Scattered Thoughts: Is This Cool? (Or not?)
Bono and Edge were in New York this past week. Broadway shows, languorous lunches, rock star sightings and possible pink apartment shopping all over town. Cool stuff.
But not as cool as Jacknife Lee’s website, which I stumbled upon for the first time today. It’s one of those sites that is (almost) slightly beyond one’s ability to navigate. You know, the type where you have no idea what to click because there are no clear links or headings, just uber-edgy graphics and links that take you heaven knows where.
Basically, it makes no sense. But that does not mean it’s not cool, because it is. Cool.
If you visit Jacknife Lee’s site, you can listen to his remix of U2’s Window in the Sky. I had never heard this particular remix before. Have you guys heard it?
It’s not even listed as Window in the Skies. It’s listed as Window in the Sky. To find and listen to this remix, go to jacknifelee.com and when the black screen pops up on the home page, click on the red dot. Then, at the next page, click on the fifth dot from the left at the bottom of the page. Wait for the page to load and a list of remixes pops up.
The list includes a few other U2 remixes that have been officially released (Fast Cars, Ave Maria, Vertigo), as well as remixes for other artists. Window in the Sky is at the bottom of the list, and you can listen to an audio stream of it there.
Bono’s voice is very distorted, but I think this remix is really cool.
Do you?
—This post brought to you by Scatter O’ Light.
John said,
July 13, 2007 @ 8:48 am
No, actually I didn’t think it was cool. I thought it was pure rubbish. It was torture waiting through the opening wasteland only to find Lee had stripped any remnant of the beautiful, full sound from the original song. The big thrill after that was when Lee figured out how to make fire engine sounds with his computer. This is an immensely sub-par remix, and is an utter embarrassment to “acclaimed” producer Lee.
caravox said,
July 13, 2007 @ 9:47 am
I would imagine a person who likes the original might not like the remix.
Silvrlvr said,
July 13, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
I didn’t like the opening much, but I liked the last three-quarters of the mix. It un-gummed the Rick Rubin version, which I thought was overdone. It must be an alternative take from the single, because Bono’s voice sounds a little more raw.
The Fast Cars mix, which I hadn’t heard before, also is cool. It’s also an alternative take, because there are little touches not in the single as well.
misdirected said,
July 13, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
I liked it. It made the song dance-able while still leaving intact the basic lyric of how God has worked in Bono’s life.
U2roeli said,
July 14, 2007 @ 1:31 am
hmmm, not working, but:
http://jacknifelee.com/pages/main/media/audio/remixes/Window%20In%20The%20Sky%20(U2).mp3
bullet_ said,
July 14, 2007 @ 6:09 am
Lol it’s terrible!
Sarah said,
July 14, 2007 @ 7:24 pm
It’s not really something I would listen to every day. I’m generally not a huge fan of U2 remixes, although there are some good ones out there. this was just kind of mediocre. This seemed like an odd song choice to do a remix of but whatever.
Erika said,
July 15, 2007 @ 1:28 pm
Not a bit fan of it. The agonizingly long intro led up to…nothing. Absolutely nothing. I had to turn it off halfway throught because it just gave me a headache.
macmango said,
July 20, 2007 @ 5:29 am
Oh, good. He’s updated his site - thanks for the tip.
Regarding the mix, it may be best to realize the context it’s created for - the club. In spite of the fact that some enjoy spinning U2 remixes during workouts, or during a house party, they’re primarily a tool to get club airplay. I imagine this track would be used supplementally, and the dj would insert a just a bit into an extended mix.