Radiohead has always been ahead of its time. Whether creating music that sounds like it could be played through the stereos of flying cars or tearing down the traditionally impenetrable gates of record distribution by offering a free download of its latest studio effort In Rainbows, the British quintet always seems, well, to put it in simple terms ... "cool." To further support this claim, for the second time this year Radiohead is allowing fans to remix one of its singles. Earlier, it was for the song "Nude," and with over 2,000 submissions, the success of the "Nude" remix project was overwhelming. Now eager audiophiles and daring music nerds have the opportunity to slice up and spit out their own versions of Radiohead's most recent single, "Reckoner."
The best part is that this is not even a contest; rather, it is a chance for fans, from the casual listener to the most respected professional DJs, to inject their own personality into the music, and shape it how they see fit. Radiohead offers downloads of different stems from "Reckoner" (bass, lead vocals, backing vocals, guitar, piano/strings, and drums), but fans are permitted to use their own beats and instrumentation, which is where things get quite interesting.
There may be no prize, but Radiohead encourages fans to vote for their favorite remix posted on www.radioheadremix.com. After the Oct. 23 deadline passes, the band will then listen to the most popular mixes. (For any Radiohead fan, the thought of Thom Yorke getting down to the mix that you created is perhaps the greatest prize.)
Of the early favorites, it is interesting to see how they vary in structure - "To Be Reckoned With," doesn't stray far from the song's original down-tempo groove, while the Deadly Syndrome's remix feels like it was plucked straight from the Super Mario Brothers theme song rather than In Rainbows. On the Sebastien Project remix, Yorke's voice is scratched up to mirror the front-porch sound of a bottleneck slide caressing the low end of a rickety old acoustic guitar.
Some very successful DJs have even got their hands on this project. Diplo's remix takes "Reckoner"'s relatively sparse canvas and adds a bevy of screams and sirens that float on top of a more stirring, club-friendly backbeat. For something completely different, Flying Lotus uses his remix to explore a more lounge-like setting than the original does.
So this begs the question: Daft Punk remix anyone?
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