Daydreaming (Well Grounded Remix)

I linked up with Western Jaguar (on Bandcamp) on Twitter some time in 2023. As independent musicians, we spend a good amount of time trying to get the word out on social media. A lot of these efforts may feel fruitless, but they occasionally lead to great opportunities. I noticed a Tweet saying he was doing a remix contest of his ‘Oblivion’ album. I didn’t quite know how my own style and taste would fit into the project as our music seems very different at the surface. That said, a good song is a good song, and I think a measure of that is if it translates to other genres. ‘Daydreaming’ stood out to me among a lot of great songs on the album. I heard right away how it could be reworked as a pop reggae remix.

“…you said you felt all alone
You took my hand
You said you hoped I’d understand
But I never did…”

I spend a lot of time arranging and mixing on my own tracks, and maybe even longer recording and editing vocals. It was a lot of fun working on this track because I could focus principally on the arrangement. If you listen to the original and the remix side by side, you’ll notice the remix is significantly shorter. The mix was already excellent, so I didn’t touch it at all and used the original, wet vocals. I did, however, record rhythm keys, drums, and a bass part (all MIDI) in order to get that reggae vibe.

This project was a really cool opportunity to work on something outside of my normal range. It was also fun to re-imagine an indie rock song as a pop reggae remix. Please check out ‘Daydreaming (Well Grounded Remix)’ on the ‘Oblivion: Remixes’ album. While you’re at it, check out some of Western Jaguar’s other music. You may find, as I did, something that you didn’t expect and actually really like.