Oregon Music News

If you download music, a lot of free, legal music, then your media library is full of the innumerable remixes that go along with every new release.

In the days of Napster, the internet was already overflowing with mp3s but today’s technology has made everyone with a laptop capable of remixing another and posting it for the world. Proliferating the current, over-abundant remix phenomena is strong sense of cohesion and camaraderie between up-and-coming musicians. One artist will remix another and then the second artist will cover the first artist’s hit single after he or she has just remixed somebody else, and on and on forever.

Radiohead, like they often are, were notably a frontrunner in this trend. After offering the digital download of 2007′s In Rainbows for a pay-as-you-wish price, the band released the long-awaited-to-be-recorded “Nude” as the album’s second single and immediately launched a remix competition. Offering the stems for download on iTunes, fans could obtain the individual guitar, drums, bass, vocals and strings tracks, and the final remixes were posted and voted on. It’s now become standard that everyone from U2 to John Legend to Bloc Party will have various remixes of their latest songs floating around the internet, free for download.

So whether you’re following one of countless music blogs, aggregators, Stereogum, The Hype Machine, RCRD LBL, or Pitchfork’s Forkcast, you likely have a RAC Mix in your music library and you don’t even know it.

Go ahead, search your iTunes for “RAC Mix.”

Obliviously, mine turns up no less than 10 results tagged with “RAC Mix”–some for artists I’ve never even heard of (or at least don’t recall downloading a mp3 of) and some of infinitely famous acts. Some remixes have become totally ingrained into my head, so permanent that I don’t even recognize the original, the album version, as being the song the artist intended.

The reason for this is Remix Artist Collective remixes are extensions of an artist’s catalogue. From Porto to Portland to Paris and NYC, the current RAC lineup includes founder/coordinator Andre Allen Anjos, producer/engineer/mixer Andrew Maury, and songwriter/producer/DJ Karl Kling–past RAC collaborators have included Aaron Jasinksi (Seattle) and Chris Angelovski aka “Crookram” (The Netherlands). The current trio produces an amazing number of remixes–”depending on how busy we are, we will often complete a remix in 3-7 days”–but pure quantity is not what RAC is about. Their style strays from the ubiquitously generic thump-thump-thump of Oakenfold/Tiësto/Van Dyk Euro club mixes, rather aiming to reconstruct and expand upon a song’s original structure by modifying the arrangements, adding danceable, hip-hop drum samples, synth sequences, melodic hooks, and fresh instrumentation by RAC members.

From the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Empire of the Sun and Holy Ghost!, Kings of Leon, U2, The Gossip, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Bloc Party, Tokyo Police Club, and Ra Ra Riot to Portland’s own The Pragmatic (which includes Anjos and Kling) and Hockey, the Remix Artist Collective has remade them all. They’ve been featured everywhere, from major indie music blogs like Brooklyn Vegan to mass media outlets like AOL’s Spinner.

From production (for two years Andrew Maury was the front-of-house sound engineer for Ra Ra Riot as well as co-producing/engineering 2010′s The Orchard) to appearances in film (the soundtrack to the 2010 Sundance selection Holy Rollers), TV (Entourage, 90210), and advertising (Verizon, NBA, Coca-Cola, JCPenney), Porto, Portugal’s Andre Anjos and Portland’s Karl Kling (“officially the newest addition” to the international collective) have most recently formed RAC DJ after four years of studio remixes. Taking their impeccable tastes on the road begging this fall, the RAC DJs are back home (and home away from home) on Saturday, December 4th at Portland’s Whiskey Bar.

With the 2008 release of the collective’s first remix compilation, RAC Vol. 1 (featuring Bloc Party, Au Revoir Simone, Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Chromeo and more), Andre Anjos eloquently wrote in the liner notes:

One of the main reasons I started RAC was out of frustration with the current remix scene. I was just plain bored with the lack of variety at the time. Things have definitely come along just in the past year or so with more and more bands remixing each others songs. I strive to create remixes for music lovers who want to hear the song re-invented, not just re-interpreted and chopped up. I hope people experience the original songs in a different way that not only complements the original, but takes them somewhere else. The idea behind RAC Vol. 1 was simply to celebrate that idea by compiling songs that we felt should flow together, and just like most DJs create an in-depth organic mixtape of sorts without the need to stick to particular genre. I love all of the bands included and it’s probably the only “mix” on which you’d hear both Robbers On High Street and Chromeo. One of the main criteria when choosing the bands was the variety intended, but above all, the quality of the original songs. Many artists have remix albums that are simply collections of past work, but this one was built up from the start for this purpose.

