Hello Fam-a-lam!

The reviews are in for my RJD2 remix, and the response was once again overwhelming! Time Out NY called me a “Brooklyn studio whiz,” The UK Independent noted that I’m “quickly becoming the go-to guy for remixes among the indie sector,” some more Sirius/XM satellite radio airplay, sat on Elbo.ws top ten list for well over a week, and for the 4th time this year hit #1 on the Hypemachine charts!

So… ttttthankkkkk yyyyyyouuuu a million times over to those of you out there that listened and/or had something kind to say!

Before I get down to business, I should tell y’all I’m hard at work on a few new remixes, two of which are quite different from my usual fare, in large part because there’s FEMALE SINGERS on both… Oooooooh

And now, down to bloggin’ bizzzness:

The Independent “Quickly becoming the go-to guy for remixes among the indie sector, Wilkis has a knack for retaining the integrity of the original track but adding just enough flavour to make the interpretation fresh and worth listening to.”
Time Out NY “This new version—reworked by Brooklyn studio whiz Alan Wilkis—is even better… A mix of between G-funk, classic soul and sunny California pop”
Altsounds “Be sure to take heed.”
Consequence of Sound
Better Propaganda
Pigeons and Planes
Killah Beez
Done Waiting
Day and Night “We cherish Alan Wilkis for his great remixes… This mix is pure funk, which mixes up sweetly with the song’s vocals.”
Hip Hop Press
Minneapolis Fucking Rocks “Wilkis draws the soulful, Wonder-esque vocals of the original and adds Parliament-thick synth-bass for a funky, taut remix.”
The Coolest Out “Another brilliant remix by the in vogue electronic singer/producer”
Rap Reviews
My Old Kentucky Blog
Above the Fold
Boom Boom Chik
Hip Hop Site
Cause = Time
Friday Mixtape
The Needle Drop
Daily Beatz “Alan Wilkis has done it yet again… This may be may favorite.”
Sheena Beaston “AW slows the track a bit, but not before adding some super funky keys and the magical dusting of his midas touch.”
Imageyenation “Wilkis gave the track some two-step-worthy ‘80s dancefloor thump and added a hefty dose of synthesized “Mothership” Funk.”
Green Shoelace
Hero Hill
TheMusic.FM
Katarokkar
Snob’s Music “Our favorite remixer, Alan Wilkis, is at it again.”
Silence is a Rhythm Too
The Daily Rind
Atari Cool Kids Forever
Skippers Chippers “His delightful take on RJD2’s ‘The Shining Path’ in my opinion is better than the original, and has that feel good groove coursing through it’s slap bass”
True to Sound “It’s fantastic, and better than the original in my opinion.”
S’il Vous Plait “AW’s remixes have a great variation in style, but one thing they do share is that they always come out the other end precision-made, smooth as silk, big fun and oh-so-cool.”
Subservient Experiment
No Modest Bear
Planeta Pop
Pop Stereo
LA is the new NY “Quickly becoming THE remixer of the moment.”
Some Kind of Awesome
Revenge of Rob Gordon
Blastercase
Static Television
Music for Perfect People
Attack Attack Attack “Another Alan Wilkis gem”
Stop.Play.Rewind
Billy Suede “The man has done it again… Simply can’t get enough… Keep them coming, Alan!”
JayeL Audio
Sonic Diet
Loren Wohl
Cater
Daft Who?
The World in a Paper Cup
Your Third Ear
Together in Digital Dreams
Sounds and Colors “Alan Wilkis remixes are too legit”
Nick’s Picks
How Can You Start a Movement…
Wright Stuff
Les Enfants Terribles

Hi friends!

