Jason Mraz – “I Won’t Give Up” The Remixes

Release Date: 2012-7-24
Label: Atlantic Recordings

Jason Mraz is not a DJ, but he is one of the most well known artists in the United States, and has one of the most pure singing voices out there. Mraz recently did a remix contest with Indaba Music and the results are incredible. The nine song record features big name producers such as Robbie Rivera, Kids At The Bar, and David Jones, as well as the contest winning track by Gabe Lehner.

The first remix on the EP is done by Puerto Rico’s finest Robbie Rivera. While I never thought I would hear a Jason Mraz vocal as a part of a Progressive House track, the change of genre really works well. Rivera keeps much of the original vocals intact, while providing an uplifting crescendo and break.

With the second track, Kids At The Bar seem to have a little bit more fun with the remix. This is certainly not their first experience with remixes. The Oklahoma City duo has remixed popular alternative artists like Ellie Goulding, Empire of the Sun, and Passion Pit. With this remix, Kids At The Bar use mostly the chorus, speed it up a little bit, and then add their signature stadium-sized break.

David Jones is another producer that’s not unfamiliar with a remix. His rework of “Thriller” was a massive hit in 2009. This time, Jones takes things up a notch and creates something a little harder hitting. He begins with simply the Mraz vocals and a piano, then completely ups the tempo with the break. It’s the type of break that hits you by surprise, but a very pleasant one at that.

The final track on the EP is the remix contest winner and comes from a man named Gabe Lehner. At 31, Lehner has had an expansive background with music. Starting with playing guitar in an indie band, then producing hip-hop beats, and finally teaching himself to use Ableton Live, Lehner is certainly what you can call a well-rounded musician. For his submission to the remix contest, he channeled a much more relaxing and harmonic feeling. Lehner chops up the vocals and layers them on top of each other. While normally this might produce a confusing and hard to follow sound, the result is incredibly smooth. One of my favorites on the EP, Lehner’s remix is definitely worthy of the grand prize.

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