Obsessed - Remix
First and foremost, I want to say how pumped we are that XIII Minutes is reforming, even though the wait before new tracks are being dropped is starting to get excruciating. Luckily, Jamie from XIII Minutes has been busy (with 37 other projects I would imagine) remixing the title track (and one of our favorite cuts) of their 2019 full length album, Obsessed. With the assistance of Jason from Death Therapy, they have created a mix that has made me rethink my reluctance to dig on any and all attempts of artists remixing their original songs. Far too many times, in my humble and very ignorant opinion, the artist will take a killer track and in the attempt to get something new that is “fresh, with-it and now” (yes I realized I just aged myself with that) they tend to degrade the song they are trying to improve upon.
Well, again, after listening to the Obsessed remix, my mind is adapting to a course correction when it comes to remixes.
By adding a ton of new elements, it elevates a song that we love, into a track that we REALLY love. Using the original as their baseline (not to be confused with bass-line) including the singers, Jamie and Jason, accomplished what many have tried but failed to deliver to this listener. This is not an arbitrary statement that includes all remixes (just most of them - ha!) because there have been a few remixes that have been an improvement of the original, but this one? SHEESH!
By adding a fury of percussion, manipulating the vocals, using cuts and adds in all the right places, J&J created something new yet familiar with Obsessed. Again, it’s a tad risky to try and improve on something that is already stellar, but they NAIL it. Oh, and just wait until you hear the drop at the 2:16-ish mark and the acapella guttural scream that is a precursor of the ride that is to come over the next roughly 90 seconds. I absolutely love how the drums become a focal point with the other instruments and the vocals acting as the accompaniment as opposed to being the “star” of the song. Brilliant move because it gives that vibe that you are marching triumphantly into battle and tough enough to take on all comers.
If this is just a taste of what is to come with the re-emergence of XIII minutes, the wait will be worth the reward - Go out and get this remix as soon as it becomes available - you can thank me (actually thank Jamie and Jason) later
Drew - Radio13.FM