My “Sweet Disposition” remix has struck again, this time with a trifecta of exciting news tidbits. First off, it’s been released on the latest Ministry of Sound compilation, “Hed Kandi: Nu Disco.” It features Chromeo, Fred Falke, Lindstrom, Grizzly Bear, Passion Pit, and… me? You can check it out here:

http://www.ministryofsound.com/product/na/albums/cd/hed_kandi_nu_disco_%282cd%29/

“…featuring a myriad of modern day disco gems taken from a dance music phenomenon that has taken over Hed Kandi headquarters and every enlightened dancefloor across the globe… Nu Disco is Hed Kandi’s perspective on the natural evolution of our beloved disco as it is transformed into the pioneering distant futuristic sound of the 21st century. This is disco’s budding romance with science fiction…”

Next order of business, the SD remix snuck it’s way onto DJ-AM-protegé DJ Morse Code’s latest mix, entitled “Walking on the Moon!” It’s a great mix (and not just because I’m biased!) – Calvin Harris, VHS or Beta, Miike Snow, and many more… Check it:

And lastly, just stumbled upon a rando BMX trick video, featuring Luke Marchant of Fly Bikes:

Hope all’s well. It’s finally warming up here in Brooklyn, so I’m a happy little clam… LATERZZZZZZZ!

-A

Uh. C’mon. Bounce… C’MON!

It gives me IMMENSE pleasure to present my latest remix of RJD2’s “The Shining Path” from his new album, “The Colossus” (BUY IT). RJ is a 10-year-strong musical innovator and pioneer, and it’s been an honor to correspond with him and work on this. Furthermore, today on his website, he said he loves what I did with the remix, and I’m still buzzing quite a bit about that.

The man is a legend and needs no introduction. I vividly remember hearing “Ghostwriter” for the first time, and thinking “YES…” RJ’s unique vision, ability to cross genres, and garner the respect of so many major artists and fans alike is unparalleled. Also worth noting, he’s released his latest record himself, abandoning the traditional record label model at a high level. That’s something I wish I saw more of in the world and is pretty inspiring, to say the least.

As I tried to explain the big-deal-ness of this project to my parents, they looked at me encouragingly but blankly… until I explained that his song, “A Beautiful Mine,” was licensed as the theme song to AMC’s “Mad Men,” at which point their eyes lit up – “oh we LOVE that song.” Damn straight!

Enough gushing, and on to the remix… It features Grammy-nominated Phonte Coleman of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange on vocals. Without getting too technical/music-dorky about it, the original song (listen here) had a 6/8 feel, reminiscent of some classic Motown. As I listened to Phonte’s vocal, though, I saw the potential to hear it as a straight 4/4 rhythm, but with hints of triplets. In non-dork terms, I gave the song a very different feel – elements of G-Funk, California 60’s surf-pop, 8-bit sounds, and more… I hope the result will make you want to strut in the sunshine. Check it out:

DOWNLOAD: “The Shining Path (Alan Wilkis Remix)” – RJD2

Enjoy it, and please help spread the word if you like what you hear!

Much love,
A

It’s been a few weeks since I put out my Yeasayer remix, and the response has been tremendous – by far the biggest I’ve ever received! From a mention in the UK’s Independent, to my very first Stereogum shout-out, to airplay on both KCRW and Sirius/XM Radio, to #1 on Hypemachine and “Hottest Track” on Elbo.ws, and lastly to [my favorite] soundtracking this girl’s how-to-make-balloon-animals video:

And to those of you that took the time to listen and/or post about it and/or help spread the word, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Here’s the blog recap:

