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SPIN.com’s Top 25 MGMT Remixes

Ever since Freelance Hellraiser got the Internet’s nutz in a twist with 2001’s “A Stroke of Genius” — a seamless mash-up of the Strokes’ “Hard to Explain” and Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” — the ultimate, 21st Century tribute to the It rock band of the year has been an endless barrage of (mostly) unauthorized mash-ups, remixes, covers, and alternate versions. And without a doubt, this year’s chosen mashees are Spin‘s November cover boychiks MGMT. Here’s an incomplete, but still seemingly endless (25 or so) round-up, in order of my personal preference:

  • “All My Children” (MGMT vs. LCD Soundsystem), Immuzikation
    Immuzikation, a.ka. Athens, Georgia’s Alfredo P. Lapuz, Jr., is the mash-up man of the moment, and this extended massaging of LCD’s “All My Friends” (basically a mash-up of Steve Reich and New Order, anyway) with MGMT’s “Kids” is a fascinating mix of aging hipster regret and childlike hipster nostalgia. The soundtrack to a changing of the guard?(DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Nasty Feel,” MGMT vs. Justice vs. Notorious B.I.G.
    Brooklyn duo ddpesh modestly describe their music as “Daft Punk plus Premier’s beats divided by the Chemical Brothers” (um, good luck with that, fellas). But this hilariously ingenious mash-up of Biggie’s “Nasty Boy” with Justice’s remix of MGMT’s white-soul wafer “Electric Feel” gets a damn sight closer than anything they’ve ever done before. Never thought I’d hear Frank White “freekin’ these bitches like Jodeci” over the hackey-sack slow jam of the year.(DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Kids” (We Don’t Care EP version), MGMT
    The original, cheaply made version sounds like actual guileless kids stumbling into magic — the singing’s less affected, the drama less studio-enhanced, and when the vocals kick in after the electro breakdown and sound of children playing with about minute left to go, you honestly stop caring for a second what the hell they mean by a family of trees wanting to be haunted!(DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters” (AmpLive feat. Mistah F.A.B. Communication Edit), MGMT
    Bay Area DJ/producer AmpLive (of Zion-I) takes this frilly deep-album psych stroll and reinvents it entirely, hooking up a personalized rap from hyphy’s crown prince Mistah F.A.B. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “One More Time to Pretend” (MGMT vs. Daft Punk), Immuzikation
    Perhaps this mash was inevitable, but Immuzikation just nails it, allowing MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” to bubble out of Daft Punk’s disco fanfare “One More Time” like it’d always been there waiting to emerge. And the Doors outro is pure comedy genius. Thank you, and tip your doorman in sequined hot pants on the way out.(DOWNLOAD MP3)

>> Get more MGMT remixes on page 2.
>> For part one of last week’s “I Started a Joke (or Careful: MGMT at Play)” click here.

  • “Time to Listen” (DJ Topcat Remix), MGMT vs. Talib Kweli
    Oddball mix by Topcat (a.k.a., Tim Fulton, who claims to be a Navy vet of Desert Shield!), deftly juxtaposing Kweli’s forceful motivational rap from “Listen!!!” with MGMT’s sardonic rock-star babble on “Time to Pretend.” Food for thought.(DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Electric Feel My Shit” (Leif Edit), MGMT
    Koo-koo speedfreak mash-up, with Wesleyan bro Leif splicing in Rocky horns and Yo Majesty’s foul-mouthed dancefloor throwdown “Club Action.” Fuck that shit, indeed. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Kids” (Soulwax Nite Version), MGMT
    They may have never had an original idea in their lives, but nobody reworks other people’s shit better than these Brit mash-up pros, and their ecstastic, big-room-bludgeoning remix will sound like Godhead filtering up through the floor at Fabric. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Electric Feel” (Justice Remix), MGMT
    You haven’t really penetrated the international-asshole party circuit if Gaspy and Xavy haven’t done a half-assed remix of your third-best track. Thing is, this isn’t really half-assed! It’s actually glitchy and funky in equal parts. Maybe they genuinely like this song! (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Teenage Electric Lobotomy” (MGMT vs. Justice vs. the Ramones), the Illuminoids
    Somehow not as awkward and one-joke as it should be, warping the two songs together so cleverly that it sounds like MGMT are cooing their sweet little funk nothings after getting a lobotomy from Joey Ramone. The resituating of Dee Dee’s “1-2-3-4” is a nice touch. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Real Weak” (MGMT vs. Ratatat vs. Lykke Li vs. Teddy Pendergrass vs. the Clash vs. UGK), Immukization
    MGMT’s “The Handshake” drifts through a disorienting haze of barely recognizable bits from other tracks, before ending with a voicemail turntablist dis. Cool but baffling. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “The Youth” (MMMatthias Remix), MGMT
    “Kids” eats a handful of E and becomes a skipping rave nymph babbling about the absolute truth and beauty of Bob Ross’ paintings to everyone she meets. Impressively subdued, considering the circumstances. (DOWNLOAD MP3)

