features

	3/11/2003
	Sam Clode

 Liow is currently one-ninth of Melbourne band Incredible DeadGoons, and has spent the last 13 years studying music and learning jazz and improvisation, primarily on the piano. "I enjoy making music that's unrestricted, even if it doesn't mean or sound like anything," he says.

This is what Frenzal guitarist Lindsay McDougall had to say about the entries:

"As one quarter of Frenzal Rhomb, I would like to congratulate all those entries in the Triple J/noise remix competition, of our song, 'Looking Good'. I would like to, but can't, because almost all of the entries were absolute crap. There were four finalists, and one the shone above the others. To the three losers, and I use that term literally and as a personal insult, you musn't feel hard done by. We could have gone either way with you all. At one point we were voting for the "turgid 10 minute long dirge" remix purely for the comedic value of JJJ then having to play it in full, but then we realised that they play Radiohead songs and so it would be nothing new to them. We also enjoyed hearing the wah effect on the mandolin part, and the looping of Tom's bassline in the bridge over and over again was 'funky', at least for the first coupla minutes. But there can only be one winner, and to the successful entrant, well done. You've managed to take our country-by-numbers ode to immorality and turn it into an upbeat night at the local jazz club, complete with shiny brass and that elusive dominant 7th with the sharpened 3rd. Always a hit with the music critics. My only regret was your robbing the song of the guitar solo, but that's purely from the point of view of a wanker guitarist. In conclusion, it's often said that you can't polish a turd, but at least you've all proven that you can end up covered in shit."

Here's what Nathan had to say to noise:

Tell us about your idea for the "Looking Good" remix�
I wanted mainly to make it darker, and really groove � I definitely had a jazzy direction in mind, and there were some cool rock licks in the guitar part which I just had to use. I initially imagined this sounding more organic, like a real band, so I knew I'd have to get most of the stuff performed in its entirety, rather than programming it or using loops. But there was a lot of inspiration to bring in other, more interesting sounds, so I didn't avoid the electronic aspect entirely.

How did you put the whole thing together?
I started by sitting at the piano and working out some new chords and harmonies, then programmed the drums and did double bass part using my midi keyboard. Once I  laid down the piano, organ, and cut up the guitar, the basis was all there. I added some electronic elements on top of that, and finished up by getting my friend Joel Williamson to play trumpet, and I put down some sax parts as well.

Why did you pick the Frenzal Rhomb track to remix?
When I listened to the guitar part I knew I could use a few things from there, and the vocal melody was quite simple but really interesting as well, and I thought I could work that on top of different chords. I'd much rather work with an entire song: a full melody, and where each members own style can be heard when the tracks are isolated. You can draw more inspiration that way. I wasn't too keen to work with just samples, and the "Pigeon Song" wasn't exactly my shining temple of inspiration.

What was the most challenging thing about remixing Frenzal - the lyrics, music...?
I would have to say the most challenging thing was trying to make Jay's sharp vocal style fit in with this dark jazz thing I was doing. they were like polar opposites. In the end, instead of trying to dress up his vocals in a heap of FX, they worked best when left almost dry.