TheyungMatthew Gets Remixed by Skybison and Keith William

Colin MulliganJune 15, 2016

Matt Borland of the Atlanta rap group WAKE and electronic duo Natural Selektion has also been releasing music through his solo project, TheyungMatthew. Most recently, he released the EP, Songs to Die To, which consists of ambient works infused with hip-hop and downtempo sensibilities. Now, two of the tracks that appeared on that EP have been remixed by Dylan Banks, a.k.a. Skybison, and Keith William, Borland’s bandmate in WAKE.

“Miss Understanding” was originally a mostly ambient piece with a patiently building atmosphere that concluded with a downtempo beat dropping. In Skybison’s hands, the track maintains its initial ambient feel, however, the second half of the track is transformed into a ’90s jungle, drum and bass banger. Banks uses some of the synth pads from the original track but chooses to add a menacing bassline and a vocal sample of two men rapping on the streets of Jamaica that invokes a ‘rude boy’ sound. The culminating effect of these new elements will make you think you have been transported to an underground English club at the height of the ’90s Ragga jungle culture. Listen below.

“Sleepless” was also originally more of an ambient track with focus on a paddy panning synth that beautifully transforms throughout the song. When the drums come in, they are more of the downtempo variety akin to Zero 7. But Williams’ take on the track has quite a different atmosphere. Immediately there is a more intense vibe as noisy, overdriven samples of the synth from the original track are brought in rhythmically and a distorted bass wails out at the end of each bar. The remix takes on a distinctly more hip-hop flavor as the drums drop and the synth samples continue to dance around the beat. In this way, the once serene track is transformed into a wonderfully distorted blend of head-nodding electronica and experimental noise. Check it out below.