It doesn’t get much better than this.
Michael Jackson’s last studio album, Invincible, came out in 2001. (His penultimate CD? 1995.) Before Jackson’s 2009 death, he was known to many young people as “that guy who used to be black…but now he’s white and doesn’t have a nose.” But when he died it was like the whole world got a slap across the face. I couldn’t walk more than three blocks without hearing his music blasting through an open window. It’s not a criticism; I’m as guilty as anyone for going on a summer-long MJ binge. But here’s the thing: eight years is a long time without an album. Is there any other musician/actor/artist who could step away from his craft for nearly a decade and have the same post-mortem effect on our culture? I don’t think so.
During the two months following his death, my inbox was flooded with countless MJ remixes, re-edits and mash-ups. Most of them felt rushed, as if every bedroom producer knew MJ songs were going to be hot for a month and tried to cash in by brewing a pot of coffee and staying up all night figuring how to make MJ even more club-friendly. “Thriller” was the most popular choice, probably because the melody is so infectious and recognizable. I had to wade through a lot of garbage to find some good stuff to listen to.
The Chus and Ceballos remix below is a nice progressive house version of the song. Still, it feels a little incomplete, as if the duo had something else ready-to-go and decided to add the “Thriller” melody at the last minute. (Maybe it’s more a matter of taste, because I’ve always felt that all progressive house a) is very similar and b) only sounds good if you’re at a club with loud speakers and tons of bass.)
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Michael Jackson – Thriller (Chus and Ceballos Remix)
Laidback Luke’s remix sounds very, erm, Laidback Luke-y, with clean syncopated drums (does anyone do this better?) and a structure that keeps the song fresh by constantly changing rhythms and melodies. He never repeats the same section twice. The song doesn’t valley and peak, it just keeps changing gears.
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Michael Jackson – Thriller (Laidback Luke Remix)
This Herve song is, as per his usual style, filled with bouncy bass and and stuttered vocals. Actually, this came out long before Jackson’s death and I’ve been listening to it for some time. Still, I wanted to post it for anyone who doesn’t have it.
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I’ve spent all morning listening to various re-interpretations of “Thriller.” You know what? I still prefer the original. Hearing the melody without getting the fun sing-along “Thriller! Thriller night!” chorus is unsettling. Nobody can best the King of Pop. Some songs are just too good to mess with.
Tags: video wednesday
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brother email me the remixs pls pls pls! im a tragic for anything MJ
This is the only remix I’ve played out over and over. I found it in like 2005 but it never tires me. I think it was made by some swedish dude late at night drunk.
http://dalstonoxfamshop.blogspot.com/2009/06/goodbye-michael-well-miss-you.html