As the RAC DJs returned from Philly before Thanksgiving, founder Andre Anjos and Karl Kling took some time to answer a few questions from OMN about their process, the latest live addition of RAC DJ, and how it all began. Why not listen while you look?

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When and how did RAC come together?

Andre: I started RAC in 2007 during my sophomore year of college. With no real financial responsibilities it was kind of the perfect time to start building a portfolio. After many months of emailing people and getting nowhere, I decided to cold call the manager for The Shins. Luckily, he actually gave me a shot and the band ended up loving it. That remix was done in my college dorm room with some computer speakers and an acoustic guitar. After that, things just kind of fell into place. I started to learn a little more about how the industry works and was able to keep that momentum going to where it is today.

Karl: We met in college, Andre was doing some recordings for a band I was in. We talked shop about synthesizers a lot. I think Andre was building an empire, I was just trying to write songs and finish school. We started The Pragmatic somewhere in there. Andre had already started RAC, the two just kind of melded together over time.

So what was the first RAC remix ever?

Andre: The Shins – Sleeping Lessons (RAC Mix). [Below]

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What are each of your histories before RAC?

Andre Anjos: My history with music started when I was quite young. My parents forced me to take piano lessons, which I absolutely hated. It’s ironic given how much I play these days. Later in my teenage years I was a big metalhead and learned how to play the guitar. Fast forward several years and I started messing around in primitive recording programs. That’s kind of where I really discovered my passion for music, through recording. Remixing just kind of came along because I can’t sing, so I used other people’s vocal tracks to create my own songs.

Karl Kling: I started writing songs when I was like 12. I would record demos in that Windows program Sound Recorder. I got into engineering in High School, basically so I could record the bands I was playing in. Once you start getting into that kind of craft, it kind of never leaves you. You’re always looking for a way to perfect the sound. I guess that mixed well with actually creating music.

Andre, you’re originally from Porto, Portugal; how did you end up in Portland?

Andre: We both graduated college, and didn’t want to stay in southern Illinois, so we just kind of picked a place. There wasn’t really that much to it. Portland has a lot of awesome things, so we just moved here.

You have been been featured on so many prominent music websites. How did you guys establish a reputation as RAC? Initially, how did you promote yourselves or was there a “lucky” big break?

Andre: We definitely had a big break in the beginning with The Shins, but I owe a lot to music blogs. One of the very first people to talk about our remixes was the founder of Neon Gold Records, Derek Davies. He used to run this great blog called “Good Weather for Airstrikes.” One of my main goals as a producer was to make remixes that were different, and that’s been a main focus since. I think that’s the best way of building a portfolio. Doing your own thing and hoping people will like it. It’s genuine and if it does well, you’ll lead a more fulfilling career. So much of the remixing world is focused on ripping off the latest trend and we try to stay away from that as much as possible.

Let’s talk process. How do you select who you remix? Do artists usually approach you first? Or do you approach artists?

Andre: Generally, artists approach us. However, for the remix albums, we ask our friends or artists we really like. In the beginning I had to practically beg to do a remix, but it paid off in the long run.

How often do you receive submissions? How many a week?

Andre: We generally get a couple requests a day. It seems to be directly linked to how much press we’re getting at the time. Haha.

How does the RAC work together collaboratively with each of you potentially being in different places around the world and involved in so many other projects? Do all three current members ever work on one remix together? Or is each remix normally a solo project?

Andre: RAC has sort of changed over time. In the beginning I envisioned everybody working together and creating these massive collaborative efforts, but it just isn’t feasible. Because we’re doing all kinds of different things in film/TV/production/remixing we’ve compartmentalized it. I’ve taken over most of the remixing, with Andrew occasionally doing some. Andrew took over most of the production. Karl and myself DJ and work on stuff related to that. Remixing is definitely the most “popular” thing we do, but there is a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. It’s sort of the driving force, but far from the only thing we do.

On your website, you write: “We will often complete a remix in 3-7 days.” How many remixes do you put out per week, per month, per year…?

Andre: We don’t actually release anything, except for the occasional remix album. That’s entirely up to the labels that commission them. I think the record is 5 remixes released in one week, but what we’re working on right now won’t be released for months. In almost 4 years, we’ve done well over 200 remixes.

What have been the highlights over the years? Greatest successes?

Andre: Remixing U2 is probably the biggest artist we’ve ever worked on, but I’m quite proud of working with Tokyo Police Club and Ra Ra Riot before they became what they are today. I hadn’t heard of Edward Sharpe when they asked me to remix it. Little did I know that it would become one of our most popular ones. I even talked to Alex on the phone and didn’t realize he was the singer of IMA Robot, one of my favorite bands in high school. Fun fact: 5 years ago, I asked Deadmau5 to join RAC. He said no. In fact, he was quite offended.