Pigeons & Planes: “AW has taken my favorite song from Yeasayer’s recent album Odd Blood and installed some robot arms and dance shoes”
KillahBeez
The Music Slut
Arjan Writes: “Super fun and very well put together… This kid has his golden fingers on the soundboard again. Two thumbs up.”
Under The Radar Magazine
Earmilk
Minneapolis Fucking Rocks
The Audio Perv
Nialler 9: “Watch out for this guy’s remixes. He good.”
The Coolest Out
Boom Boom Chik
Kickin’ The Peanuts
JP’s Blog
The Fast Life
Winnie Cooper [unbelievably cute dog alert]
Brain Magazine [silver naked people alert]
Fluo Kids
Cause=Time
The Mahogany Blog
TheMusic.FM
Pasta Primavera
Indie Music Filter
We Are The Mascotte
Cassette Couture
Danger Danger: “I don’t hesitate when it’s an AW remix, it’s always good.”
Snob’s Music
The OCMD
Super Official!: “Gives it the ‘ol Alan Wilkis midis touch”
Sound Verite
Sheena Beaston: “The sexy subtlety that is an ‘Alan Wilkis remix’ has once again been bestowed upon Beastonia”
Cities of the Plain
Music Like Dirt
EkEk Promotions
Scene Not Heard
Kevin John Gomez
Atari Cool Kids
La.Ga.Sta.
Kapeep City
True To Sound: “The brilliant Alan Wilkis… seems to be getting even more awesomer with every remix that he produces. His latest is of Yeasayer’s ‘Ambling Amp,’ and as good as the original is, I can honestly say I enjoy Alan’s remix more.”
Bored and Beats
Owl and Bear
Thieves by Tuesday
Newdust
Skippers Chippers
Les Enfants Terribles
Muzjiks
The World in a Paper Cup: “as always, a spectacularly well done remix”
S’Il Vous Plait
unltd.at
No Modest Bear
The Color Awesome
Me And All My Friends
Together in Digital Dreams
I Really Love Music
Disco Naivete
Mojophenia
Revenge of Rob Gordon
Fuzzy Thoughts
Radio Deconstruction
Gis Gis Gis
611 Records
The Pro Show
Dots and Dashes
Dumb Bass
Rainy Tuesday
JayeL Audio
Sleep Never
Ce Soir J’ai Piscine
Standard Deviations
Hype Musik N Stuff
3 Days Before the Show
Musicphileosophy
Your Third Ear
The Chuckness
La 3e Heure
Radio DKO
Headphone Handicap
Audio Sovereignty
Music is my Sunshine
Juicy Fruit
Toy*Tune
FRVR Disco
Sounds Analytical
The Funky Folk

Phewf… that was a lot… 93 to be precise…

Love,
A

Yoyoyoyo!

I just did my very first radio interview for a show called “The Daily Feed” on WFPK 91.9 FM in Louisville, KY. The show will be re-broadcast on a few other stations nationally.

Past interviewees include OK GO, Spoon, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Sonic Youth, and more! I’m feelin both proud and flattered to say the least… Although I’m totally cringing at the sound of my own voice.

Catch the interview, weirdo-voice and all, right here: On the Phone with… Alan Wilkis

And in closing, I think it’s only appropriate to post a few amazing radio-related songs, starting with my favorite of all time:

Love,
Alan

Attention Sirius XM Radio Customers!

My Yeasayer remix is on the much-respected My Old Kentucky Blog show today. Tune in to SIRIUS XMU, Channel 26 on SIRIUS & channel 43 on XM – the two-hour program starts at 12pm ET and is replayed again at Midnight ET.

I’m on there alongside Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Cold Cave, Holly Miranda, Phoenix, Rogue Wave, and many more… Check out the playlist and download some MP3’s from the show at My Old Kentucky Blog.

And, lastly, because I can never pass up an opportunity for a bad pun, especially when it involves Jermaine Jackson, here’s the amazingly funky Stevie-Wonder-produced “Let’s Get Serious”

Much love,
A

And because I’m feeling do incredibly nice and generous, for a limited time download “Dance With You” for FREE right here!

DOWNLOAD: “Dance With You” – Alan Wilkis

Love love love,
A

Friends!

I’m insanely pleased to announce my latest remix, this time of Yeasayer’s “Ambling Alp” from their upcoming record “Odd Blood.” If you’re unfamiliar with Yeasayer, please take a moment to check them out, as they are an UNBELIEVABLE band. They write wonderful wonderful music, and they manage to combine live instruments with electronics & samples in a totally unique and inspiring way.

As I told their guitarist, Anand, within minutes of hearing the remix stems, I was completely floored. I was already a big fan, but upon hearing each instrument isolated, I couldn’t believe my ears. They labored over every little sound with the utmost care, from the tiniest percussion slaps, to their singer Chris’ own voice re-pitched through a sampler… All I could think was “man, I gotta step my game up if I’m gonna do this song any justice.”

