You may or may not have heard about Pocket’s 2009 Singles Project [1], which involves Pocket remixing original songs from a list of indie all-stars (including Robyn Hitchcock, Tanya Donnelly, Dave Smalley, etc etc etc). When an opportunity to remix the remixes came along, the temptation was irresistible.
I’ve never been a remixer, but I thought I’d give it a try. I was drawn to Yuki Chikudate’s [2] song “Sampo,” possibly because I couldn’t understand what exactly she was saying. What came out was interesting (I hope):
“Don’t Follow Me” [3] is an original song that heavily samples Yuki Chikudate’s vocal track. It also features me saying, “I don’t understand Japanese,” in Mandarin. The song is kind of a parable about misunderstandings.
That wasn’t a proper remix, though, so I thought I’d try again. And, based on my deep love for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar [4], I wound up creating something else:
Chas Van Masters in “Sampo! A Pocket Mystery.” [5]
Which isn’t a remix either. It is, however, a thrilling, action-packed 12 minutes of radio drama.
Go, listen to Pocket, [6] listen to these, enjoy Yuki Chikudate’s gorgeous voice, and make something.