Crass
The Feeding of the Five Thousand Remix Project
Remix singles ‘Normal Never Was III’ out August 21st via One Little Independent Records
Featuring Steve Aoki and Mikado Koko
All proceeds going to Refuge
“The furiously political British anarchist collective Crass lived their dogma with admirable rigor” – Rolling Stone
“Arguably one of the most significant punk bands to ever exist” – Crack Magazine
As part of their ambitious ‘The Feeding of the Five Thousand Remix Project’, punk pioneers Crass are returning with another exclusive coloured 12” single featuring remixes by legendary producer Steve Aoki and Japanese outsider musician Mikado Koko.
Late last year Crass took the step of making the original separate track stems of their seminal debut album ‘The Feeding of the Five Thousand’ available as a free download. With a call to take the original sixteen track recording in its pre-mix state, the intent was for people to create their own remixes and interpretations and breathe fresh life and ideas into this revolutionary music.
First released in 1978, ‘The Feeding of the Five Thousand’ pre-empted rap and grime in its hard-on-the-beat, fast fire, uncompromising lyrics and the iconic sounds and messages are ripe for reinterpretation. Crass encouraged people to rip apart the sound and ideas and create something new, then send the files to Crass Records for future releases and charitable projects. The message is DIY like it never was before. “Yours for the taking, yours for the making,” Crass said. “You do it, we’ll stew it. Mix it backwards, forwards and upside down. Turn up the heat and fix it with a downbeat, bring in the trumpets and let ‘em blow, let the piper call the tune to let us all know. It’s up to you to do what you like with it. The only limitation is your imagination.”
In this latest release, the third in the series, ‘Banned From The Roxy’ is given a dirty, bass-heavy and anthemic turnaround by two-time Grammy nominated Aoki with ‘Roxy (Unf*ck the World Steve Aoki Remix)’, one that pushes the crucial original lyrics to the front but gleefully plays with the fast paced, maniacal beat. ‘Asylum (Mikado Koko Remix)’ preserves the antireligious spoken word piece with a subtle but no less impactful twist. Both serve to inject even more intensity to already powerful tracks and are crystal clear reminders of why Crass were so important, and remain so vital today.
All monies raised from the project will go to the charity ‘Refuge’ who said; “We’re incredibly grateful to Crass and their team for helping raise vital funds for Refuge. Since the start of lockdown, Refuge has seen a 66% rise in demand for its Helpline, and a 950% rise in visits to its Helpline website. This shows the sheer extent of the need for specialist domestic abuse services – not just during lockdown but beyond. Every penny raised helps us to ensure that no woman or child is turned away from safety.
‘While lockdown itself doesn’t cause domestic abuse - abuse happens all year round - it does, of course, have the potential to aggravate pre-existing abusive behaviours – and the data we have shows us the increase in the need for our services during lockdown. Refuge worked incredibly hard at the beginning of the pandemic to make sure our services remained open and remained safe. The generous donations we have received, including those from Crass, mean we can continue to provide the life-saving and life-changing services that women experiencing domestic abuse need and deserve.”
About Steve Aoki
Steve Aoki, the two-time Grammy nominated producer/DJ is one of today’s most successful American cross-genre artists, collectively counting 2.8 billion music streams on Spotify. As the founder of the trendsetting record label, events/lifestyle company, and apparel line Dim Mak Records, which he founded in 1996, Aoki has helped launch the careers of global acts like The Chainsmokers, Bloc Party, The Bloody Beetroots, The Gossip, and The Kills, among many others. Dim Mak today counts more than 1,000 official releases from the biggest acts and most buzzing newcomers across EDM, indie rock, hip-hop and beyond over its two-decades-plus discography. As a solo artist, Aoki boasts a lauded discography that includes: Wonderland (2012), his debut solo album, which garnered him his first-ever Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album; hip-hop centric Kolony (2017), and the Neon Future series, which includes Neon Future I (2014, certified gold by the RIAA), Neon Future II (2015), Neon Future III (2018) and the recently released Neon Future IV (April 2020); which has rocketed in streaming to date and received praise from singles such as “Maldad” ft. Maluma and “Let It Be Me” ft. Backstreet Boys. Recognized by Forbes as one of the top 5 world’s highest paid DJ’s and the world’s hardest working DJ, Aoki is “one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world” (Billboard), counting more than 250 tour dates per year. In 2012, Aoki founded THE AOKI FOUNDATION, which primarily supports organizations in the brain science and research areas with a specific focus on regenerative medicine and brain preservation. Most recently, Steve Aoki released his critically acclaimed memoir entitled ‘BLUE: The Color of Noise’ published by St. Martin’s Press.
About Mikado Koko
Mikado Koko is a Japanese outsider musician. Unconsciously Koko destroys what she learned from theatre, music and dance experience, and creates her works against the new authority. In summer 2017 she started her solo career as a club music producer with the elements of Japanese traditional music. After many releases, remixes and compilations, now she focuses on avant-garde poetry reading related to feminism and gender equality. She released album ‘Ru I U Ta’ in 2019 and ‘The Japanese Rimbaud’ in 2020.
Follow:
No comments:
Post a Comment