If you don’t know who Claire Boucher is I only have one question for you: where have you been? I have to confess that I wasn’t all hyped on Grimes when she first popped up on the internet. It’s not that I deplored her music, I just was never in a mood to listen to her. She seemed like an acquired taste. But like all acquired tastes, Grimes became a semi girl crush once my tastebuds adapted to her sound. Her aesthetic kept me interested and watching while over the past few months her music has seeped itself into my system and now I’ve fully digested it. I don’t know what it is about it, but whatever she’s doing I’m digging. The whole electo-elf thing works for me and gets me good. Her 2012 release, Visions, is electro-nymph opulence that makes me bust out an odd dance (imagine Florence Welch voguing and there I am).
If you haven’t acquired the Grimes taste yet, I’m here tonight with New Jersey producer DjSliink’s bass heavy remix to “Oblivion”. I recently came across Sliink while perusing the internet for casual remixes. One click led to another and here I am spreading the sounds to you. He slows down the track’s main melody and explodes the syncopation. Boucher’s vocals hover in and out of the Herbie Hancock inspired record scratches as layers of Boucher’s original production build and build into a mellow drop. It’s a smooth dark beat that leaves you coasting for a while when the track ends.
If Grimes isn’t your thing, the remixes that have come from her work are dope. I have this odd sense that people either love her or hate her. It’s always a “Hold on! I have an opinion about Grimes!” Rarely do I meet someone who simply appreciates her work. Her tracks, like this one, are layered with youthful recklessness and an odd sense of consciousness. She’s intelligent, no doubt and hides it behind her production forcing us – the listener – to really listen to what she’s saying. I didn’t realize this until I began listening to the remixes and questioning why the producer decided to keep this verse and remove that one, etc. etc. Before I was merely hearing Grimes, I’m here encouraging y’all to listen. Like her or not, this track’ll get your Friday started off right. Heavy mellow beats that’ll keep you up and gliding into the night.
Cheers.