01/10/2011
D.A. remix contest
In form and very nearly in function, songs by local dance-rock band The D.A. operate like a watch, ornate and elegant in its regularity. Live or on record, their jams are so tightly coiled and cohesively executed that you can easily forget they're made up of myriad parts - instruments, sound effects, ambient washes.
Their new remix contest brings that to light. Between now and early November, anyone can access the individual tracks of "Big Woman," the lead single off The D.A.'s upcoming album. Vocals, guitar parts, weird '50s UFO sounds by something called an oscillator - all have been unraveled and laid out separately for download.
Bedroom remixers, do your best. The band's taking submissions until early November, and the winning remix will land on a D.A. vinyl.
As someone who usually focuses on the "big picture" of a song - its overall effect - I must say the reverse-engineering job is a fascinating look at the band's songwriting and recording techniques. Reminds me of those overlapping transparency pages showing the different organ systems of the human body in old biology books. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Books? Nevermind.