By EILEEN CECONI
Last week I established one important fact: I am obsessed with Ryan Hemsworth. What I neglected to mention is that for a short time in the beginning of the summer, we were basically pen pals. Our pseudo-friendship (and by friendship, I mean email thread) culminated with me meeting him at his MoMA PS1 show the weekend after my 21st birthday. It was pretty much the highlight of my life, and this week’s remix is the song that began our correspondence. To make a long story short, Ryan Hemsworth tweeted that he wanted people to send him songs, so I sent him this one. We exchanged a few messages, he convinced me to listen to more Yung Lean and we lived happily ever after. It was a beautiful (albeit brief) period of my life.
Now let’s get to this week’s artists. Djemba Djemba is a Los Angeles producer — and good friends with Ryan Hemsworth — who has been around for about a year or so. His work is usually based around a strong beat, and as is apparent in this remix, he really loves his 808s. He’s had some releases on Mad Decent (Diplo’s record label), and so far he’s done several remixes as well as some original work. Djemba Djemba regularly reposts work from up-and-coming producers on his Soundcloud, so I would highly recommend following him. Banks is a somewhat anonymous singer, also from Los Angeles. While she has not released her real name, her cell phone number is listed on her music Facebook page; it’s already in my phone. I started listening to her over the summer, and she’s definitely one of my new favorites. Once her low, mournful voice is paired with equally somber production, the result is incredible. She just released the EP London on Tuesday, which contains the standout track “Waiting Game” produced by SOHN (another one of my favorite artists). This fall, Banks is on tour with The Weeknd, with two shows at Radio City; unfortunately these fall on a Monday and a Tuesday. Nevertheless, Banks is definitely an artist to keep an eye on.
While the original “Fall Over” is my favorite Banks track to date, I think this remix is an even further improvement. I don’t love the pitch increase in Banks’ vocals, but I enjoy everything else about this song. I love the strong drumbeats, the increased tempo and the subtle samples throughout. Most of all, I love how Djemba Djemba brought more of a focus to the screams in the piece. It sounds primal and crazy, and when I’m frustrated or stressed out, this is exactly what I want to hear. Perhaps some will be put off by its aggressive sound, but I really think this is an extraordinary remix. Props, Djemba.