Name: Back 2 Life
Channel: Gigamesh
Description: Back 2 Life

I grew up in the 90s and watched a ton of MTV. En Vogue was frequently on it so their music is deeply imprinted in my musical consciousness.

Back 2 Life

Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin' (Gigamesh x Party Pupils Remix)

Kool & The Gang - Summertime Madness (Gigamesh Remix)

I feel like this song is the quintessential Minneapolis sound. It's such a jam. I love how it has maximalist studio production but with an incredibly simple structure & orchestration. It's a great demonstration of how drums & vocals are the most important elements in club music (imho).I got booked to headline a block party in Minneapolis this weekend (Pyres Block Party). It's the first time I'll be DJing there in many years, so I decided to make something special for the occasion. I made sure to draw a lot of attention to the part where Janet yells "Minneapolis!".

Janet Jackson - Escapade (Gigamesh Remix)

I made a version of this a million years ago, then I upgraded it to be more dj friendly (v 2.0). I still wasn't happy with it though so today I made it even moar dj friendly. Enjoy. <3

Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place (Gigamesh Remix 3.0)

I've always been enchanted by this song. The original is a classic and is still really unique for being a pop song built entirely from drums and vocals. There is literally no other instrumentation. Being so sparse makes it really hit on club speakers. That said, I'm a sucker for synths and rich harmony, so I put my own spin on it. Hope you like.VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project.

Lumidee - Never Leave You (Gigamesh Remix)

I learned of Open Your Eyes by Bobby Caldwell like most of my generation, from it forming the basis of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjHX7jf-znA" target="_blank">Common's The Light</a>. It's such a timeless song performed by a brilliant singer & songwriter.
Going into this remix, I had no idea it would end up in the place it did. I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Obviously much different than the original, but I put a lot of effort into keeping it classy and honoring the integrity of the song. I'm currently trying to find the right singer to rerecord the vocals so I can officially release it as a cover, so stay tuned for that.
VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project & an extended edit.✌️

Bobby Caldwell - Open Your Eyes (Gigamesh Remix)

An anthem for optimism.VIP supporters get access to an extended edit & the ableton project.I also minted it on Sound for the web3 folks: <iframe src="https://embed.sound.xyz/v1/release/aee76d16-9f02-49b8-87cb-fad715e00010?referral=0x795050decc0322567c4f0098209d4edc5a69b9d0&referral_source=embed-sound" style="border-radius: 8px;" width="100%" height="288px" allow="clipboard-write" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>

Everything

<a href="https://www.discogs.com/artist/1820078-Carte-Blanche-5#:~:text=Carte%20Blanche%20was%20DJ%20Mehdi%20and%20Riton." target="_blank">Carte Blanche</a> was a dj/producer duo comprised of Riton and DJ Mehdi. They made several house bangers beginning in 2010, but it was ended prematurely with the tragic death of Mehdi in late 2011. Jack On The Moon was probably my favorite of their releases, primarily because of its crazy piano sample. It seems to be from an old modal jazz recording (possibly Thelonius Monk or McCoy Tyner?) but I haven't been able to id it. In any case, I thought it'd be fun to give the track my own spin. VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project. Enjoy!

Carte Blanche - Jack On The Moon (Gigamesh Edit)

<a href="https://www.danceyourselfclean.com/" target="_blank">Dance Yourself Clean</a> is a legendary party collective and producer duo based in LA. I was honored they asked me to remix this song from their latest EP. I love the groove of the vocal delivery so I built the track around that rhythm.VIP supporters get access to the instrumental, acapella, & Ableton project. Enjoy.

Dance Yourself Clean - Last Call (Gigamesh Remix)

I got this idea while falling asleep a couple nights ago. Two of my favorite songs. They combine pretty well, don't you think?VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project, instrumental, and clean vocal edit.

Kendrick Lamar - Alright (Gigamesh Bibio Edit)

There are some <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sammyvirji/peggy-gou-it-goes-like-nanana-sammy-virji-edit-clip" target="_blank">great remixes</a> of this but I think the original is already a classic so I just wanted it to be a little easier to fit in sets. I beefed up the drums & bass, and added a vocal intro.VIP supporters get access to 3 different edits & the Ableton project. 🫡

Peggy Gou - (It Goes Like) Nanana (Gigamesh Edit)

I love this song from Four Tet's <a href="https://00000ooooo.bandcamp.com/track/v-v" target="_blank">unpronounceable side project</a>, but it's a little too minimal for my DJing preferences. So I figured why not let Missy Elliot lace it up?VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project.

