Remixes

The mix (and remix) remains central to the book’s approach, so it only made sense to include some remix here too.

The DJ is the one who notices sound—digging in the crates and archives—and, through remix, opens space for previously unheard or dormant voices. Below, you’ll find remixes of the book, as well as a space where you can create your own remix.

Content

Book Remixes

Create a Remix

Book Remixes

Given that the book employs a DJ methodology—mixing poetry, theory, music, and other forms into a literary sonic blend—I wanted my readings and performances at the launches to reflect that approach, amplifying the power of Black voice and song. A typical scholarly book launch includes a short excerpt followed by a book signing, but I wanted to remix that format—just as I did with the book itself. You can hear these live versions, mixed and mashed, here.

I also wanted to create new recordings from some of those performances, starting with two tracks. The first is titled “Soundin’ Freedom.” This piece remixes Oscar Peterson’s moving “Hymn to Freedom,” layering in vocal samples on the theme of “freedom” and featuring Meg Watkins on the chorus. The track reworks key ideas introduced in the book’s Overture. You can hear the mix below.

The second track, titled “Kind of Blue in Green” (for GEC), remixes Miles Davis’s “Blue in Green” and provides a poetic riffing/reading of George Elliott Clarke’s “Bluing Green.” It opens with a sample of Miles Davis speaking about music as style, and later features two recordings of George Elliott Clarke. The first is Clarke reading his poem, “Antiphony,” which I recorded in 2015 in Nanaimo, when he was VIU’s Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet. The second is a clip about the importance of homage and tradition, taken from a reading and interview I conducted with Clarke in 2012.

All tracks produced, mixed, and mastered by Paul db Watkins

Create a Remix

Step into the Booth

Here’s your chance to step into the role of DJ—albeit in a simplified way. Below, you’ll find the instrumental track for “Soundin’ Freedom,” a remix of Oscar Peterson’s “Hymn to Freedom” (referenced above).

While I originally hoped to separate the individual parts—piano, bass, drums, trumpet, and so on—WordPress limitations made it impossible to align them precisely. That said, I’ve pulled out several elements and layered in a few new sounds, all anchored by a central backing rhythm (main instrumental).

You’ll also find vocal samples from both the verse and chorus, added as separate tracks to give you room to experiment. Below that is the main vocal (my full verse), along with additional sampled sections from the verse and chorus so you can play with variations.

Further down, there’s acapella audio from George Elliott Clarke (a full-length version—start it right away to align—and a shorter sample) and samples from two of Wayde Compton’s poems, recorded during the Victoria book launch reading.

Below that there’s even more samples, and I’ll be adding more to expand your remixing possibilities. For now, dive in, explore a few combinations, and see what you can create.

Note: You can adjust the volume and speed—for instance, you might lower the volume of the main instrumental and then go through each sample to create your own mix with some samples at different volumes or speeds.