shut up and listen

cover of The System track (made famous by Robert Palmer)

• vocal notes made by internal loops
• background vox sound almost real – heavy reverb though – contrasts with synth heavy rhythms

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. contrast between long sustained musically rich backing with busy, tonally minimal, electronic rhythm.
2. actual notes made by internal vocal loops

cover of John Lennon track

• radio filter on piano intro
• backwards reverb on processed vox
• phaser/flanger effect on sustained chords
• different effects on vox for verse (distant) and chorus (close)
• snr with extreme phaser and delay, sounds like a water droplet
• extreme panning in solo section, solo piano hard left, electronic counter melody on right

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. delay/phasing effects – droplet percussion, swirling sustained chords

cover of Prince track

• spoken word samples (not the same as original i.e william burroughs instead of michael keaton)
• spoken word sample also processed
• processed vox doubling (heavy vocoded in background, whispered on top)
• recognisable guitar and piano

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. mix of recognisable instruments and electronics
2. spoken word samples also processed, though not used musically at least stylistically integrated

cover of Donovan track

• deep bass intro
• stereo spread – different synths in left and right (60s style)
• jazzy break down
• degrading, ‘pixelating’ vocal repeat during track fade out

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. mimic stereo spread of classic 60s (beatles?) track

cover of ABC track

• reverb on processed vox, gated
• truncated chords/beats on triplets
• bursts of tuned static for chord stabs

KEY IDEAS to plunder

1. unnaturally truncated – stuttering jump cut effect
2. bursts of tuned static for chord stabs