An Interview With Owns OnE! - as found at DJOWNS.COM.
What is a remix?
To begin, I shall do what all great remixers naturally do. I'll break it down! Let's look at the whole word remix, and break it down to it's elements.
It has 2 parts. The prefix, RE- meaning again or anew. And the verb, MIX meaning to combine or blend into one mass. So a remix is when you take the
original parts and combine them again. There is a new product created from blending the ingredients. Sometimes the remixer will add new ingredients
or take some away. The remixer might even throw out most of the original parts and rebuild the songs elements from scratch. It is a creative process
bound only by the imagination and technological know-how of the remixer. A remix can be a total transformation or a subtle tweaking of the original
tune.
What makes for a good remix?
The answer to this is open to opinion! But here are my two cents. The same things that make any song good will make a remix good. I can make a remix
from just about any song but not every song makes for a good remix. If the original song was good, then it is easier to make a good remix from it.
I have done many remixes in my life. I made the best remixes when I had all the original parts, from the original producer. I have the most fun when
I get to make my own elements. I like it when I change the genre of the song. Like "Smoke on the Water" was originally a Classic Rock song that I
remixed into a Hard House song.
How do you remix?
There are many different ways I make a remix. First element is music. I find a song that I think I can "make it better". Or a song that I can easily
use its elements. A song that I am passionate about. If possible, a song that I have all the original, unmixed parts to. Next I need something to do
the remix on. This is usually an electronic device of some kind. This is where I get to be creative. I can use turntables, to do a remix live. I simply
use an accapella and an instrumental to make a remix on the fly. I use the looping feature on my equipment to sample live and create "remixes" of House
or Trance on the fly. Throw in multiple EQ and FX along with mixing tricks, and you are just scratching the surface of a DJ Owns OnE! set. I use a
mixture of various software and hardware components to make it all happen. That is how I do a "Live Remix". There is also the "Studio Remix". I make
this remix the same way I would produce any other song. Hours of studio time where I sample, loop, cut, paste, program, sequence, edit, rearrange,
EQ, FX, and layer my way to perfection.
