I've noticed that you have been a member of the message board for some time. I even remember a countdown of sorts leading up to what I
think was this release. Can you give everyone an overview of who you are, how long you've been remixing, a bio of sorts?
The countdown was for the TT5BR project. I decided to remix the entire album in one weekend, turned into weeks, months… That was in 2012.
I will be releasing the BB projects as anonymously as possible but... I’m forum member TT5Brevisited, I have been DJing, making beats and remixes since 1988.
How were you first introduced to the Beastie Boys' music?
I think the FFYR video was the first time I saw / heard of them. Then my friend Mario bought LTI. I wasn’t into buying records myself yet, I used to borrow his
records and make tapes. I used to skip FFYR, G(Girls) and NSTB. TNS and PIE were LTI favorites. I only really really got into them after PB was released. The
first time I saw them live was during the CYH tour… insane show.
What motivated you to put together a set of remixes from Paul's Boutique?
I was working on TT5BR off and on for two years but couldn’t get my TR-808 and Oberheim DX to sound the way I wanted so I halted the project. (The TT5BR concept
was to remix TT5B using a sparse 1986 / LTI type of production style / instrumentation) Since I had this countdown and some audio snippets, I think? there were at
least three! forum members excited about the project lol…then annoyed after I missed the deadline. I didn’t want to dissapoint them so I started working on
BBPBEP.
Take us through the creative process. The collection of remixes you put together sounds like much more of a cohesive musical piece than a
collection of remixes. What was your concept in the beginning?
Thanks, good to hear. The main idea was to stick with what they were doing on the album, production wise, style wise, the way songs transition etc.
I started digging for loops from all sorts of sources, looking for stuff they could’ve sampled on the album, matching the original song concepts, flow, /
cadence, their voices etc.
I went through tons and tons of records, trying all sorts of combinations of different breaks, loops, bits and pieces for each song until all elements
complimented each other. This was an exciting process, very time consuming and totally frustrating at times lol.
Once I woud have the main loop for a song it would become increasingly difficult to finish. Every layer you add needs to match / fit all the stuff you added
before.
I also wanted to reference the original versions by recreating some parts and incorporating some of the same samples as the album versions, like the intro of CT,
the outro of HL, the SYR scratches, the Pink Floyd ‘Time’ loop on LDTBOAG etc.
Did you have to limit the scope of your ambition because you couldn't find clean vocals or is the finished product exactly what you
imagined?
Well… I would’ve loved to do the entire album but the main issue indeed… the super low resolution vocals on CT, LDTBOAG and STT.
When I started working on the EP I was convinced I would somehow get my hands on cleaner versions, but that didn’t happen. I contacted Minton and a couple of the
DVD remixers but the ones that got back at me didn’t back-up their old systems with the vocals.
The instrumentals are pretty much the way I imagined them though I would probably make a few small changes here and there now.
The break between Hey Ladies and Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun on your EP mimics the audio from 5-Piece Chicken Dinner. Was that
intentional?
Wow… It does! That wasn’t intentional at all lol. That’s just the intro to LDTBOAG. I did want the transition from HL to LDTBOAG to be as abrupt as the
transition from HL to 5PCD though.
Take us through the process of getting it on wax. It's one thing to do a remix project, but entirely another thing to have it actually
pressed.
That wasn’t my idea actually / initially. When I was mixing and finalizing the versions that made the EP I used to do weekly listening sessions at my friend
Lars’s office. After a couple of sessions he was like ‘Yo, I want this on vinyl’ (He’s a collector as well) After finishing the mixes I sent the songs off to
mastering then Lars had the acetates and dub plates cut. Soon after that we decided to do a limited vinyl run.
Only 2 of the 5 tracks that were a part of the project have surfaced on a physical format. Do you have hopes/plans for the other 3?
For this project… I’m pretty sure this will be it unless some insider emails me all of the high resolution vocals.
Can fans of this mix look forward to any other Beastie Boys or other EP's from you, or is it a one and done scenario?
For sure! I will keep remixing their stuff. I started working on BBCYH… Single or EP, maybe upload the BBPBEP outtakes if people are interested. I still would
love to finish TT5BR as well. No more release dates or countdowns though!
For us nerds... how many acetates/dub plates/vinyl versions have been or will be created?
There are three acetates, three clear dub plates (of which one skips on some turntables) and there’s one black dub plate. There will be 150 clear vinyl records
for sale initially.
If you prefer to remain an international man of mystery we can't blame you, but if you'd like to give fans of the remixes access where
can they go to find out more about what you are working on?
The BB forum
https://www.youtube.com/user/TT5BR
Discography Links:
Hey Ladies 12" : EU [BBPBEP] (Acetate) (Bootleg)
Hey Ladies 12" : EU [BBPBEP] (Test Pressing) (Bootleg)
Hey Ladies 12" : EU [BBPBEP] (Bootleg)
Hey Ladies 12" : EU [BBPBEP] (Clear Vinyl) (Bootleg)
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