A couple weeks ago at Monolith pre-party, something new and unexpected caught my ear, a track Michael Trundle (aka boyhollow) played as he warmed up the crowd for the Cool Kids at the Gothic Theatre. It was an electrified, dancefloor-friendly version of the classic Danzig tune, "Mother." Instantly recognizable, the remix had me singing along, throwing up devil horns and dancing like an ecstasy-fueled rave monkey. As I looked around the floor, I noticed I wasn't the only one responding. The entire front of the Gothic was bouncing and screaming "Mother!" at the top of its lungs. At the end of the set, Trundle revealed that he had created the remix -- his first -- and all I could do was grin.
Obviously, there's nothing particularly remarkable about a DJ crossing over to production. Plenty of DJs dip their crossfaders into the world of remixes, mashups or other forms of music production. Even on the local front, it's not uncommon to hear remixes from jocks like Greg Campbell and DJ Hot To Death. Just a few weeks ago, DJ Soup (aka Matt Campbell) -- Trundle's partner now that Tyler Jacobson has hung up his Lipgloss -- released some creative reworkings of four tracks by local band Ideal Fathers.
Trundle's remix caught my ear, though, because of how it fits into his own history -- and because it was so good. He began deejaying nine years ago, when Lipgloss made its debut at 60 South in the space which is now 3 Kings Tavern. At that time, Trundle was mostly a rock DJ. "Ladytron was as electronic as we'd even consider getting," he recalls. "I got dragged into electro, kicking and screaming, until I realized I fucking loved it."
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And so, it makes sense that the debut of boyhollow as a producer would be a rock track. "I just love the song," Trundle proclaims. "I can't help it. It harkens back to when I was a metalhead. I even used to play the original version out once in a while." His love for the track is evidenced by how much of the original's spirit his remix retains. Just as like-minded remixers like the Illuminoids and Aggro1 pay tribute to their classic and hard rock favorites by creating dancefloor bangers that hold on to the rock essence of their source material -- and unlike other remixers who mine the same material for kitsch value -- Trundle has kept Glenn Danzig's anger and edge intact, even while transforming the angst-ridden, guitar-driven 1988 rocker into a 2009 electro romp.
This is the first part of a three-part Makeout focusing on Denver DJ Michael Trundle's new remix. In part three, you'll get the chance to hear the remix for yourself. Check back tomorrow for part two!
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