Tag Archives: Remix

My Music

The Bad Boys from Boston: Aerosmith

Xavier Capdepon Aerosmith Dream On MusicThe Bad Boys from Boston, better known as Aerosmith, is considered one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands in the history of Rock and Roll. Their music style incorporates elements of pop music, heavy metal, and blues to encapsulate as blues-based hard rock. The band began in Boston in the early 70s with Joe Perry on the guitar, Tom Hamilton on the bass, Steven Tyler on the vocals/harmonica, Joey Kramer on the drums, and Brad Whitford on the guitar.

In 1972, Aerosmith was signed to Columbia Records and their onslaught of gold and platinum records began. They released their debut album, Aerosmith, in 1973, followed by Get Your Wings in 1974. The band really began to rise to stardom after releasing a set of more mainstream albums: Toys in the Attic in 1975 and Rocks in 1976. Aerosmith’s first five albums reached multi-platinum status. By the end of the decade, the band was one of the most popular bands in the world, followed by their extremely loyal fan base that called themselves the “Blue Army.”

After the 70s, internal band-conflicts lead to the departure of Whitford and Perry. Their replacements were Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay; however, the band was unable to match their previous success. Aerosmith remains at the top spot for best-selling rock band in the United States. They’ve sold over 150 million records worldwide and 70 million in the United States. They also hold the US record for most gold albums with 25 gold albums in their repertoire.

Xavier Capdepon recently remixed one of Aerosmith’s most popular songs, “Dream On.” Take a listen below and let us know what you think:

 

My Music

Profile of Schoolboy Q and DJ 20syl

Schoolboy Q:
Schoolboy Q, aka Quincy Hanley, is the California hip hop artist best known for his Oxymoron album release in 2012. Even though he’s only been rapping professionally since 2006, Schoolboy Q was able to secure a recording contract with Interscope Records in 2011/2012 alongside labelmates like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar.

Q started his career with Top Dawg Entertainment, an independent record label that began to take him under his wing at the tender age of 21. Jay Rock and Ab-Soul of Top Dawg liked what they heard and continued to invite Q back until they eventually signed him in 2009. The generally positive reception to his mixtapes in 2008 and 2009 helped him start touring and getting material for his first independent album, Setbacks, in early 2011.

Setbacks was hardly a setback for Schoolboy Q; it brought critical acclaim, plenty of attention, and a large fan following. Building off that momentum, Q released Habits & Contradictions in 2012 and eventually announced his major label debut on Interscope Records. His various releases have shown just how flexible Schoolboy is with his rapping technique and rhyme style. Though he cites Jay-Z as a major influence, Schoolboy Q pulls some aggression from 50 cent and lyrical strength from the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Macklemore.

20syl
20syl (pronounced “vin-sil”) is a producer, producer, and DJ extraordinaire from Nantes, France. He’s earned a solid reputation for his jazz, funk, and soul influences and for his collaborations with the likes of The Procussions and Thomas Lawrence.

Aside from his own blossoming solo career, 20syl has actually been a part of the musical landscape for over a decade thanks to collaborative projects with DMC World Team winners C2C and the acoustic hip-hop/jazz group, Hocus Pocus.

Where the magic happens:
If you haven’t already heard 20syl’s remix of the Schoolboy Q Rapfix Cypher, then you need to check it out pronto. It’s a masterfully smooth and professionally mixed recording of a Schoolboy Q freestyle. 20syl somehow takes a cypher full of pauses and stutters and turns it into a fresh and polished mix absolutely brimming with feeling and soul. Check out the song below!

Also, check out Xavier Capdepon’s dubstep remix of 20syl’s remix below!

My Music

Who is Clean Bandit?

Xavier Capdepon Clean BanditClean Bandit is an electronic group from Cambridge, England founded in 2009. The group consists of four members: Jack Patterson on the bass guitar, keyboard and vocals; Luke Patterson on the drums; Grace Chatto on the cello and vocals; and Milan Neil Amin-Smith on the violin. In January of 2014, they released their first single to hit the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart, “Rather Be.” In the United States, “Rather Be” reached the number 12 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

They music style of Clean Bandit can be described as a mix of electronic/deep-house music with elements of classical music. The music that they make uses elements from classical compositions from Dvorak, Beethoven, and Mozart. They released their single “Mozart’s House” in 2013 and the song reached  #17 on the UK Singles Chart. A lot of their music can be considered humorous at times as many record labels refused to sign the band because they thought that they were a comedy band.

In a world where a lot of electronic artists these days are hiring production interns to produce their own music, Clean Bandit actually produces their own music. Jack, Chatto and Amin-Smith all met while attending Jesus College at the University of Cambridge. Chatto and Amin-Smith were leads in a string quartet. Chatto was Jack’s girlfriend while at college, and he would record remixes to Chatto’s vocals from time to time. One of their songs, Motzar’s House, eventually materialized and thus began the journey to becoming an electronic band.

Their band name comes from the minds of Chatto and Jack Patterson. They both lived in Russia for a bit, so “Clean Bandit” is a direct translation that from Russian to English that is used to mean “complete bastard” or “utter rascal” in British terminology.

The other night Xavier Capdepon completed his remix of Clean Bandits’s most famous song, “Rather Be” with vocals from Jess Glynne. Check the song out below!