Remixes can be a difficult thing to get right. A lot of the time they’re not very good, and a lot of the time they’re just boring.
In my own view, great remixes take songs into new territories – places you wouldn’t expect they’d be able to go. It appears I share this view with Melbourne’s Dirt Hand.
Producer Erick Stark has remixed Dirt Hand’s slow-burning alt-rock track Howl with an accompanying music video from Bec Todd. This is an absolute dream team of creative minds.
Dirt Hand is the solo project of Gabriella Cohen bassist, Arun Roberts, who crafts incredible minimalist alt-rock tracks that “sounds something like Nina Simone bludgeoning the Necks with a rubber chicken.”
On Eric Stark’s remix of Robert’s track Howl, it seems as though a holy combination has been formed, and as a result, we’ve all been treated to what a great remix really sounds like.
Stark’s reworking of the track is almost unrecognisable from the original, taking the earthy and soulful alt-rock of Dirt Hand’s original recording and morphing it into a harrowing and glitchy piece of demented dance music.
Robert’s resonant vocals are weaved into the pulsating beats of the remix, creating a marriage between two sounds that probably have no business being together. But after listening to this, you’ll know that they most definitely do.
The visuals to the track’s new video have been provided by Bec Todd, who also worked on the visual element to 2015’s Dirt Hand EP. The music video’s unnerving and jerking visuals fit the song perfectly, and together they make for a truly mesmerising viewing/listening experience.
Do yourself a favour and watch the new video above.