Missy Elliot - I'm Really Hot (Gigamesh ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ Edit)

This one is a little out of the ordinary for me but I'm pretty stoked about how it turned out.When I heard the chorus of this song, I knew I wanted to try something with it. The chorus has a crazy amount of vocal layers and I love how the harmony almost makes it sound like a séance (appropriately). So I figured I would turn it into an instrument by chopping it into a rhythm ala 80s house. A latin beat seemed to work best underneath. The supporting marimba chords are deliberately really simple and kind of reminded of the progression on this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiWjl9GPhM" target="_blank">Onehotrix Point Never song I'm obsessed with</a>. Anyway, I hope you like it. VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project.

Doja Cat - Paint The Town Red (Gigamesh Remix)

This is such a fun jam but I felt it needed more bass on the drops. Very simple edit. Ableton project is included for VIP supporters.Enjoy. 

Hudson Mohawke & Nikki Nair & Tayla Parx - Set The Roof (Gigamesh Edit)

Jamie xx is probably my favorite producer. I briefly lived in Miami's art district in 2010 and I would run by all the <a href="https://original.newsbreak.com/@jamesandkarla-1589598/2939033021788" target="_blank">graffiti alongisde I-95</a> almost every day while listening to his album <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7BuwwZzrJCAJaC12QKkDOh?si=ljt60GJ9SDaDpwj1TrljqA">We're New Here</a>, which is an absolute masterpiece.LET'S DO IT AGAIN is a song he released last year. As I've been starting to DJ more frequently again lately, I had an itch to put my own spin on it for my sets. Hope you enjoy it.Including the Ableton project for supporters, as well as this earlier <a href="https://on.soundcloud.com/jpNqK" target="_blank">italo disco version</a> that I posted before deciding I wasn't satisfied with it.

Jamie xx - LET'S DO IT AGAIN (Gigamesh Remix)

<div> I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. For the curious music nerds: I used my favorite drum break, <a href="https://www.whosampled.com/Lyn-Collins/Think-(About-It)/" target="_blank" >Lyn Collins - Think (About It)</a >. The bells come from <a href="https://slateandash.com/products/choreographs" target="_blank" >Slate + Ash Choreographs</a >, which is absolutely incredible. Another thing I'm really stoked about is I wrote it in <a href="https://youtu.be/roFVo0ePOZw?si=gkezR9VWNRaeWsdK&t=274" target="_blank" >Dorian mode</a >, which I like to think of as "majestic minor" 🤓. Shout out to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ghost.cowboy/" target="_blank" >Ghost Cowboy</a > for providing the art. </div>

A Place To Stay

Remix for my friends Night Drive. I took some inspiration from my love of minimalist composers like Steve Reich & John Adams on the intro & outro.

Night Drive - Summerwaves (Gigamesh Remix)

Like many lately, I've felt a mix of excitement and anxiety about AI. The Precipice is about that tension. It frames our relationship to it as a potentially tragic love story. To highlight the theme, I used GrimesAI for the vocals. The Precipice is available as an NFT on Sound:<iframe src="https://embed.sound.xyz/v1/release/2929e014-da5e-46ba-b254-430759958f28?referral=0x795050decc0322567c4f0098209d4edc5a69b9d0&referral_source=embed-sound" style="border-radius: 8px;" width="100%" height="288px" allow="clipboard-write" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe><h3>lyrics</h3> fractal acceleration mimetic coronation we're at the precipice we're at the precipice synthetic meditations vivid hallucinations we're at the precipice we're at the precipice unbending gravitation uncharted destination we're at the precipice we're at the precipice a rapid transformation a curse or our salvation? we're at the precipice we're at the precipice

The Precipice

Love is often worth enduring some pain. That’s the message of <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0qDwREv4wr8z8uChoBPLPW?si=c5df015e76504bd1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">First Choice - I'll Stay Right Here</a>, which provides the vocal in Holding On. An earlier version of this has been retitled to the "<a href="https://soundcloud.com/gigamesh/holding-on-sunrise" target="_blank">Sunrise Version</a>". Both versions are available to VIP supporters. Additional vocals & keys by my friend <a href="https://joshjacobsonmusic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Josh Jacobson</a>.

