
Push Button Objects, “360 Degrees” (Chocolate Industries)
Soulstice, “The Reason” (Om)
Zero 7, “Distractions” (Ultimate Dilemma)
HOUSE
Robbie Rivera
Robbie Rivera moved from Puerto Rico to Miami 10 years ago, and within that time, he has become one of house music's leading producers and remixers. A keyboardist who comments that he prefers to spend more time in the studio than behind the decks, Rivera kept the goods coming all year long, issuing more than two dozen remixes. He also released a steady string of singles under his own name, including the chart-topping “Funk-a-Tron,” and under various pseudonyms such as Wicked Phunker, Tribal Crew and Kolaborators. Rivera's productions cover the gamut of house flavors, including funky, filtered disco; raging hard house; dark, tribal progressive; and deep, soulful house. Rivera has released work on almost every major dance-music label, including Subliminal, Positiva, Ministry of Sound, Tommy Boy and Strictly Rhythm, as well as issued tunes on his own Juicy Music label.
Blaze Featuring Sybil, “When I Fall in Love” (Kickin)
Laid, “No More Games” (G2)
P.I.M.P., “The Light” (Future Groove)
Puretone, “Addicted to Bass” (V2)
Res, “They Say Vision” (MCA)
POP/DANCE
Thunderpuss
Working as the production duo Thunderpuss since 1998, Chris Cox and Barry Harris have remixed just about every megapop star on the planet. In fact, the two have had 23 No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts, with four of those ringing the bell in 2002: Cher's “Song for the Lonely,” Mary J. Blige's “No More Drama,” Enrique Iglesias' “Escape” and Inaya Day's “Can't Stop Dancin'.” During the past year, Thunderpuss have also put dancefloor sizzle and thump behind the voices of Britney Spears, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston and Anastacia. Other names in Cox and Harris' vast resume include Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera and Madonna. When they're not remixing, the two spin regularly at New York City's Roxy; San Francisco's Universe; Washington, D.C.'s Velvet Nation; and Sydney, Australia's Sleazeball. But it's their anthemic, progressive club mixes that have elevated the duo to superstar status.
Amber, “Need to Be Naked” (Tommy Boy Silver)
Mary J. Blige, “No More Drama” (MCA)
Whitney Houston, “Whatchulookinat” (Arista)
Enrique Iglesias, “Escape” (Interscope)
Madonna, “Die Another Day” (Maverick)
Shakira, “Underneath Your Clothes,” (Epic)
TECHNO
John Selway
Having studied violin and piano for 14 years, New York's John Selway brings major musicality to his remixing. Selway has been on the techno/electro scene since 1991, when he released his debut EP with Exodus Quartet, Trance Jazz (Exodus/Instinct). To help crank out his many projects — under the pseudonyms Octaves, Moods, Prana, Dharma (with BT), Semblance Factor, SPY, P.R.L., Synapse, Disintegrator and Rancho Relaxo Allstars — Selway founded two record labels in the mid-'90s, Serotonin and CSM Records. But his remixes, including several created in his partnership with Sweden's Christian Smith, helped propel Selway into the intercontinental consciousness. His reconstructions can be heard on Timo Maas' Connected (Perfecto, 2001), as well as on Ritchie Hawtin and Sven Väth's Cocoon (Novamute, 2002). Selway's second mix CD release on the Journeys by DJ label is due in March 2003.
Fischerspooner, “Emerge” (Memory Boy)
Jackass & Mule, “1-2-3 Miami” (Xylophone Jones)
Koenig Cylinders, “99.9” (Exact Audio)
Slam, “Stepback (Christian Smith and John Selway Mix)” (Soma)
Sven Väth, “Mind Games” (Virgin)
BREAKTHROUGH
Deepsky
2002 has been one hell of a ride for the Los Angeles-based progressive/nu-skool-breaks duo of Jason Blum and J. Scott G., better known as Deepsky. In addition to releasing their outstanding debut artist album, In Silico (Kinetic, 2002), the pair were approached by the management of two of the biggest pop music artists of all time — David Bowie and Madonna — to do official remixes of their tunes. Bowie's single “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship” features vocal and dub remixes by Deepsky, and their remix of Madonna's “Die Another Day,” also the theme to the new James Bond flick, was released on a maxi-CD single alongside remixes by Felix da Housecat, Dirty Vegas and Thunderpuss. Deepsky's mix of Moda's “Tiger” received praise from UK breaks DJs such as Tayo, who described it as “electro swank” in the British press. When not crossing the United States on tour, the duo is working on new tunes for their follow-up album.