I tried to approach my remix with that similar attention to detail in mind. I re-harmonized the song into a minor key, and I mixed a number of electronic sounds (synths, bleeps, boops) with live instruments (banjo, live hi-hat & snare drum). The song struck me as having some African influences deep in it – I tried to tease those out a bit more, although filtered through my bizarre-child-of-the-80s lens…

I’m especially proud of this, and I’ve gotten a great response from the band about it – I really hope you like it, too! And as always, please feel free to download and share it with any and everyone you know! HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD!

Download: “Ambling Alp (Alan Wilkis Remix)” – Yeasayer

Also, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE support the band and pick up their album when it drops next week. And check out their psychedelic not-safe-for-work video, below, and the also not-safe-for-work website Ambling Alp Experience:

Bye! I LOVE YOU!

Love,
Alan

Man oh man it’s been a busy weekend at AW central. Writing some new music, doing a lot of work with my pals Project Jenny Project Jan for their new record (which is AMAZING and getting closer and closer to done!), and I’m wrapping up my latest remix. I expect/hope to be sharing it with y’all in the next few days! Just tweaking the final mixing and mastering on it + testing it out on a few different soundsystems, and then Bon Voyage.

As a little preliminary taste, I video-taped myself tracking some of the percussion parts that I play on it. You’ll have to excuse the audio, as it sounds a little crude…

And moving right along, my Chester French remix really took the old intynet by storm! Even managed to top the Hypemachine Twitter charts for a few days (screenshot). And picked up some nice writeups, too – check it:

Arjan Writes
The Coolest Out “Will have you dancing all throughout your house – just make sure no one sees you”
Disco Demons
Dumb Bass
Atari Cool Kids
Sheena Beaston “I love everything Alan Wilkis touches… Delivers a post-Xmas punch to the gut!”
Too Many Sebastians
Headphone Whiplash “I love Wilkis’ remixes because they seem to encompass influences from the 80’s, 90’s as well as some of the best electro from this soon to end decade… The best part about Alan’s mixes is that he jam-packs them full of sound without ever over-doing it.”
Dope 411
Kapeep City
Boom Boom Chik
Together in Digital Dreams “Wilkis spins this heavy piano-pop song into a new years eve friendly dance-off frenzy using ingredients like fresh violin, tasty synth and electric drums. Wilkis is growing a pretty large following and he deserves every bit of it.”
The Press Play Show
Super Official!
True To Sound “The drum machine and energetic synths work really well together, as does the guitar and the other sound effects which have been added… He has a lot of talent and his beats have a great sound to them.”
Revenge of Rob Gordon “My dude Alan Wilkis never disappoints… Takes it to another level.”
Danger Danger
Nibootoo
Blastercase “Wilkis consistently comes up with some of my favorite remixes and this one is no exception.”
Indietronix Radio
JayeL Audio “Alan Wilkis continues to be one the main producers I check for when I comes to remixes. Here he puts his signature funk on one of my favorite CF tracks… Wilkis’ party ready, disco-fied remix only furthers that trend.”
Illababy “Crazy dope… Filthy”
No Modest Bear
Eat Sleep Breathe Music
Web Swag
Please Don’t Stare
Young Kingz Daily
Hood Shopping Network
NewJams.net
Radio Deconstruction

Well, that oughta do it for now.

Love,
A

Are you familiar with the web series “Old Friends?” If not, chances are you will be, soon enough. They’ve been touted by Asylum.com as “the web’s best painful buddy comedy,” favorited by Salon.com, and landed on year-end best-of-the-web lists for both The Huffington Post and Break Media’s CEO, Keith Richman.

Aside from all the critical acclaim and my own personal enjoyment of the series, I have an alterior motive for posting about the show… They used my song, “Bad Mamma Jamma,” to soundtrack the following episode from their new season!

And because I’m SOOOOO nice, for a limited time I’m offering up a free download of “Bad Mamma Jamma” just for you!

DOWNLOAD: “Bad Mamma Jamma” – Alan Wilkis

Lastly, please be sure to catch up on previous episodes of “Old Friends” by visiting http://www.babelgum.com/oldfriends.

Happy Tuesday!

-A