Remix Rundown • Timmy Turner Visits Chicago
Most of those following the movements of modern day hip-hop have an opinion on Desiigner. Some instantly discredit him by claiming he sounds too much like Future. Some are sick and tired of the number one single "Panda". On the flip side, there are those who defend him, who have embraced his debut project, and who are officially obsessed with his XXL Freshman Freestyle. Snagging a melody that references the kid from The Fairly OddParents, Desiigner's "Timmy Turner" a cappella has producers far and wide adding their own instrumentation to the already hot vocals. While the list of remixes is damn near endless, there have been a large amount of Chicago producers who have given it a go. Enjoy the four (well, five) remixes below, and check out the original a cappella here. Apparently he's creating his own version this week with a little help from Mike Dean and Travis Scott.
• Phoelix Remix •
Chicago producer Phoelix has been constantly impressing me this calendar year. After releasing one of the most slept on EPs, he started working with Saba, Noname, Smino, and more. Releasing his own tracks along the way, he recently delivered with a six minute remix to Desiigner's freestyle. This minimal remix is about as mellow as it gets and it's exactly what I wanted to hear when I first heard the a cappella.
• Jaro Remix •
Piano driven and with a bit more energy than Phoelix's submission, Jaro's remix is the third song he's released in the last week. Finding its way in between an official single for his EP and another loose track (that flips Estelle's "American Boy"), this remix is heavily layered with soothing pianos and deep synths. And oh yeah, with additional adlibs from Josh Pan's trolling "Panda" upload.
• Monte Booker Remix •
This is probably the wildest remix of the bunch. Monte Booker took things down to Latin America with this salsa remix, letting the hips shake and the skirts fly in the wind. Sounding unlike anything else he has released, this remix shows Booker's eclectic reach, one that can tackle hip-hop, R&B, and electronica with ease, and one that can even extend into the realm of cumbia and merengue. Grab your maracas.
• Such N Such Remix •
Fresh off of releasing his nine song Remixes project, Such N Such decides to give a go with the Timmy Turner trend. For this remix, he flies years into the future, with a strong synth game and a thumping bass, sounding like something that might make its way into the soundtrack for the film Tron. This track is short and to the point, closing in at just 94 strong seconds. Play it twice.
• Abel Gray Remix •
Although he is not a Chicago native, visual artist/musician Abel Gray has plenty of ties to the Windy City. He's handled artwork for artists like Hurt Everybody, Beach Jesus, Noah Sims, Alex Wiley, and more. And while the UK artist probably shouldn't be in this roundup, his remix is strong enough to include. Here, he uses his own voice to build a beat around Desiigner's a cappella, creating a near meditative track, complete with new verses from Gray. Well done.