>> Get even more MGMT remixes on page 3.
>> Go back to the first page.

  • “Future Faberge” (AmpLive Remix), MGMT vs. Of Montreal
    Though neither really deserve it, the MGMT boys and Of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes get a nimbly quick-cut rhythmic stage from which to emote retardedly. AmpLive, you’re a far more generous man than I. (DOWNLOAD MP3)

  • “Time To Pretend” (Jorge Elbrecht Remix), MGMT
    Dude from New York rockers Violens does a sordid revamp, sucking out the silly, sarcastic fun and injecting ominous waves ofdark distortion. Maybe this is really what the inside of Andrew VanWyngarden’s mind sounds like when he takes off the scarf and goes to sleep all alone in his 4-star hotel room in Brussels, but I seriously doubt it. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Electric Feel” (Immuzikation RMX), MGMT
    Fairly straightforward, with the synth swirling and shuffling played up (as it should’ve been originally); makes you think MGMT should ditch Dave Fridmann and hire Mr. Lapuz for Album Two. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Columbian Cartel” (Immuzikation BadToThePwnBlend) MGMT + The Ting Tings
    Mashes up three Ting Tings songs you don’t like that much (“Be The One, “Keep Your Head,” “That’s Not My Name”) and two MGMT songs you don’t like that much (“4th Dimensional Transition,””Of Moons, Birds & Monsters”) so they sound like an aborted Animal Collective attempt to soundtrack MTV’s Subterranean. Kind of a transatlantic hipster nightmare, which I assume was the point. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Kids,” the Kooks
    Enjoyably strummy British lads (like Oasis crossed with the Strokes, minus the sexy/beastly attitude of either) don’t really capture the essence, but I can see it being considering for a Skins montage, perhaps deep into Season 3. (DOWNLOAD MP3)
  • “Electric Feel,” Katy Perry
    The Sarah Palin of Pop goes for mike-grabbing vocal intensity, but comes across like a hardened hockey mom sexing it up for the cheap seats. (DOWNLOAD MP3)

OTHERS:
— “Just Another Call With You” (MGMT vs. Soulwax vs. Prince vs. Chromeo vs. Afrika Bambaataa vs. Stardust), Immuzikation
— “Kids Are Your Friends” (MGMT-Justice-Pitbull Reeemix), JAPATTACK!
— “We Want Your Kids” (MGMT vs Adam Freeland), Starters
— “Short Pieces” (Wax Stag vs. MGMT), Immuzikation
— “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters” (Holy Ghost! Remix), MGMT
— “Kids” (Burntpiano’s Robo Remix), MGMT
— “Kids” (Tronik Youth Shr-Edit Remix), MGMT
— “Kids: (Tyler Fedchuk Edit), MGMT
— “Time To Pretend” (DMoeFunk Club Mix), MGMT
— “Electric Feel” (True Pseudo Remix), MGMT

>> Get the other MGMT remixes on page 1 and page 2.