Jamiroquai, "Runaway (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Remix)" (2006)
In either my first or second year of college, I was really excited to have the chance to take a class on postmodernism with a fairly famous, and popular-on-campus, professor. This was barely the 90s, so such courses were still quite rare. Looking back, I doubt that I got that much out of it, intellectually; the readings were complex, infuriating, and way over my head, and I didn't know my Lyotard from my unitard.
Still, it was nice to have license to analyze pop culture and mass media. I remember dropping in on that professor's office hours to gush about electronic music and how it was, I dunno, obviously capable of redefining the Benjaminian aura. He must had been so patient, sitting through my precious bullshit without gnawing off his own arm. I left that "discussion" by leaving behind for him a cassette tape. It was filled with exciting new music that I had taped off my scratchy BBC world service radio (and I think "Being Boring," on which I would write a paper, was also on there).
At the next lecture, he played my tape for all 300 students while setting up, and it gave me such a twirl. He didn't comment on any of it, but being warm-up background music was still an accomplishment. I was the support act. Any moment now, I thought, looking around at my classmates, they would all rise up and spontaneously break into dance, because Adamski's "Killer" (just entering the UK charts! Hot!) was streaming through the lecture hall speakers, and how could anyone resist that bassline? The aura was about to turn and flee! Get ready!
The Alan Braxe and Fred Falke remix of Jamiroquai's "Runaway" almost seems to be paying homage to that bassline, although the French maestros also put it through a filter that mutates it from moment to moment, and gives it extra bounce. And on top, a gurgling synth riff repeats over and over -- and, oh yeah, Jay Kay, he of the stupid hats, sings a ditty as well, but that's pretty much incidental to the proceedings, as it should be -- and it's a heady and irresistible mixture. It's all I can do not to hunt the professor down and send him another tape.
In either my first or second year of college, I was really excited to have the chance to take a class on postmodernism with a fairly famous, and popular-on-campus, professor. This was barely the 90s, so such courses were still quite rare. Looking back, I doubt that I got that much out of it, intellectually; the readings were complex, infuriating, and way over my head, and I didn't know my Lyotard from my unitard.
Still, it was nice to have license to analyze pop culture and mass media. I remember dropping in on that professor's office hours to gush about electronic music and how it was, I dunno, obviously capable of redefining the Benjaminian aura. He must had been so patient, sitting through my precious bullshit without gnawing off his own arm. I left that "discussion" by leaving behind for him a cassette tape. It was filled with exciting new music that I had taped off my scratchy BBC world service radio (and I think "Being Boring," on which I would write a paper, was also on there).
At the next lecture, he played my tape for all 300 students while setting up, and it gave me such a twirl. He didn't comment on any of it, but being warm-up background music was still an accomplishment. I was the support act. Any moment now, I thought, looking around at my classmates, they would all rise up and spontaneously break into dance, because Adamski's "Killer" (just entering the UK charts! Hot!) was streaming through the lecture hall speakers, and how could anyone resist that bassline? The aura was about to turn and flee! Get ready!
The Alan Braxe and Fred Falke remix of Jamiroquai's "Runaway" almost seems to be paying homage to that bassline, although the French maestros also put it through a filter that mutates it from moment to moment, and gives it extra bounce. And on top, a gurgling synth riff repeats over and over -- and, oh yeah, Jay Kay, he of the stupid hats, sings a ditty as well, but that's pretty much incidental to the proceedings, as it should be -- and it's a heady and irresistible mixture. It's all I can do not to hunt the professor down and send him another tape.
posted by Brittle-Lemon at
5:23 PM
4 Comments:
great remix. they can do nothing wrong it seems.
And funny post. would be of course perfect with a picture of alan and fred wearing a selection of jay's finest hats...
By
Anonymous, at 2:00 PM
Hey BL, I'm adding you to my blogroll... Never realized you had me up here, though I've been here many times. I've been blind, so blind...
By
D'luv, at 4:16 AM
Indeed, arnault: never have I regretted my lack of photoshop skills more. (I have to say that Braxe and Falke have their off moments as far as I'm concerned. These tend to coincide with the times they remix more dubious indie groups -- Infadels, Keith, Test Icicles -- so maybe I'm just predispposed to not like those remixes. But then again, I also prefer the original version of Van She's "Kelly" to the Braxe remix, so maybe not.)
j'ason, I thought I was already on your blogroll, but it's nice to be Officially Added, woo!
By
Brittle, at 7:46 PM
Ha.. you know, when I went to throw you on the template, I realized I had indeed already added you awhile back. I'm gettin' old, man. Gettin' old...
By
D'luv, at 1:47 AM
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