 | This article possibly contains original research .(December 2007) |
A remix service is a company that provides remixed music to disc jockeys.
| This article possibly contains original research .(December 2007) |
A remix service is a company that provides remixed music to disc jockeys.
In the United States, the disco craze of the late 1970s led to the release of extended "disco" versions of songs, typically released as 12" vinyl singles. Many of these were not easily beatmixed, so DJs started to edit songs by splicing reel-to-reel tape copies, making their own versions better structured for a live DJ set.
Disconet, the first remix service, launched in 1977. [1] Similar companies gathered DJs and producers together to create monthly, promotional-only compilation albums containing re-edits, remixes, or medleys that were intended specifically for club DJs.
By 1994 there was a saturation of remix services, most of which typically remixed the same tracks as their competitors. The RIAA began notifying remix services of their obligations regarding permission from music publishers, or else face litigation. Many of the services that survived this period, such as Ultimix, X-mix, Hot Tracks, and Wicked Mix, featured remixers that had radio mix-shows. In exchange for granting a remix of certain tracks, remixers could help labels promote new songs they were releasing by featuring them heavily in their mix-show.
Although some services ultimately ceased operations, mixes began to appear at most DJ record shops. One of the larger services[ which? ] attempted to establish a system for all services to become legal, by either paying a flat fee or a percentage of sales to a commission who would then allocate the money to the publishers whose tracks were used. This idea was rejected by the labels.
Over the years the remixes featured on DJ compilations have varied from simple edits (adding a mixable intro and outro to a song) to digital, multi-track remixes that differ substantially from the original track. Many remix services have focused on a specific style of music (such as hip-hop or rock) or type of remix (such as house mixes of pop hits).
Most remix-services companies (including Disconet) have folded for financial or legal reasons; remix services are required to work with the original record label or artist to get permission to edit and release a track, although various bootleg services do not.
Most remix-service companies required a DJ subscription agreement to buy the records or CDs, with each issue typically limited in quantity. As a result, many such compilations have become collector's items. While a remix-service version of a song might be released commercially by the artist's record label, the vast majority are limited to DJ subscribers.
The UK-based Disco Mix Club (DMC) remix service has the most members in the world,[ citation needed ] with offices in nearly every country. they sponsor the yearly World DJ Championships as well as releasing many commercial compilations.
Some remix-service companies helped launch the careers of subsequently successful remixers/producers. Chris Cox (formerly of Thunderpuss) worked for Hot Tracks (now Select Mix). Armand Van Helden created mixes for Mega-Mixx and X-Mix. [2] Markus Schulz, C. L. McSpadden and Aaron Scofield made mixes for Powerhouse; after the company folded Scofield and McSpadden offered remixes through Culture Shock, [3] while Schulz releases remixes and original compositions through his own Coldharbour Recordings label. [4] Ben Liebrand released numerous remixes with DMC. A few companies/artists besides Schulz have also developed their own commercial record labels to release new tracks.
Many remix services issue megamixes, containing multiple songs mixed together, sometimes in rapid succession. They can consist of songs by a single artist or multiple artists, and some may follow a theme as well (eg. Christmas). Megamixes are sometimes called medleys.
Megamixes are also commonly found on commercial releases, sometimes using the same mix previously released to DJs on a remix service. The earlier Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers series of '50s and '60s megamixes were originally released on the Music Factory Mastermix service. [5]
Among modern services, Ultimix is known for producing several megamixes each year based on popular songs of the year ("flashback medleys") as well as single-artist megamixes. Culture Shock has Hit "AC" Megamixes on their main series derived from their defunct radio show, as well as the satellite series Use Alternative Routes which contains Modern rock megamixes. The UK-based DMC and Music Factory Mastermix remix services also frequently include megamixes on their issues.
François Kevorkian, also known by the stage name François K, is French-born, of Armenian descent and U.S.-based DJ, producer, remixer and label owner, who started his career DJing in clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54. Kevorkian has produced and remixed work by a diverse range of musicians including The Smiths, Adam Ant, Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan and U2, and is considered one of the forefathers of house music.
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers were a British novelty pop music act from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The face of the group was Jive Bunny, a cartoon rabbit who appeared in the videos, and also did promotional appearances for them.
The twelve-inch single is a type of vinyl gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surface, compared to LPs which have several songs on each side. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the mastering engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality. This record type is commonly used in disco and dance music genres, where DJs use them to play in clubs. They are played at either 33+1⁄3 or 45 rpm. The conventional 7‐inch single usually holds three or four minutes of music at full volume. The 12‐inch LP sacrifices volume for extended playing time. In the 1970s, the 12‐inch single was created as a hybrid.
