Song of the Day: Emancipator - “Shook Ones Pt. II (Sigur Rós v. Mobb Deep)”
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Artist:Emancipator
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Track:Shook Ones Pt. II (Sigur Rós v. Mobb Deep)
The mashup—the electronic combination of two songs into one—is a musical signifier of our computerized age. By liberating artists from the archaic, music label-driven strictures of copyrights and production costs, the internet has placed the entire world in MP3 form into every DJ's record stack, with imagination the only limit.
It's within this brave new musical paradigm that a 19-year old college student DJ named Emancipator can introduce a classic 1995 track from NYC gangsta rap duo Mobb Deep to a 2002 Sigur Rós tune and ensconce the two in late-'90's chill out electronica. From conception to creation to distribution, something this musically cosmopolitan would have been inconceivable only 15 short years ago.
Emancipator's re-imagining of Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones, Pt. II" trades the original's ominous, minor key piano sample for smooth, downtempo beats with violin and sax samples. As a complement, he borrows and chops Jónsi Birgisson's vocal from the untitled first track (nicknamed "Vaka" by the band) of Sigur Rós third full-length album, ( ).
In this new framework, Havoc and Prodigy's grisly boasts ("For all those who wanna profile and pose/Rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nosebone") sound jarringly pleasant. The contrast works brilliantly. Don't forget to thank your local ISP.
Comments (4)
Excellent track. Sigur Rós tracks are ripe for mashups, I'm surprised there aren't more floating around.
Absolutely! I just hope we don't see the day when Flo Rida is using "Glósóli" as a hook.
Agreed. I can hear it now:
"I'm in an igloo, I'm in an igloo, take a good hard look at my motherf'in igloo"
I'm a massive Sigur Rós fan, and 'Vaka' is one of my favourite songs of theirs, so to see them 'vs.' someone in mash-up form normally sets off alarm bells for me. However, this is really good. I could listen to this all day.
Please may that hypothetical day when Flo Rida uses 'Glósóli' as a hook stay hypothetical...