For the third installment of my
TBT series, it is my pleasure to re-introduce the world to one of the bounciest, bleepiest, most chopped, screwed and manipulated, turntablist inspired remixes I ever encountered, the Fake Blood remix of South Rakkas Crew, "Mad Again."
There's something special and seemingly magical about hearing a truly unique track for the first time that just sticks with you. This has happened to me on countless occasions (such as Skrillex's "
Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," A-Trak's remix of Yeah Yeah Yeah's "
Heads Will Roll," and Erol Alkan and Boys Noize's "
Avalanche," to name just a few) and each time I get the chance I'm transported back to the place I originally heard it with emotions rushing back; feels racing down my spine. I first heard the Fake Blood "Mad Again" remix in what turned out to be my most musically foundational years, in the shittiest of university houses; music was my escape and that shit hole transformed into a a house party on a daily basis.
My friends and I had just picked up our very first DJ console and were constantly playing with mixing tracks and creating our own sets, while playing with the turntablism that was inspired by the man himself Fake Blood who we had just seen at Digital Future (read more about that
here). Believe it or not, he not only mixed his set with vinyls, but actually did some scratching. The most memorable part for me was his scratching skill (which has basically since disappeared from most sets, with some obvious exceptions
#RealDJ A-Trak). Perhaps the best example of FB's talent and showmanship was his use of his elbow ever so gently touching the vinyl, briefly slowing the record during his technically and sonically tremendous routine.
Having already been fans of the Fake Blood sound and his inimitable vocal manipulation style it is clear why my friends and I were so drawn to this particular remix of his. The opening section features his trademark drumming style and those snappy vocal samples that set the mood and quickly establish the intensity and forthcoming in his always tremendously energetic style. Things hit a wall at about the one minute mark where all layers are removed save for the vocal sample which is manipulated as though he were mixing it live via vinyl on turntables eventually working the vocals to say Fake Blood as he has done in numerous remixes (see his "
Ready For The Weekend," "
Restless," remixes and in Easter egg fashion he get's Noah And The Whale to say F-B, F-B in his remix of their "
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.").
The drop is typical Fake Blood bouncy electro with minor synth stabs that are at once both warm and comforting, yet also ominously dissonant and unsettling. The only logical reaction is to dance in such a way that it fends off any evil spirits the don of darkness may have conjured up with his nefarious and noxious rhythms. The track continually descends deeper into the bowels of a devilish rave, successfully enveloping the crowd in a cold damp darkness all while making the revelers his puppets in his wicked scheme not only to conquer the electronic music scene but the world at large. It is my assertion that the malevolent alter ego of musical chameleon Theo Keating has triumphed at this feat.
Finally, I'd like to leave you with another version of "Mad Again," that I would be remiss in not bringing to light as I always, rightly or wrongly, put Fake Blood and Boy 8-Bit in the same breath.
SCORE
Composition 2/3
Dynamics 1/2
Improvisation/Progression 3/3
Melody/Harmony 3/3
Originality 2/2
Sonic Quality 2/2
TOTAL 13/15
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