A Look at Madi Diaz’ “Trust Fall” Jensen Sportag Remix with K. Sabroso (A Jukebox Special)
Madi Diaz – Trust Fall (Down We Go Remix by Jensen Sportag) by Jensen Sportag
Madi Diaz will be releasing her full length, Plastic Moon on January 24th. As a teaser, the indie songstress teamed up Jensen Sportag to remix “Trust Fall.” I contacted Indy DJ K. Sabrosa to employ his knowledge of the Chill and R&B genre to employ his thoughts about the remix.
We would love to hear what you think of this song. Give the song a spin and feel free to comment and continue the discussion, K. Sabroso and myself are available for reaction.
About the people involved:
Madi Diaz is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter who has been making a career as a solo artist since 2006. A well-received debut Skin And Bone and an album—Plastic Moon— coming out this year, Diaz is in a continual state of growth both as a songwriter and a performer.
Jensen Sportag is Austin Wilkinson and Elvis Craig. The Nashville duo has been hypnotizing listeners with their richly infused blend of R&B and ’80′s Synth-Funk, like it came smashing out of some time warp set in Detroit.
K. Sabrosa is an Indianapolis-based DJ with a worldly scope who can be seen in the city spinning Latin and jazzy Breakbeats, House, Downtempo, and Jungle. He has an album coming out this year on Spring Strut Recordings.
Links:
K. Sabroso
I was never a big fan of 80′s Synth-Funk, but I’ve never heard it approached with this degree of delicacy or production value. This tune has a barely concealed energy that stays sensual without becoming hype or abrasive. I approve.
The vocalist doesn’t have the greatest sound, but she uses her tool to the best of its ability, in a way similar to Doris Day. The result is not game-changing, but she does her job adequately and it’s pleasant and definitely appropriate to the remix that was built around it. The style (but not the tone) of her singing answered the question: What would it have sounded like if Bebel Gilberto had been brought in for Groove Armada’s last LP?
Andrew
I don’t think Madi Diaz is supposed to be supplemented into this type of song structure. She is an indie pop artist foremost. I find it interesting that a remix like this was even sought out in the first place. I can see her leaning more towards shoegaze, but not so much a Synth-Funk remix. But it works. I immediately felt a Groove Armada vibe to the mix from the beginning
And I think Jensen Sportag tamed things down a little to make the song work. Have you heard their “The Wet Mix?” http://jensensportag.com/downloads/TheWetMix.mp3
What are your thoughts on Sportag’s production work and how it correlates to the genre? When you listen to the mix, and then return to the remix, is your initial reaction still the same, and how does the duo’s remix work compared to their mixing skills as DJs?
K. Sabroso
At first, I thought the remix was a tribute to an 80′s style production but the mix makes me think that their core style is related to revival.
Their production is absurdly clean which is why it contrasts so deeply with their style. This level of sound design and engineering was simply not available back then. It’s also interesting that their tempos are noticeably slower than 80′s style the group is referencing. This adds another dimension of sophistication.
The mix seems to be of a very similar style but not nearly as high quality as the production on the remix. I could be mistaken but it kinda has the feel of having been mixed by software instead of my hand. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but the extremely surgical transitions work better with certain styles/genres than others. The mix is cohesive and well done, though. It just doesn’t have the same craftmanship or sound quality as the remix.
Andrew
What about the relationship between Sportag and Diaz on this song? I have heard relationships like this before, and they have miserably failed. This has been the best I have heard with two artists whose styles don’t even come close.
K. Sabroso
I had to go and listen to some of her original tunes to get a feel for what her comfort zone is. Her bluegrass/indie-inflected pop is definitely a far cry from what Sportag does.
Remixing is kinda funny because receiving or scavenging the parts you want to use from an original song can be kinda liberating since things like phrasing, key, and style are already established and kind of give you a direction to go in instead of simply composing from scratch.
I’d have to hear the original to completely understand what all he’s done with her voice ,but I definitely hear filtering, reverb, and possibly some light vocoding. I heard the same thing in the Luther Vandross vocals that popped up in his mix so I assume that its standard procedure for them to process vocals in this way to make it fit what they are doing instead of pushing his style to completely adapt to the vocalist. It’s cool in a way cause they are putting their unique stamp on her voice (the way people edit their elements is kind of like a sonic fingerprint) but also kinda lazy since it allows them to avoid creating something that meets her halfway.
The end result is good so I can’t really argue with Sportag’s approach. Whether or not they created the remix from around her vocals or simply pitched/adapted her voice to fit an instrumental they already had is unknown but they tailored it to her performance enough for them to fit together.
