#songbender part 56 – Chicane – Saltwater (Thrillseekers remix)
Yeah it’s only been since August that i posted here, that’s been like last week man, whatthehell, no, really, it’s really embarrasing to be honest, this should be something i do for my own joy and such pauses do not do good for any of you, or me. And I can certainly come up with a lot of excuses on why this be as it be, but who would be interested in that, right?
So, let’s rather focus on this one. And I hope that I managed to get a really good one this time. Just get the same bear you got last time and use it.
I’m going to link quite a few versions of this song so you may get bored easily. My professional advice: DON’T. Thank you. This is really worth it.
This track, and i mean the “original” as some know it, mahah, is iconic for 90s pop/trance as it was all over MTV back in the day, not only because of the actual song (NOTE: the radio edit version!!!!! 3 minutes something! come on) but also the video, which was surprisingly modern and thoughful for its time. I had the idea at the time that there was more to this whole thing, though, and i thought back in the day also! I mean i loved the concept, but to me to have an underwater dance party and to put the whole song on top of this was, i don’t know, lacking something. You know? Like the title is Saltwater, there’s SO MUCH you can incorporate into this. Anyway. It’s a good video, again, especially for its time.
Sidenote: I had this idea when i started this series that I would put a challenge for myself that I can only use the time to write my sh*t until the actual song is playing. At it seemed like a good idea. Well, it isn’t. I get so distracted by the actual song, I listen to it again like it was day one (which is kinda the way i only listen to songs from 30 years ago, you get the point), and I can just not type until it is playing. I need silence and the memories in the brain. I don’t know why that is. Should have been a cool concept. Ah well.
So this is from my fav Chicane album, and it’s the least fav song from that album. For me. And that’s exactly because of it being overplayed everywhere in its time. People were like “oh wow there this something something country something folksong singer girl (Irish, and from Clannad, check it out here) and it’s catchy and not a bad song! Well, erm, yeah. You could say that.
So if you check the wiki, this sample is actually from 1982, and the original, while nice as it is, and has all that political and whatever meaning i’m not going to go into (even though sometimes i’m itching i should but not this time), it’s nicely done for 1982. But nothing spectacular. Right? I mean, the rhythm is janky, the harmonies are not exactly mixed right, and it’s good for what it is, but this bastard made an actual killer song out of it. And he also made the same girl sing some extra on top of the original, which just put the whole thing on another level. I mean if you can not hear that, i have nothing to say to you. This is just insane production. From nineteen-fkin-ninety-nine. And this is not even the best song on the album! Graaaaaah. And this one is the actual extended one which is the PROPER one! OK? Ok. Anyway.
So back to the point. So there was the original, there was the trance song done and there was the radio edit version. All really nice. But there’s a reason i said that even the original (the extended version, mind you, and this is actually a rule: if a song has an original/extended/whatever version that was dumbed down for the sorry ass of the people who booo hoo may find this “too loong or complicated or i don’t know Joshua this is just too much for my basic taste which comes from listening to fukin trap and rn’b and all those pop people that i pretend to hate while i actually lick up everything they pay to play on the radio or more modernly, spotify, for me” then you always go for the long one. No matter what. If it’s bad, the song is bad. If the long one is good and the short one not so good: well, there’s your answer right there. It’s only good for those who actually listen. And the rest can go and get OK i’m not typing this out. But it’s true. The short ones are meant for re-and-re-and-re-listen and do not care about the rest. “Get the Hook, Stupid” is the idea. The original one is way more subtle and takes it time to introduce melodies and instruments and all. As it should.
So listen to what this bastard has done. He took the original chord progression from the Clannad song but felt the same thing I did, it was missing one last one, on the last line. So he added it. And added his signature Chicane beat underneath (you would understand this if you listened to the album 18thousand times like i did), it’s not really complicated or anything, and not even groundbreaking. It’s just perfect for the job. It’s trance, for god’s sake, it isn’t meant to summon Sumerian gods or anything, it’s for the fkin dancefloor, and in an era where trance was actually declining (not as a genre but as something that, hah, “normal” people would dance to at venues) – since pop was getting stronger for THOSE ones and house and garage and the sort were getting stronger to THOSE OTHER ones and goa and psy would be the ones for those ANOTHER ones, the user-friendly trance was going out of style. It took a few years after this but eventually it disappeared. And you can debate me on this all you want, if you want, i may be wrong on some actual dates or years or whatever, but it’s no wonder that trance is no longer around.
And after all of this yapping we get to the final point: The Thrillseekers remix. (yes the video inserted at the very end). And the reason i chose this one (the song as it is) because I think it’s really interesting to have a look at a 1982 song, re-imagined for a proper late 90-s trance song, with an incredible vocal performance, a dumbed down radio edit for the masses (which still worked, tho, need to admit) and the remix (in particular this one) which actually, to ME, shows what this song should have been ALL ALONG.
oh oh oh one more point: i just LOVE how he switches the beat at the end of the extended one, to be this breakbeat kinda thing, even though it serves no purpose for the song, he still does it. Absolute champion right there. If you don’t know what i’m talking about, you’re impatient, go back to whatever spotify was telling you to listen to. Hah.
So the remix is the perfect way to present this whole thing. The arrangement, the melody, the feelings, the vocals(!!!!!) and the tempo. This is the perfect remix if there is one. (yeah i can think of a few good ones myself) – but the point here is that you can only truly appreciate the remix version if you are familiar with the original. And this somewhat goes against the idea of remixes as such (as there are some that you have no idea or interest what the original ones – usually the case with me) but given the fact that knowing that the 1982 song, the melody, the original trance one and the radio edit were all there, and THEN create this one, it is absolutely fkin insane, and it is delivered in a PERFECT way.
Oh and the remix version is actually SHORTER than the extended trance edit? Haha. (that has a perfectly viable reason though, trance songs as an industry habit, most of the time need time in the front and in the end which loop considerably so the next track could be mixed on top of them. So no biggie there).
But just check out the real song i’m showcasing here, which is (for those of you), the Thrillseekers remix version. What a fkin beauty this one is. And how good it sounds. It uses most of the original samples and synth tracks, with only a few added pianos and effects here and there. It’s absolutely beautiful and i love the way it is building.
Oh yeah, i did not mention that the remix is very ambient-ish, with barely a beat going on, but that’s exactly the point, this whole melody deserves this treatment, it’s the best way. And the sea-sample is there all the way, it’s saltwater, right? And the piano added is fantastic. Just have this come in in the car when you’ve been on the highway for an hour, when driving is a monotone piece of work, that you need to focus on of course but you mind wanders. It is the exact song made for that. It will make you think.
And if it does, think of the 1982 Clannad song. Why was that written, why is this Irish thing (given the history and all) so powerful the way it is. And how does the extended version with the repeating pounding 4/4 trance work, and how this mesmerising ambient one works.
(and of course there were other versions too, i did not elaborate on any of them, like the live version or the one where Nick actually explains how he did the song (this is actually i good one, i recommend).
Thanks for taking this journey with me, if you have. I hope you had fun. See you next time!