Disco is the first remix album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 17 November 1986 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and by EMI America Records in the United States. Disco consists of remixes of tracks from the band's debut album Please and its respective B-sides. The album includes remixes by Arthur Baker, Shep Pettibone and the Pet Shop Boys themselves.
Timo Maas is a German DJ/producer and remixer whose career in electronic music spans well over 30 years. His remix of Azzido Da Bass's single "Dooms Night" helped launch his career in 2000.
Bad Boy Bill is a disc jockey (DJ) from Chicago, Illinois, U.S. who plays an assortment of house music.
Agostino Carollo, also known as Spankox, is an Italian musician, disc jockey, singer and producer who is currently signed with EMI. Originally a classical violinist, he specializes in pop and dance music, including remixes of songs such as KC and the Sunshine Band's That's the Way. He has also released such records as X-Treme, Eyes Cream, Ago, K-Roll, Tino Augusto DJ, DJ B3LFAST, DJ Rikituki and Spankox. Several of his songs have appeared in the Dancemania compilation series and Dance Dance Revolution video game series under the name X-Treme.
"Notorious" is the fourteenth single by the English new wave band Duran Duran. It was released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986. "Notorious" was the first single issued from Duran Duran's fourth album Notorious (1986), and the first released by Duran Duran as a 3-piece band after the departure of Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor. It was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was a success in various other countries.
Disco Mix Club is primarily a remix label under licence, which is not intended for the mass market but rather exclusively for professional DJs and enthusiasts. The Disco Mix Club sells megamixes and remixes every month produced by other disc jockeys, and publishes the weekly magazine, Update. The monthly Mixmag was initially published by the Disco Mix Club, but it was bought in January 1997 by the British media group EMAP, and is currently owned by Wasted Talent Ltd after being published by Development Hell for a number of years in the late 2000s.
Walter Gibbons was an American record producer, early disco DJ, and remixer. He helped pioneer the remix and 12" single in America, and was among the most influential New York DJs of the 1970s.
A megamix is a remix containing multiple songs in rapid succession. It often features various artists. There may be only one verse or even just a brief chorus of each song used, sometimes in addition to samples of the same or other songs. It is common to use different samples to maintain and sometimes even ridicule the original. To unify the songs together smoothly, a single backing beat may be added as background throughout the megamix, although this is not a must. This backing beat is kept basic so as to simplify mixing and to not compete with the music. These mixes are usually several minutes long at minimum, going up to a half-hour or an hour, or even more sometimes.
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as music radio and television stations, and to tastemakers, such as DJs, music journalists, and critics, in advance of the release of commercial editions, in the hope that airplay, reviews, and other forms of exposure will result and stimulate the public's interest in the commercial release.
Simon Harris is a DJ, producer, remixer and electronic musician predominantly known as the founder of the hip hop record label Music of Life and producer of most of its catalogue of songs.
Nu-disco is a 21st-century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in the late 1970s US disco, synthesizer-heavy 1980s European dance music styles, and early 1990s electronic dance music. The genre was especially popular in the first half of the 2000s, and experienced another mild resurgence throughout the 2010s.
Disco 4 is the fourth remix album by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 8 October 2007 by Parlophone on CD and vinyl. It was not made available as a digital download, due to licensing difficulties for each track.
"Galbi" is an Arabic Musical poem by Yemenite Aharon Amram that was sung by Israeli Yemenite singer Ofra Haza and others. The 1988 remix of the song, taken from the album Shaday, was issued as the follow-up to Haza's worldwide chart hit "Im Nin'Alu ".
"The U.S. Remixes" is a special edition 12" quadrapack by Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited.
Secret Life was a British R&B/house and pop band active from 1991 to 1996, particularly popular in the UK and Europe.
Oakenfold Anthems is a compilation DJ mix album by British electronic producer and disc jockey Paul Oakenfold, released in 2008 on WMTV. His eighteenth mix album, the album is a triple album containing popular electronic singles, mostly focused on the progressive house and progressive trance genres, that Oakenfold considers favourites, and the material on the album mostly draws from Oakenfold's label Perfecto Records. Indeed, the album cover contains the caption "The Classic Perfecto Mix".
MTV Party To Go is a series of dance music compilation albums released by Tommy Boy Records from 1991 to 2001. The first album in the series was titled Club MTV Party To Go Volume One and the only release to have 'Club' in its title. The albums were numbered up to Volume 10. After Volume 10, MTV Party to Go Platinum Mix was released containing past songs from the series. The next several releases in the series used the years in the title instead of volume numbers. MTV Party to Go Remixed was the last release of the series in 2001. A portion of the proceeds from the Party To Go series was donated to the AMC Cancer Research Center.