Mashing together songs seems to be a popular trend within the whole remixing phenomenon. However, there is a difference between simply layering a track over a set of vocals, and actually cutting and retracking to create a new product. This is what acclaimed documentary by Amir Bar Lev hopes to showcase. In Re:Generation Music Project, five talented DJs from all genres of electronic music each partake on their own adventure to remaster and create new material. Sounds pretty commonplace, right? The kicker: they have to choose artists and songs from completely opposing genres of music.
Taking cues from rock, country, R&B, jazz and classical, these songs become a new animal entirely with their new maestro at the helm. The documentary follows the creative process and allows the audience to see the complexities that come from remastering and recreating a song’s structure and disposition. But luckily this masterful task is placed in very capable hands. Skrillex, Pretty Lights, Mark Ronson, DJ Premier and The Crystal Method each take a stab at the innovative project. Even better, each is paired with a distinct genre that they may or may not have experience with, but must create a song regardless.
Skrillex is given rock, Pretty Lights is given country, Ronson is given Jazz, Premier is given classical and Crystal Method gets R&B. Interesting matches to say the least, some more surprising than others. The artists each work through their own experiences (for example Pretty lights is met with some rather blank stares at one point) but for the most part they infuse what style they’re best at with sometimes unfamiliar territory.
This opens up new opportunities for the artists to really test their chops in the musical “regeneration” waters. Skrillex gets to fiddle with The Doors, creating a funky tune dripping with Skrillex’s signature dubstep style but smoothly mixed with various vocal arrangements. The tune, titled “Breakin A Sweat”, contains more of Skrillex’s fingerprints than the original Doors contribution, but the tune still situates nicely for Skrillex fans. Pretty Lights’ Derek Vincent Smith collaborated with Dr. Ralph Stanley and LeAnn Rimes to create a remastering of "Wayward Stranger", which contains his hip-hop influences interwoven throughout. Mark Ronson definitely had an easier time of it: as producer who has worked on countless R&B tracks, the transition to jazz was a fluid one. His “A la Modeliste” featured everyone from Erykah Badu to the Dap Kings. Ronson was able to brilliantly capture the essence of jazz, between the swanky piano rhythm, the blaring trombone and the always-smooth vocals of Ms. Badu. The Crystal Method had a tougher task. They intertwined the soulful Motown R&B of Martha Reeves to create an understated track titled “I’m Not Leaving” that brilliantly showcased Reeves voice, but subtly added some Crystal Method flair to the piece. DJ Premier’s classical concerto was a beautiful cacophony of sound and orchestration. The man even learned to conduct to ensure that he had full control over the dynamics and styling of the piece. “Regeneration” is a terrific blend of hip-hop and classical foundations.
Breaking down boundaries is what music does, whether physical or emotional. The message behind the Re:Generation documentary proved this as even the laws of conventional genres were broken to form new and exciting bonds for the ear to behold.
Regeneration has also been selected to play in the Special Event Showcase at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