David Bowie, “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship” (Columbia)
Curve, “Cold Comfort” (Fat Lip)
Human Movement, “Healing Dream” (Innersense)
Madonna, “Die Another Day” (Warner Bros.)
Moda, “Tiger” (Funked Up)
REMIX TECHNOLOGY AWARDS
When the time arrived to compile the top studio and DJ products of the year, it was clear that the manufacturing community had the hip-hop and electronic-music-production crowds squarely in its sights. With this mind, we at Remix felt the time was right to begin recognizing these pioneering achievements with the new Remix Technology Awards. We've broken things down into two product categories: studio production and DJ performance. Each category comprises a Product of the Year, as well as nine other innovative offerings, all handpicked by the Remix editors.
TOP 10 STUDIO PRODUCTION PRODUCTS
Ableton Live sequencing instrument
Taking sequencing out of the studio and onto the stage, Live made live remixing a reality with its real-time time-stretching and resampling functions.
Access Virus C-series synths
With 32 voices, more effects and aggressive filters, this year's strain of the infectious Virus analog-modeling synthesizer is devastating.
Akai MPC4000 workstation
This MPC may have sacrificed portability for power, but its Z4 sampling engine; Intel CPU; and 24-bit, 96kHz fidelity make it a true workstation.
Digidesign Digi 002 Hardware/software Recording system
Operating as a 32-track digital audio workstation, a digital mixer with effects and a control surface, the Digi 002 is incredibly versatile.
Mackie HR624 monitors
Now, the awesome, accurate sound of Mackie's HR824 monitors is available in a more compact package for home studios.
Native Instruments Kontakt Software sampler
A comprehensive filter section, extensive modulation capabilities and intuitive interface make Kontakt everyone's favorite software sampler yet.
Propellerhead Reason 2.0 Soft-synth workstation
The all-in-one virtual software studio got even better with the addition of an advanced sampler and a cool graintable synthesizer.
Steinberg Cubase SX Digital audio workstation
A complete rewrite of the beloved Cubase audio and MIDI sequencing software package, SX offers an appealing alternative for the PC users abandoned by Logic.
VirSyn Tera software synth
This awesome-sounding soft synth offers as many as 16 modular synths, each with a 64-step sequencer/arpeggiator and three effects.
STUDIO PRODUCTION PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
Emagic Logic Platinum 5 digital audio workstation
Although Emagic bummed out its PC-using fans by hooking up with Apple, Logic 5 still impressed Remix with its track-based automation, support for as many as 32 virtual instruments, pro-quality plug-ins and the optional Logic Control hardware controller.
TOP 10 DJ PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
Denon DN-9000 CD player
A cool professional CD player featuring scratch capabilities, built-in effects, sampling and powerful functions such as A-B Splice.
Korg KP-2 Kaoss Pad Multi-effects unit
The addition of bpm-synching effects and an improved sampling section make the new Kaoss Pad a powerful addition to your DJ bag.
Numark PDM-01 mixer
An all-digital battle mixer offering eight continuously variable crossfader curves that you can change quicker than you can change lanes.
Numark TTX1 Turntable
Interchangeable tonearms, extended pitch range, a useful Key Lock feature and the most powerful motor in the market: the new standard.
Pioneer CMP-555 digital media player
A well-designed professional MP3 player that lets you control digital media like you control a CD.
Rane Empath mixer
Designed with assistance from Grandmaster Flash, this pro-quality 3-channel mixer is ideal for scratching and mixing any style of music.
Red Sound Cycloops sampler
With an extremely accurate bpm reader and seamless looping, this compact DJ sampler makes instant remixes a breeze.
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones
DJs appreciate these headphones' clean, punchy sound quality and excellent isolation, but they really love the comfortable design.
Tascam X-9 mixer
With four channels, two samplers, a full-featured effects section and a fully parametric EQ, Tascam's X-9 appears ready to conquer the clubs.
DJ PERFORMANCE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
Stanton Final Scratch digital DJ-performance system
One of the most anticipated products of the year, Final Scratch lived up to its promise to offer vinyl-like control of MP3 files for the masses. (Check out the complete review on p. 72.)
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