Andre, I noticed that you recently worked with DFA’s Holy Ghost! That was a big one, no?

Andre: DFA is by far my favorite label of all time. I was ecstatic to get an email from Alex about remixing one of their tracks. [Below]

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The majority of your remixes are available for free download. What is the ethos behind the project?

Karl: We love the idea of file sharing. It’s an inevitable part of today’s music. We embrace that and give back to it. It doesn’t make sense to have someone pay for an mp3, that just limits how many people are going to enjoy the music.

You’ve remixed some pretty big names; how are you able to offer your remixes for free?

Andre: In the eyes of labels, remixes are essentially part of the promotional budget, so we get paid accordingly. I think they realize that it’s great publicity and not worth trying to recoup the money. Like I mentioned earlier, we don’t actually release anything, so some labels do sell our remixes, but as most music, they find their way online for free. Especially if they are digital releases, it just makes sense to get them out there as much as possible.

Are you guys making a living making music or do you have other jobs?

Andre: RAC has been my only job for a couple years. There’s no way I could work on as much music [as I do] if I had a real job.

Karl: The DJ stuff is picking up thanks to our booking agent. I’m still doing some side jobs, production work, synth repair if money gets tight. Come mid -spring though I think we’ll both be able to focus on music full-time.

How do you stay fresh? What are your influences and inspiration (musical or otherwise)?

Karl: I think the great thing is that we are still growing, still learning new tricks, hopefully not over using the ones we already know. There is so much good music coming out there these days, and it’s all pretty accessible. I think that makes it easy to be inspired. I’m finding it pretty important lately to step out of the studio and absorb the world for a bit. Other things that are inspiring: a clean kitchen, good design, and a catchy hook (“Barbara Streisand“).

Andre: This is probably the hardest thing to do. I’ve taken up a couple unrelated hobbies like film photography. I probably end up spending way too much time playing video games too. Anything that helps take your mind off of music, so when you come back to it, it feels fresh.

What are you future plans and goals?

Andre: Taking over the world. No, but seriously. Our ambition is probably laughable, but it’s the only way. Aside from remixing we’re getting heavily into the production world along with film/TV. We also have a label in the works, RAC Records. Another section called RAC Asia. Some exciting stuff happening with a t-shirt line. We have so much more stuff in the works, but it’s just not the right time to make it public.

Okay, and the latest addition to RAC is live gigs as RAC DJs. When did RAC DJs form and why is it just Andre and Karl? Does Andrew ever participate?

Karl: Andre and I had already been DJing here and there under “The Pragmatic.” A lot of late nights playing video games and talking about what’s next led us to RAC DJs. It seemed like a natural next step. I guess we started getting things together under the idea of DJing as RAC about a year ago. I’ve never heard Andrew DJ, but if he is ever around I’m sure it would be great!

How often do you gig?

Karl: We play out a couple weekends a month and try to fit as many gigs/places into those weekends.

Where have you been and where are you going?

Karl: The best experience so far has been Brazil. People there are really into music, especially the electronic jams that we love so much. Looks like mostly US shows for a while… California, Texas, Pennsylvania, some Midwestern cities. And of course Portland!

What’s your set up?

Karl: Ableton Live. We both have different controllers that we fancy, I’m working with an APC 40 that I’ve mapped out to my liking. Andre is using an iPad for basically the same control, and we both have Novation Launchpads, which we use to build up drum patterns and trigger things as we go.

And finally, tell us about The Pragmatic, your synth-pop band. How did the band come about? Who else is involved?

Karl: We formed The Pragmatic as just a fun side project to the other bands we were in at the time. That was the spring of 2007. We wrote and recorded our first demos over spring break that year. It was a pivotal time in music for us. The Pragmatic has gone through a lot of changes in line up since we started it, but currently it remains Andre, myself, Liz Anjos, and sometimes Jon Goldstein.

What are your current and future plans for The Pragmatic?

Karl: We’ve been working on a record for like 2 years now…. it’s getting close. I hope it’s good. Before we release the record we’ll be putting out a single, it’s already available in the U.K. We’ll probably keep the DJ stuff up while we finish the record and then work up a new live format. The live show is always evolving with us, it gets complicated playing some times. I think hopefully by this spring we’ll be ready to put some more time into the band again. I really miss playing live music.

Catch Andre Anjos and Karl Kling live as RAC DJs on Saturday, December 4th Whiskey Bar in Portland. RSVP on Facebook, 10pm, 21+.