On You Tube - https://youtu.be/S3_Uf2j06rs
One of the things the internet has opened up for many of us home recording fanatics is access to original recordings of classic pop songs. Various sites offer an opportunity to download ‘stems,’ which are basically the untreated tracks of original recordings, or partially mixed versions of songs repackaged for use in computer games or videos.
It is a whole lot of fun to load them into whatever music program you have on your computer and be able to hear the constituent parts, rearrange them and even add to them if you wish. It’s also a great learning tool, in that sometimes there are parts of songs you just can’t figure out how exactly they’ve been done… and suddenly, you get it!
I’m sharing this one because, much to my surprise, it has gained some traction on YouTube. Usually when I upload any of my music, I think it is doing well if I hit double figures in the viewing statistics and if anybody at all ever hits the ‘like’ button.
I don’t have a problem with that! I’d continue making music if everybody wanted to listen or nobody wanted to listen. Some folks play computer games, some folks do jigsaws. My passion is playing, creating, and doodling with musical ideas. Sometimes they end up as instrumentals. Sometimes as songs. And in this case… as a remix.
I also spend way too much time just figuring out how different music programs work, how to program different sounds on synthesizer programs I’ve purchased and all that nerdy stuff.
So, when something I have done receives more attention than I had expected it is a pleasant surprise.
I’d played around with this Madonna track, added some instrumentation (such as a guitar solo), added a few effects, and restructured it slightly. It didn’t sound terrible, so I uploaded it with the name “DJ AD” to distinguish it from other musical projects.
Much to my surprise it has, at the time of writing, received over 25,000 views and received 350 ‘likes.’ It seems folks all around the world have been giving it a listen and adding it to their playlists. When you are used to your music only being listened to by a small number of family and friends… such is wonderfully unanticipated.
By contrast, a self-penned communion song, (which one lady described as 'extremely meaningful' after I had sang it in a worship service) has only attracted 12 views and had zero 'Likes'. Half of those views were probably by myself!
I kind of wish it were my own songs that gained as much attention as a hastily created Madonna remix, but that’s not the way it works. Folks really like hearing stuff they are familiar with.
But I will say, my remix is great for a 5 minute dance workout. Try it!
So, maybe there’s a future for DJ AD.
And that Madonna lady probably won't do so badly either. Lol.