Ratatat Remix Challenge

With next weekend's Yardfest approaching quickly, the College Events Board (CEB) seems to be receiving much less criticism than usual for its choice of artists--Sara Bareilles and electronic group Ratatat. Cue new advertising efforts: the most notable of which has been the "Ratatat Remix Challenge," intended to reward the creator of the best Sara Bareilles-Ratatat mashup (with what? It's unclear). Has the CEB stumbled upon the next Girl Talk? Read on.

FlyBy took the opportunity to listen to the four finalist mashups, with comments from this FlyBy writer below. The files for play can be found here:

"Love Song for Seventeen Crips"--Laurence Holland '09, a former Associate Managing Editor for The Crimson.

Though it gets off to a slow start with an unusual background, once "Love Song for Seventeen Crips" moves to the Ratatat beat it evolves into a carefully crafted interweaving of electronics, piano, and the lyrics of Sara Bareilles' most prominent hit, "Love Song." Close attention to detail here. Not bad.

"Thing You Wanna Hear"--Mike Polino '11 and Garrett Schabb '09

"Thing You Wanna Hear" changes gears multiple times. While the different strands are layered on top of each other with smooth transitions, Sara Bareilles' voice seems almost like an afterthought, and often her melodies do not mesh with the electronic background, creating unusual combinations of notes. A solid Ratatat mashup, but perhaps Bareilles has a song that would fit with it better than her best known.

"SaRatatat"--Michael Shen '12 and Maxwell Meyer '12

"SaRatatat" has a catchy start with a bouncy beat mixed in with "Love Song" that reappears again later in the mashup. The mid section features repetition of the line "I'm not gonna write you a love song," that gets a little bit...well...repetitive, despite the catch background. The mashup ends strongly with a Ratatat musical interlude. Overall a solid, catchy remix.

"Love Song (Obi Ekekezie Remix)"--Obi Ekekezie '12

This mashup seems mostly like a remix of "Love Song"--intended to turn it into a punchy dance song. Unlike the others, it plays the song in its entirety from start to finish while mixing in different electronic beats from Ratatat in the background. There's a brief, slower interlude in the middle before the original rythmn picks up again, which might interrupt the dance party but it also breaks the monotony. While it might be a less involved mashup, it's also a more realistic one.

This FlyBy writer's personal favorite? "Love Song (Obi Ekekezie Remix)." This is fun to listen to and could fit in very well with a party playlist. It works with the two music styles equally well and avoids any awkward moments or transitions.

Voting is open until tomorrow, so don't let FlyBy stop you.

(Banner courtesy College Events Board)