If I were to describe the outlandish hip-hop art project that is Death Grips in one word, especially to someone who may be expecting, well... hip-hop, I'd probably use the term unconventional. Before becoming an overnight internet sensation, blowing up on media sites like Pitchfork and YouTube review channels like The Needle Drop, Death Grips released a groundbreaking album titled Ex Military early on in 2011. The debut featured a lunatic known as MC Ride (Stefan Burnett) spitting some twisted and head-scratching rhymes overtop of some equally dark and twisted beats from the minds of drummer Zach Hill (who's own impressive back catalogue is well-revered by critics) and producer Andy "Flatliner" Morin. But with their latest couple of releases, Death Grips (who recently announced their disbandment) have become a bit predictably unpredictable. Which is why a remix album like 42Ghosts' Triple Ex Military is so exciting to listen to.
There is no shortage of remixed Death Grips material, and much of it attempts to "out-weird" the group themselves. Take the Much Love Deep Web series of mash-ups that paired MC Ride's aggressive rap with the musical stylings of artists like Marvin Gaye or Elton John. But if we're being honest with ourselves, as funny as these artists may sound overtop of one another, mashups like these are pretty difficult to enjoy. This makes Triple Ex Military something remarkable: a Death Grips remix that doesn't suck, isn't ironic, and is something with a completely original sound of its own. Essentially, what 42Ghosts have done with select tracks from the original Ex Military is chop up, splice, speed up and slow down MC Ride's vocals overtop of some fantastic and (surprise!) highly conventional hip-hop beats.
The most important thing that 42Ghosts do in re- configuring Ex Military is that they treat MC Ride's vocals as any other instrument or sound to be sampled on the album. On this remix, Ride is even less intelligible than normal with his voice being sped up and chopped up to match some very groove-oriented beats. The track Blood Creepin takes Ride's wailing "Ohh woah-oo-whoa-oo-whoa!"(and not much else) from the original song, and mixes it over a classic organ piano sample to become one of the catchiest hooks on the album. Other mind-blowing tracks include Klink, a wobbly off-kilter bass line with a creepy vibe that couldn't sound more different from the original track. Takyon is another song that made me do a double take, I had to go back and listen to the original track again and pair it against the remix just to make sure I was hearing the same song. Culture Shock, Spread Eagle Across the Block and I Want It I Need It also get a grimy boom-bap makeover that turns them into entirely new and original songs with value that goes beyond simply being Death Grips remixes.
Triple Ex Military is by far the best Death Grips remix I have heard so far. It's a perfect album for whenever you're tired out from Death Grips' pure experimental energy and just want to bump to something you can easily nod your head to. 42Ghosts have taken Death Grips' unclassifiable and innovative sound and appropriated it for their own means, which really makes this more of their own project. Much like when I listen to a cover song, I hope for a new and different take on a familiar song. I don't want to hear someone do their most accurate impression of the artist they're covering or I'd go to the nearest karaoke bar. 42Ghosts take ownership of Triple Ex Military, and the result is something fresh.
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