#songbender part 50 – The Prodigy – Funky Shit (Mulder Exclusive Mix)
YAAY! NUMBAH FIFFFTHEY!
Well helllllooooo and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, in this brand new year that already has almost 1/12th of its entirety behind us!
I’ll spare you the “happy new year” crap as we ALL know it WON’T be one, it will be one of the most dreadful as we know it (oh iiiiit’s the eeend ooooof the wooooorld as we know it, but that’s by R.E.M. and we don’t cover that over here just now, maybe we will eventually but for now let’s stick with what we got. And it’s not much. But hey. YOU voted for it. So here we go.).
So i held up on this one as i was running things in my head over and over and over (AND OOOUUUUVAHHH) and whatever, so like what could we do for number 50, as who knows if we are going to live to see #100? will we make it? should then number 50 be of something like a JUBILEE?
I honestly didn’t think i would make it to 50, well maybe 50 wasn’t that much of a thing but a 100 is kinda nuts, right? I mean i could do it, i swear, but can I hold the “attempt” up for 100? Still not sure. But ok, let’s go for it. Not like it’s “interrupting my day” if you catch my drift. And i’m aware that posting months in between doesn’t help this cause. But to be honest, i’ve started this doing it for myself, and imma stick with that and let just see where that gets us. Be that far, or in between.
So, this 50th ANNIVERSARY one, i’ve been thinking a lot about. I’ve been thinking i should maybe give MORE songs to think about, maybe make this SOMETHING, but then again, reality kicks in, saying: WHY. WHY make all that effort. For all of those 4 lovely people who actually listen to the songs here? Yeah, they deserve every credit ever, and I hope the bad people stay away from their lawns, but otherwise? Just overthink it?
So let’s just get back to the original idea and celebrate number 50 as it should be. I hope we reach a 100 and I still have not even TOUCHED my most valuable songs (and i still say it’s not time yet). So we’ll go for number 50 with something that changed something in ME, and this is from the past and this is something i’ve talked about before, and this is AGAIN YES something about urban jungle. The FOSTER CHILD of drum&bass.
But, come on man, if i can steal that line from the American sports media. I mean, this was THE SHIT. I mean whoever made music in those days, was looking at this like OMG this is like THE. SHIT. One, they have the samples, TWO, they have the permission to post these and just spread these (different world, less money-hungry assholes, you might be too young to remember that there were in fact days like that. miss ’em).
So.
Since i’ve been thinking about this TOO MUCH.
I just now decided that number 50 is going to be my man Mulder with his remix on fkin Prodigy because this song has taught me SO. MUCH. This was what taught me that things that exist CAN be reimagined another way, there IS a way to have something that is good, just be presented another way. Is any of them all better than the other? THAT’S NOT FOR ME TO DECIDE. But just to be able to DO. THIS. It’s fuckin’ KICK. ASS. It’s a masterpiece. For fucking Urban Jungle. Which is a made up term for a type of drum&bass that mostly worked on dancefloors and had a few good years in the UKWHO THE FUCK CARES THIS REMIX IS A FUCKING MASTERPIECE AND EVEN THOUGH IT SOUNDS DIFFERENT FROM AN OVERENGINEERED FUCKING 202x POP SONG it just BLOWS and if you feel it you feel it, if you don’t, no problem, there’s plenty of other crap out there for you my humble person, you do you, don’t mind us, we’re just having fun here, hope you have as well.
So like that bassline. I mean it’s just TREBLE, right? I’m in the middle of mixing my next album and i’m always in awe of these 90’s-2000’s dnb producers: THEY JUST DIDN’T GIVE AnYOnE nO ShiT’s. It sound as it does. DEAL WITH IT. FUcking AMAZING. It may only sound good on “SOME” stuff. WELLL, if it doesn’t, you need to get (George Carlin’s ghost is here right behind me) BETTER STUFF!!!!!!
There’s only one last thing i need to say. The line that got me with this cheap-ass urban-jungle kinda remix of a hugely popular Prodigy song was the line: Oh My Funky God.
And I mean it.
That was it.
(and all the other sample editing magic that i NEVER thought at the time that was possible. Then of course I learned much. Looking at you, Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim. The MASTER of all sample editors, ever. But at the time, the shock and the funniness was so powerful for me, at least, that i think it deserves #50 right here.)
That was the reason I liked the whole song in the first place. Now you think what you think, I don’t give a rat’s ass about that, but it’s the little things (that’s what she said, i’m sure you know THAT one, hah).
Well now. In conclusion.
It’s a song that never fit any standards. It was not a hit. The original one, yeah, maybe, but to be honest with you, I don’t think Funky Shit was a hit Prodigy song. It was fine on the album, but never a popular media favorite. (Thank any and every god for that).
So I still believe that even though we have hit no 50. and there’s more to come, maybe this could have been better.
NO.
WRONG.
This is perfect. SHUT THE F UP. You sit down and enjoy the shitty basslines and overly primitive production of Urban Jungle. You are NOT. WORTHY.
I am not, either.
But at least I know these and I write about them, 20 years after. Which I never thought I would.
So whoever read these ramblings, THANKS for sticking with me for 50 episodes, I hope you had at least a few songs you liked, and stick with me for the next 50, let’s see we can reach a 100, it’s a challenge, I swear, but hey.
So have a nice 2025 and let’s have this year blessed by a fu-funky god.
oh my funky god.
So. Just in case someone has no idea, yes, here’s the original one, make sure you only listen to it briefly, not that it’s a legendary piece or whatever, you know, you must know better, pf, yeah.
and our main event tonight (for those who can’t really read):
(wonder how many are gonna stop at the first video thinking that was the whole reason. yikes.)