Holding On

Go-go music is a lesser-known genre that was incubated in Washington D.C., and producer Rich Harrison singlehandedly made it mainstream by producing a string of hits in the early 2000s. 1 Thing by Amerie was one of his best. The beat is extremely funky and unconventional, and has inspired many musicians in multiple genres. That’s to say nothing of Amerie’s vocal, which has incredible layers and syncopation that many singers wouldn’t be able to go near. While I always loved the beat of the original, I have to admit I didn’t fully appreciate the song until hearing the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ntdDEJvfZ4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" >Peter &amp; Kerry</a > cover of it from Bonobo’s Late Night Tales mix, which completely recontextualizes the vocal to wring out every last drip of pain from the lyrics. My goal with this remix was to make it a little more dancefloor friendly, while at the same time paying homage to the Peter &amp; Kerry version by using some melancholy harmonies.

Amerie - 1 Thing (Gigamesh Remix)

I love everything by PinkPantheress and couldn't resist trying a remix of this song. The original beat is so unconventional & fun. It is 133 bpm, which is very fast for a pop song, yet she delivers the verse in a syncopated rhythm that most singers would struggle with at that tempo. I also love how everything Ice Spice touches turns to gold. I especially enjoyed adding the beat flip during her verse. I landed on more of a jazzy house track heavily inspired by <a href="https://lonemusic.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Lone</a>. Enjoy. <3

PinkPantheress & Ice Spice - Boy's a liar Pt. 2 (Gigamesh Remix)

I vividly remember the first time hearing Daft Punk. I was in middle school watching MTV late at night. There was a show called Amp that only played electronic music and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0HSD_i2DvA" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" >video for Around The World</a > was playing. I ran out to buy Homework as soon as I could and listened to it on loop for months. I eagerly waited three long years for the next album, and it was worth the anticipation. Discovery was a game changer. So suffice it to say, I always wanted to do a cover or remix of Daft Punk, and when I noticed someone going by C.H.A.Y. posted an <a href="https://youtu.be/_W0eH_q-8Rw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" >incredible acapella of it on youtube</a >, I couldn't resist taking a swing at it. I hope I did it justice. Core supporters can download the full song, while VIP supporters get access to two different edits + the Ableton project

One More Time

<a href="http://deejayspider.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">DJ Spider</a> came up with this idea to use my <a href="https://gigameshmusic.com/music/michael-jackson-dont-stop">Michael Jackson remix</a> under Beyoncé's Break My Soul. He was kind enough to send the Ableton project & I customized it a bit.

MJ & Beyonce - Don't Break My Soul (DJ Spider + Gigamesh Edit)

Nice little crowd pleaser for the DJs. VIP supporters get access to the Ableton project.

Reelow ft Leroy Burgess - This Is How We Do It (Gigamesh Edit)

My cover of the Masters At Work classic, featuring the legendary Kaleena Zanders.

Work! (feat. Kaleena Zanders)

Contrary to what many might assume, many DJs prefer playing earlier in the night when people are shuffling in and there is less pressure to make everyone go wild. I'm definitely in that cohort, and tracks that live in the liminal space between music for listening and music for dancing are what I love playing. That's what I was aiming for with this one. All the samples I used were either recorded (ex: guitar & "catch me outside" vocal) or layered together from various sources. Heavily influenced by Kaytranada, Pomo & Disclosure.

