[Deewan] Re: [PPHP] [Fwd: making of a bollywood song]

[Ravikant]

Dear Smriti,

I agree with you - the remixed version is horrible and thanks for pointing out 
the source for the remix. So far the remix is an omnibus genre, we would need 
somebody to study remixes very closely and classify them. The curious thing 
is that film songs were potboilers in their own right - borrowing things 
ecclectically from any source and mixing tunes, words, etc. any which way. Of 
course, the smarter ones sounded good as well, just as a very smart remix of 
teri rah chalte chalte...from Pakeeza sounds good. But this is a rare 
instance. I can name only a couple more that I like. But before I sound like 
a purist, remixes are also recycled desires for a new age. The sexual mores 
of self/socially/institutionally censored hindi films of earlier eras must be 
looking awfully inadequate and dated to the new listeners - viewers, actually 
- for remix is nothing if not also produced with visual offerings. They are 
also filling the gap between what the song always said(or just promised?) and 
what the song could never show. Hence new itemization of old songs. 
Interstingly, the legal remix of kajrare does not change the visuals - 
because perhaps it didn't need to.

cheers
ravikant          

 
On Thursday 03 Nov 2005 10:14 pm, smriti at sarai.net wrote:
> By chance today I heard the remix of 'kajra re' on FM. The tempo is about
> double, and there are drum machines, bass and wolf whistles. To me this
> version has lost a bit of the lyricism, definitely.
> Then I happened to switch stations and heard, immediately after the 'kajra
> re' remix, an '80s 'angrezi' classic, Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go",
> sung by  (a then young and beautiful) George Michael...the tempo was
> exactly the same as 'kajra re' remixed, in the sense of the way the
> listening body receives the beat. One just glided from the 'hindi'
> experience to the 'angrezi' without effort.
> What does this sort of levelling actually mean, aesthetically? How is it
> processed? Is genre transcended, or parodied?
>