Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I’m going to share some more new music with you, but first somebody out there has to promise to answer the question in the title of this post. Deal? Okay, good.

 
So our good friend Mihai, who is a guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter for Dirty Shirt (more about that band here), also has a solo career (using the name M.T.) as a remix artist. Now, I know what many of you are probably thinking: a “remix” just means taking a song and adding some kind of techno dance beat behind it, right? Well, a lot of the time that’s true, unfortunately, and admittedly there really isn’t much artistry involved there. However, the work that M.T. does is more like re-composition, because he generally takes the original vocal part, but very little else from the actual song; instead, adding instruments and sounds of his own.

Anyway, earlier this week I learned that he had taken a number of these creations and compiled them into a digital album called Rock RMX Collection. Due to legal complications (with the various copyrights on the original source material) this release will not be made available to download or to purchase in any format, but it’s out there in cyberspace for you to listen to, if you choose to do so.

I am glad to announce that I produced my first “solo” album, called “M.T. – ROCK REMIX COLLECTION”. For legal reasons and copyright issues, this is a “virtual” album that is not available for purchase in physical format (CD) or for download. However, you can listen to it for free at: http://soundcloud.com/mt-soundcloud/sets/rock-rmx-collection

About the album:

M.T.: guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming, sampler, arrangements, and mixing (except “Nothing to Lose,” mixed by BrushVox)

Mastering by BrushVox (except the Magnolia remixes and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, mastered by M.T.). With the participation of Absurdcus on “Nothing to lose” (bass)

Digital booklet:
http://dirty-shirt.com/images/M.T%20-%20Rocks%20RMX%20Collection%201.jpg
http://dirty-shirt.com/images/M.T%20-%20Rocks%20RMX%20Collection%202-3.jpg
http://dirty-shirt.com/images/M.T%20-%20Rocks%20RMX%20Collection%204.jpg

Tracklist and Original Songs:

1. WITH THE PIECES (Lights Resolve) http://youtu.be/KLW5jaBNxwc
2. THROW ME A LINE (Iameve) http://youtu.be/V-67vbY_IBM
3. STAY (Nesta Rae) http://youtu.be/mGuyPnmmpYE
4. ROCKS OFF (Daniel Bedingfield) http://youtu.be/2Qi41uEFt5g
5. INNOCENT (Magnolia) http://youtu.be/YOtfXccHb_Q
6. TOAD (Christina Marie Magenta) http://youtu.be/YUNS7wf1Q3A
7. NOTHING TO LOSE (K’naan) http://youtu.be/5Zjp7NTDDKE
8. MOVE OVER (Janis Joplin) http://youtu.be/eihw2hu65S0
9. SOMETHING IN THE WATER (The Greens) http://youtu.be/kwyR8DLOPgQ
10. SOMEONE TO HATE (Demon Hunter) http://youtu.be/ZMAeMaCnOvk
11. FREE (Twin Atlantic) http://youtu.be/8TAJ_be8S8A
12. GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN (Cindy Lauper) http://youtu.be/UJwFO4l74yY
13. NOT YOUR FAULT (Awolnation) http://youtu.be/jm9-yVdxbSs
14. MUSIC (Magnolia) http://youtu.be/4-sbqCKaNlU
15. LUNATIC (Christina Marie Magenta) http://youtu.be/FhLRVEEZGO0
16. UNCONSOLABLE (Ambassadors) http://youtu.be/VqmA3eJFhyk

 
The inclusion of links to the original songs for the sake of comparison, I have to say, is very helpful — with the obvious exceptions of the Janis Joplin and Cindy Lauper songs, I’ve never actually heard any of these before. To be perfectly honest, I’m not even familiar with any of the other artists (except for Demon Hunter, whose name I recognize because it seems like they have a song on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal station at least once every ten minutes — whereupon I have to swiftly switch to something else, because I’ve consistently hated anything of theirs that I’ve heard).

Unfortunately, a bit of genre bias seems to keep me from fully enjoying several of these works (that is, the songs themselves are not really something that I’d necessarily prefer to listen to), but that doesn’t prevent me from appreciating the skill and talent on display here. The “remix” work is extremely well-done, and it’s clear that a good amount of effort was put into each of these songs, because I wouldn’t even have recognized that any of the songs didn’t originally sound this way, if I hadn’t been told otherwise. That is, everything fits together so seamlessly that you can’t tell just by listening to them (unless you’re familiar with the original versions, which as I mentioned, I’m not).

The songs by Magnolia and Christina Marie Magenta seem pretty good, although again they aren’t really something I’d listen to regularly. I do like the singing there, though — as well as on “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” which is actually a cover rather than a remix, since a brand-new vocal track has been used in addition to the new music. Some of the other tracks here though, particularly the Demon Hunter and Twin Atlantic, just didn’t appeal to me, mostly because of the sound of the vocals; remixed or not, I guess there are some things I simply do not care for.

On the other hand, one of the stand-out tracks here would absolutely be the Janis Joplin song. It isn’t one of her more well-known ones, but that voice is unmistakable, and amazing as always. Once again, the music that’s been added seems completely natural and like it was always intended to be part of the song — which is incredible because it has such a modern metal feel to it. I don’t know how it ends up working so well, but it just does.

My favorite among these songs, though, would have to be “Rocks Off” — which is subtitled “Daniel Bedingfield Gipsy Punk Rock Remix.” I had to check out the original version of this one in particular, because the remix was so much fun, but I’d never heard of this song (or the guy that sings it). Honestly, it’s a pretty stupid song, especially the ultra-repetitive lyrics, and now that I’ve heard the real thing, it gives me even more respect for the work done by the remixologist. I’d highly recommend checking it out — the remixed version, that is — and again, if there is more Gipsy Punk Rock out there anywhere, I’d be eternally grateful to anybody who pointed me in the right direction. And if there isn’t, well, there needs to be!

 
You can stream any or all of the songs from Rock RMX Collection via Soundcloud: