Oakland producer Amplive has been given the go-ahead by Radiohead to release Rainydayz Remixes, an unauthorized remix project of the group's latest album, In Rainbows, online for free after initially being served a cease and desist order.Amplive radically alters 7 tracks from the album and gets some bigname vocal help from Bay Area artists like Del Tha Funkee Homosapien on "Video Tapez" and rapper Too $hort and MC Zumbi of Zion I on "Nudez," as well as Chali2na of Los Angeles' Jurassic 5 on "Reckonerz."
You may remember In Rainbows causing a whole lot of controversy last fall after Radiohead opted to release the album online exclusively (it was released in the traditional CD and vinyl format January 1). So it seems fitting that someone had the temerity to remix the album.
Though i was unaware of Amplive's previous work, i'm very impressed with what he calls a re-envisioning of the Radiohead tracks. "15 Stepz," featuring vocalist Codany Holiday, somehow manages to retain the song's original atmospheric vibe while morphing into a soulful, almost jazzy direction. "Video Tapez" takes the ethereal piano of the original and loops a section, adds a crisp beat and the anthemic vocals of Del. "Weird Fishez" is reimagined as a mid-tempo number with samples of the guitar work and Thom Yorke's vocal atop a percolating hip-hop beat. "All I Need" sounds like a completely different track, with horns and keyboard stabs added to a thin beat loop.
Honestly, this is a stunning achievement and comparable to Dangermouse's unauthorized remix of Jay-Z on The Grey Album in 2004. Yes, it's that good.
Download the album here
And here's more on Amplive
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