Renowned remixer and producer Pocket is unveiling his most ambitious and exciting project yet, the first installment of which is out today— a full-length’s worth of singles featuring a stunning lineup of both legacy musicians and newer artists, all of which will be released digitally and individually throughout 2009. Pocket’s new and improved website, www.music-by-pocket.com, is launching today, and stems for each remix will be posted on the Pocket site for download for one month only.
The first installment, “Surround Him With Love” featuring legendary Soft Boys singer/guitarist Robyn Hitchcock, is out TODAY! Pocket & Robyn Hitchcock’s “Surround Him With Love” single is to be released not only as an original version, but as three additional remixes: KKS’ Space Disco Remix, the Somnambulists Remix, and The Stealth Remix. As part of the five-song single pack, Pocket is also releasing b-side “Let Her Close Her Eyes”, featuring musician/comedienne Shonali Bhowmik (Tigers and Monkeys).
This succession of Pocket singles will feature an impressive and diverse collection of remixers, including Craig Wedren (Shudder To Think), Slim Moon (Kill Rock Stars, Shot Clock Management, Slim Moon and What Army), Markese, Rick Moody (novelist), David Fischoff (Secretly Canadian), Ming (Ming + FS), Beatallica, Kendall (Mascott), Alien Skin (George from Real Life), Glenn Mercer (The Feelies), Mux (Ghostly), Elk City, The Wrens and more, to be announced soon..
Contributing artists aside from Robyn Hitchcock and Shonali Bhowmik include Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think), Dave Smalley (Down By Law), Yuki Chikudate (Asobi Sesku), Mark Burgess, Steve Kilbey (The Church), Lorraine Lelis, Tanya Donelly (Belly), Sal Principato and Danny Seim (Menomena).
As the principal creative mind behind the NYC-based electro-pop band Burnside Project (Bar-None Records), Richard Jankovich (aka Pocket) is not just well-versed in pop music production—he’s quickly become one of the most celebrated remixers today. As Pocket, Jankovich has done remixes for Beck, Radiohead, Kristin Hersh, Of Montreal, Elk City, Joanna Newsom, Mendoza Line, Dirty on Purpose, Eskobar and many others, always to critical acclaim (“We've always been fans, but this is the deepest Pocket's gone yet. Outstanding.”—Stereogum, “Where Radiohead's version builds from spare beginnings (little more than Thom Yorke's voice and keyboards), Jankovich lets droning tendrils of noise poke into all that space, setting a thumping beat beneath.”--Pitchfork).
In a time where music is revisiting the concept of playing with projects that feature groups of disparate artists, often to great or horrible effect (from Bowie + Jagger + Bing Crosby in ‘85, Run DMC + Aerosmith in ’86, Celine Dion and R.Kelly in ’02—yes, that happened—and, more recently, N.A.S.A., or Timbaland + Cornell), Pocket gets it RIGHT. Through this collection of singles, not only does he prove once again to be one of the most gifted and imaginative remixers and producers around, but he demonstrates how different artists’ work can be linked together seamlessly, lit differently, angled freshly.
After 10 years of making music in New York, Jankovich recently relocated to Los Angeles.
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