Sound recording in pop art: differencing the «remake» and «remix» musical versions
Authors: Kocherzhuk D.V. 
Published: July 2019

Background. Contemporary audio art in search of new sound design, as well as the artists working in the field of music show business, in an attempt to draw attention to the already well-known musical works, often turn to the forms of “remake” or “remix”. However, there are certain disagreements in the understanding of these terms by artists, vocalists, producers and professional sound engineer team. Therefore, it becomes relevant to clarify the concepts of “remake” and “remix” and designate the key differences between these musical phenomena. The article contains reasoned, from the point of view of art criticism, positions concerning the misunderstanding of the terms “remake” and “remix”, which are wide used in the circles of the media industry. The objective of the article is to explore the key differences between the principles of processing borrowed musical material, such as “remix” and “remake” in contemporary popular music, in particular, in recording studios. Research methodology. In the course of the study two concepts – «remake» and «remix» – were under consideration and comparison, on practical examples of some works of famous pop vocalists from Ukraine and abroad. So, the research methodology includes the methods of analysis for consideration of the examples from the Ukrainian, Russian and world show business and the existing definitions of the concepts “remake” and “remix”; as well as comparison, checking, coordination of the latter; formalization and generalization of data in getting the results of our study. The modern strategies of the «remake» invariance development in the work of musicians are taken in account; also, the latest trends in the creation of versions of «remix» by world class artists and performers of contemporary Ukrainian pop music are reflected. The results of the study. The research results reveal the significance of terminology pair «remix» and «remake» in the activities of the pop singer. It found that the differences of two similar in importance terms not all artists in the music industry understand. The article analyzes the main scientific works of specialists in the audiovisual and musical arts, in philosophical and sociological areas, which addressed this issue in the structure of music, such as the studies by V. Tormakhova, V. Otkydach, V. Myslavskyi, I. Tarasova, Yu. Koliadych, L. Zdorovenko and several others, and on this basis the essence of the concepts “remake” and “remix” reveals. The phenomenon of the “remake” is described in detail in the dictionary of V. Mislavsky [5], where the author separately outlined the concept of “remake” not only in musical art, but also in the film industry and the structure of video games. The researcher I. Tarasovа also notes the term “remake” in connection with the problem of protection of intellectual property and the certification of the copyright of the performer and the composer who made the original version of the work [13]. At the same time, the term “remix” in musical science has not yet found a precise definition. In contemporary youth pop culture, the principle of variation of someone else’s musical material called “remix” is associated with club dance music, the principle of “remake” – with the interpretation of “another’s” music work by other artist-singers. “Remake” is a new version or interpretation of a previously published work [5: 31]. Also close to the concept of “remake” the term “cover version” is, which is now even more often uses in the field of modern pop music. This is a repetition of the storyline laid down by the author or performer of the original version, however, in his own interpretation of another artist, while the texture and structure of the work are preserving. A. M. Tormakhova deciphered the term “remake” as a wide spectrum of changes in the musical material associated with the repetition of plot themes and techniques [14: 8]. In a general sense, “a wide spectrum of changes” is not only the technical and emotional interpretation of the work, including the changes made by the performer in style, tempo, rhythm, tessitura, but also it is an aspect of composing activity. For a composer this is an expression of creative thinking, the embodiment of his own vision in the ways of arrangement of material. For a sound director and a sound engineer, a “remix” means the working with computer programs, saturating music with sound effects; for a producer and media corporations it is a business. “Remake” is a rather controversial phenomenon in the music world. On the one hand, it is training for beginners in the field of art; on the other hand, the use of someone else’s musical material in the work can neighbor on plagiarism and provoke the occurrence of certain conflict situations between artists. From the point of view of show business, “remake” is only a method for remind of a piece to the public for the purpose of its commercial use, no matter who the song performed. Basically, an agreement concludes between the artists on the transfer or contiguity of copyright and the right to perform the work for profit. For example, the song “Diva” by F. Kirkorov is a “remake” of the work borrowed from another performer, the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 – Dana International [17; 20], which is reflected in the relevant agreement on the commercial use of musical material. Remix as a music product is created using computer equipment or the Live Looping music platform due to the processing of the original by introducing various sound effects into the initial track. Interest in this principle of material processing arose in the 80s of the XXth century, when dance, club and DJ music entered into mass use [18]. As a remix, one can considers a single piece of music taken as the main component, which is complemented in sequence by the components of the DJ profile. It can be various samples, the changing of the speed of sounding, the tonality of the work, the “mutation” of the soloist’s voice, the saturation of the voice with effects to achieve a uniform musical ensemble. To the development of such a phenomenon as a “remix” the commercial activities of entertainment facilities (clubs, concert venues, etc.) contributes. The remix principle is connected with the renewal of the musical “hit”, whose popularity gradually decreased, and the rotation during the broadcast of the work did not gain a certain number of listeners. Conclusions. The musical art of the 21st century is full of new experimental and creative phenomena. The process of birth of modified forms of pop works deserves constant attention not only from the representatives of the industry of show business and audiovisual products, but also from scientists-musicologists. Such popular musical phenomena as “remix” and “remake” have a number of differences. So, a “remix” is a technical form of interpreting a piece of music with the help of computer processing of both instrumental parts and voices; it associated with the introduction of new, often very heterogeneous, elements, with tempo changes. A musical product created according to this principle is intended for listeners of “club music” and is not related to the studio work of the performer. The main feature of the “remake”is the presence of studio work of the sound engineer, composer and vocalist; this work is aimed at modernizing the character of the song, which differs from the original version. The texture of the original composition, in the base, should be preserved, but it can be saturated with new sound elements, the vocal line and harmony can be partially changed according to interpreter’s own scheme. The introduction of the scientific definitions of these terms into a common base of musical concepts and the further in-depth study of all theoretical and practical components behind them will contribute to the correct orientation in terminology among the scientific workers of the artistic sphere and actorsvocalists.