ICYMI, I had a couple of new releases in the latter part of 2023, both reworks for artists I greatly admire and respect. It’s always a pleasure to be asked to rework existing material, and as an arranger alongside my work as a composer, performer and artist, it’s a task I really enjoy doing.
Firstly, introducing ‘Amanita Muscaria’, a rework for Germany-based Peruvian pianist & composer Sergio Díaz De Rojas. Here’s the original solo piano piece.
Following the release of my second album 'Winnow' which featured strings, I was keen to find an opportunity to work with strings again, and the plaintive, melancholic, heartbreaking melody from the original seemed to create a perfect opportunity to combine piano and strings again.
I decided to rearrange the piece in a non-compound time signature, which takes away the slight lilt and bounce of the original, creating further space and openness in the piano-only sections, and enhancing the textural and timbral contrast between the sections, with an overwhelming sense of envelopment during the string ensemble crescendo, before it falls away as quickly as it emerged.
In contrast, this piece by British-based composer Pete Lambrou a.k.a. VLMV was initially quite a challenge to think through how to reinterpret for solo piano (which he asked me to do). The original is really quite ambient and textural overall, and it took me a while to extract the ideas and craft it into a piece which, I think, holds together quite nicely.
It’s very sparse and open, giving the melodies, shapes and phrases space to breathe, eventually developing into a call-and-response passage, still utilising the original melodies and general harmonic movement.
I’m really pleased with how both of these pieces came together; how the original compositions are still easily discernible; and the demonstration of taking a different approach to treating musical information can lead to interesting and engaging results.
I’m keen to hear about what your favourite reworks, remixes or treatments of previously existing material are - do pop some links in the comments below.
In the meantime, here are all of my reworks for other artists over the years, combined into one playlist…
Hey Sim, catching up on the Cut Through here. Hope you enjoyed your holidays!
One of my all-time favorite reworks is RJD2's Apogee Remix https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSrR3__MEz0
Originally off Tycho's Awake album, it sounds almost nothing like the original https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_MSTG-X4S0.
For me that was an eye-opening 'break all the rules' moment for me.
There's plenty others out there too from the Ghostly International label. Tycho albums always get re-done. Nils Frahm's Screws album I believe had a similar treatment.