A tribute or rip-off?

New wave

Music knows no language, region or culture. It has the ability to break barriers of time and space.

However, thanks to crass commercialisation and marketing trends, almost every genre of music is seeing the birth of remixes — a few are worth remembering while others are redundant. These trends make one ponder as to who exactly owns this art form and how much of originality can the remixes boast of.

Young music afficionados are well aware of this growing trend. Though most of them would love to listen to a remixed song occasionally, the originals seemed to be the all-time favourite! 


Old wine?
iyaaz from CMRIMS likes songs ranging from commercial to house. “Remixes are very appealing as a lot of artistes create different kinds of music through the same song. The song ‘Clarity’ was remixed by Hardwell and the new version is much better. People should adapt to change and listen to newer forms of music. The song Tum Hi Ho Bandhu is an old devotional song and is extremely popular because of the remixed version. Remixes help in promoting old songs. I wouldn’t get angry if someone takes my music and remixes it because I will know what the original is.”

Pop’s the word
Jaiprakash, a student and a guitarist for the band ‘Darkened’, ís of the opinion that the beauty of a remix and whether its stands the test of time depends on the genre. “Remixes aren’t great when it comes to metal but since each band has its own style and originality; it works in pop, hip-hop and dance music. Remixes also depends on the listener. The original composer is definitely more creative than the artiste who remixed it. As someone who is starting out in the music space, it is better to be original because only then is your work recognised.”  

The ‘Rahmaniac’
Vinutha, a graduate from Kristu Jayanti College, is a music lover and has interests that cut across genres. “I am a ‘Rahmaniac’ and my interests vary from classical to semi-classical and Bollywood. Most of the songs by Rahman are remixed as he creates interesting fusion. However, his songs are an exception. I am against remixes as they kill the originality of the song. Someone has put in their effort, time and creativity into a song and it’s not fair if it is remixed. Youngsters should come up with original ideas in the music space. No one prefers remakes in poetry or art. So why should we remix music?”

Titanic blunder
Teju, a journalism graduate, says, “I listen to a lot of music and play the keyboard. Sometimes, remixes are more appealing than the original. I like the remixed version of ‘Riders on the Storm’, which was originally sung by ‘The Doors’. At times, the remixes are pathetic and can get quite annoying like the Indian version of the Titanic theme song.

 While originals do lose much of their essence, remixes have a lot of new flavours. Though the originals are remembered because of remixes, aspiring musicians should make original music.”

Stung by  The Beatles’

Rohit, a student of BBM from CMRIMS, says, “I listen to a lot of classics like Jim Morrison, ‘The Beatles’, house and trance music. A lot of youngsters do covers and though remixes are trending today, they may not last forever.

At one point, people do go back to the originals and listen to them. Those who remix songs are the DJs who take original classic hits and pump it up. It shows the incapability of an aspiring artiste. It is plagiarism. 

The idea of twisting a song and claiming it as one’s product doesn’t appeal to me. Remixes are extremely commercial although they are a huge tribute to the original.