Feral Youth

This one was a big challenge but a lot of fun. Any time I've been asked to remix a ballad, I get nervous because there are soo many corny dance mixes of ballads. In general, its a genre of dance music I'm really not a fan of. But I also enjoy a challenge, and after a lot of struggling I eventually managed to land on an idea I was happy with, by not-so-subtly referencing my favorite Tears For Fears song. :)

Rihanna - Love On The Brain (Gigamesh Remix)

Pharrell is one of my biggest influences and the original beat for this song is insane. Only he can make a fire club beat out of jazz snare brush and upright bass. I made this on a tour in 2016. You can probably tell that I (along with everyone else) was getting really into Kaytranada at the time. That’s probably why I didn’t release it. It’s kind of a ripoff of his sound, but I still like it. Download folder includes a clean version for radio DJs

Pharrell - Can I Have It Like That (Gigamesh Remix)

I grew up in a small community about 30 miles west of Minneapolis, and this song is sort of an homage to the music of the city. It's a cover of Janet Jackson's 1986 hit, which was recorded at Flyte Tyme studios in the western suburb of Edina. Flyte Tyme was Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis's hit factory where they helped refine and popularize the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis_sound" target="_blank" rel="noopenner">Minneapolis sound</a> pioneered by Prince & his band. Jimmy Jam actually gave me a shout out on social media when he heard this, which was a massive honor. The singer is the wonderful Caroline Smith (now known as <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/2kTZfKGZEj8R76z3ooKOF1" target="_blank" rel="noopenner">Your Smith</a>), who I've collaborated with a few times and also hails from Minneapolis.

Control ft. Caroline Smith

I love this track but always craved a little more energy & dynamics for my own DJ sets. It's not the most polished thing I've ever made but always gets a good crowd reaction. 

Julio Bashmore - Au Seve (Gigamesh Edit)

I made this for my DJ sets a long time ago but never officially released it since its more of a guilty pleasure party starter type of a track. I lost track of the wav file, but subscribers can download a 320kbps mp3.

Bel Biv Devoe - Poison (Gigamesh Remix)

I'm a big fan of music that sounds like its moving while also somehow staying still. It's why I love ambient and minimalist classical music. It's also why I love this masterpiece of a song. It has so much energy but is also very simple, catchy and accessible.I made the first version of this remix back in 2012 and I have a lot of great memories playing it around the world. I've had several people tell me it was the highlight of their wedding reception dance. ❤️️VIP supporters get the Ableton project, a shorter edit, and 320 mp3s for both edits.

Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime (Gigamesh Remix)

This is an unreleased bootleg. I reached out to Kindness but they weren't feeling it. It went off in my DJ sets though.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Kindness - Gee Up (Gigamesh Remix)

This is an alternative version of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVnNGDWJDKg" target="_blank" rel="nooppener">Don't Stop</a> that I made for DJ sets. It has higher energy and I was really into italo disco at the time 🤗.

Don't Stop (Version 2.0)

In 2013 I played in Hong Kong and the promoter told me he was going to build a miniature Wall Street at Burning Man and torch it on the last night while playing this remix. I didn't believe him. A few months later he sent <a href="https://twitter.com/Gigamesh/status/1541832333145174017" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">this video</a>.

Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (Gigamesh Edit)

Obviously this song is an absolute classic. I didn't want to muck it up too much so this is a pretty basic drums edit to give it a little extra oomph. I made it a long time ago for my own sets but I never released it widely. Anyone subscribed to my mailing list can download it for free. Enjoy.

Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up, Part 1 (Gigamesh Edit)

I made this bootleg way back in 2012. It's a little raw but fun. Note to VIP supporters: I no longer have the Ableton project.Enjoy!

Junior Byron - Dance To The Music (Gigamesh Edit)

I was really gettting into horns when I made this. I love how they tend to boost the energy of any song. Had a lot of fun making it and playing it in sets for many years.The download folder includes several different edits I made for my own DJ sets.

Grouplove - Tongue Tied (Gigamesh Remix)

This is probably the first true discohouse track I ever made. I still play it pretty often. The sample is admittedly a bit cheesy but dance floors respond really well to it.

Burnin

This is one of the first remixes I made that I really felt proud of. I learned a lot from it because I didn't want to stray too far from the original but I only had the vocals, so I rerecorded every layer - strings, horns, glass percussion, everything.Supporters get access to three different edits.

Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (Gigamesh Remix)

This is one of the first bootleg edits I ever made. I still frequently hear from DJs asking for it.Note: I no longer have the Ableton project or wav file. Just a 320kbps mp3.Enjoy!

Back 2 Life11.20.14

More Releases