I built out this remix a few years back using Reason and Studio One and it remains one of my favorite remixes partly because the arrangement came so easily, and fit the song so nicely, and partly because the final mix is exactly what I was imagining in my head when I sat down to compose a backing track for Kylie Minogue’s lovely vocals.
Play my remix below:
Yes, It Sounds Like “Windpower”
Of course, only after repeated listening did I realize that the entire vibe and even the bass line is almost exactly like Thomas Dolby’s “Windpower” from his 1980s album The Golden Age of Wireless, the same album that had “She Blinded Me With Science” — and a very real musical influence to a synth pop producer like me. Apparently, I’d programmed the “Breathe” bass line without consciously thinking about it, and ended up drawing from one of my favorite tracks from Dolby.
Here’s what “Windpower” sounds like:
(Gotta love his mad-scientist-meets-Flock-of-Seagulls hairstyle. Also, there was actually a flute sample in this song? I just noticed that now.)
Ah well, what do they say about creativity? It’s mixing two things together that others may not have thought to mix before you. Or even if they did think it, it’s mixing it in a way that’s totally your own. Nothing is original. Everything is a remix.
The Reminder to Breathe
Every now and then I’m reminded that sometimes the simplest way to get through the muddy minutes of difficulty is to breathe. To all things there is an end, even to this hardship.
If you’re struggling with a job that has more uncertainty and conflict than you’re used to, breathe. If you’re wondering how you’re going to get to the next stage, breathe. Let things go when they’re no longer of any use or are more trouble to keep than to release.
Enjoy, and stay sane out there: remember to breathe.