Just Call My Name: Birdmagic Debuts New Single
birdmagic, Photo: M Villagas
It’s a storied life that elusive producer birdmagic lives since relocating to Houston from New Orleans. Last year he gave up a great paying job and a budding scene to come to Houston and make videos and music all day, while heading out almost nightly. Since calling our city home, he’s dropped remixes for Houston artists, joined the dark electronic act black kite, and formed new collaborations. When he asked if Free Press Houston would debut his latest single, “Just Call My Name” from his upcoming album, of course we were thrilled to do it. When we found out that the single contained five remixes of the track as well, we were pretty blown away to get to debut them all. Remixes from Houston’s LIMB, Brooklyn’s Prism House, Austin’s Brother Wolf, and Seldon all make appearances alongside the birdmagic and android genius collaboration FLOODS.
The “original” or “album version” of the track, “Just Call My Name,” has the producer kicking off with a bit of the darkness he’s become known for, before adding hints of jungle and tropical beats to pick up the pace. He starts to head back to the darker places before kicking it up into a heavy dance jam that gets popping and then ends pretty quickly. In fact, it ends so quick that it’s a proper single and not some extended jam.
This is followed by a remix from Houston’s LIMB. The “refix,” found here, is the track completely reimagined and in line with what you’ve come to expect from the producer. Dropping the speed while placing found sounds and all of the darker elements you’d expect, LIMB finds a way to make the track his while keeping birdmagic’s initial intent intact. He finds a way to build things up with these crazy dark synths that hop on and off before almost bringing it to a dead stop and rising it back. When he returns, it’s with a mixture of dark and dance heavy elements that include a vocal rework that’s something altogether different from any of the other remixes.
The second remix comes from Brooklyn’s Prism House who takes the track to a higher level by keeping everything on the top end. The build up of the opening, the underlying synth use, and the chopped vocals are a really nice touch. Mixing in varying synths and multiple beats found here, the producer includes multiple fundamentals that make the track dance between the footwork world and the house music vibe. That quick step pace never lets up while these little synth heavy stabs, spaced out beats, and vocal recuts are peppered throughout like some sort of dance track brew that’s as refreshing as it is exotic.
Debuting their first released work here, the android genius and birdmagic collaboration FLOODS crafts something that’s almost the opposite of the original. The dance elements you expect from android are all over the remix, while the quicker footwork beats of birdmagic keep the song on the faster level. Found here, this track cuts the primary elements and reworks them alongside a quicker beat with different synths to make the track something different while eerily similar.
Austin’s Brother Wolf turns the track into a dance heavy sound that makes it more of a 2-step/house based remix, while mixing in electronic piano and synths that generate a more approachable sound. This remix, that you can listen to here, takes things to a different place with subtle dance synths and varying beat mixtures. The chopped reworking of the vocals adds a nice touch, while little computerized synths dance all over the track in a way that make you wanna’ get up and get your groove on.
The single ends with a remix, found here, from Austin’s Seldon. This remix is completely different from all of the others — he uses Latin elements to almost rewrite the track. High hat heavy beats with re-pitched vocals and spaced out synths flicker before what you think is the drop, but isn’t. When the drop does hit, the song goes to a whole new world where it takes on a new form and separates itself from everything he gave you previously. It’s a gamble, but it pays off and sets itself apart from all of the other remixes on the release.
All in all, it’s a pretty sick idea to drop a single with five remixed and reworked versions of the same track in the same place. The lead single from birdmagic’s upcoming full length, “Triangle North” due in February, these six tracks sound like nothing I’ve heard before without feeling fraudulent. You can catch this song and more on Wednesday, October 14th when birdmagic performs at The Nightingale Room as part of the Flying Bach after parties presented by Red Bull. The 21 & up show has doors at 7:00 and is 100% FREE.
