The next remix contest is upon us with the arrival of Blake Jarrell's 'Okoboji', an epic eleven minute breakbeat opus that marks this young New Orleaner's break out track and the fourth single on Proton Music to have its very own remix competition. Ableton sponsors with their insanely popular Live 5 production and DJ software, championed by superstar DJs such as Sasha and James Zabiela while Beatport contributes a hefty bag of free of tracks to promote the launch of their new gift certificates!
In addition to receiving the aformentioned prizes, the winning remix will be signed and released on Proton Music--- perhaps the biggest prize of all, as all previous contest champions have gone on to grace numerous DJ sets, top mp3 sales charts, and go on to receive additional recording contracts & commissioned remixes with some of the scene's biggest labels. Winning this contest will get you noticed-- and then some.
We're looking for all types of remixes here-- not just progressive or breaks. Go big or minimal-- add vocals, write melodies, and introduce your own instrumentals. Guitar riffs? Live drums? Don't just put the parts together, get creative! For an idea of what we're looking for, feel free to check out previous contest results in our Fingerpaint, Abbreviated Funk, and Lost in the Moment competitions. The deadline for remixes is FEBRUARY 9th, 2006.
The Original Mix
(click here for a sample) Okoboji. A picturesque resort town hidden in the vast corn fields of Iowa. A place where wealthy midwesterners choose to spend their summers boating socializing and relaxing on the beautiful glacial carved lakes and scenic landscapes. But also a place shrouded in a dark mysterious history. As a result of conflicts between early settlers and the native Sioux indians in 1857, chief Inkpaduta led his band to kill 38 settlers in revenge of his brother's death. This horrendous event became the most notorious crime in Iowa's history and will be forever known as the Spirit Lake Massacre.
Blake's visit to breathtaking Okoboji in the summer of 2004 awakened his love of nature as he spent days out on the docks and nights under the stars which were invisible to him in the light pollution of New Orleans. But his wonderment with its beauty was soon leveled when he was told the story of the Spirit Lake massacre. In his lastest effort "Okoboji", Blake tries to capture the stark contrast of the modern wonders of technology lining the landscape of Okoboji today versus its primal native root-- along with its eyeful of natural beauty versus its shocking, violent past.
Opencloud 'Big Chief' Mix
(click here for a sample)
In the last five months, Opencloud has risen to become the most prominent artist on the Proton Music roster following their Welcome Back to Earth remix of 'Fingerpaint' and contest winning Funkspell remix of 'Abbreviated Funk'. It goes to show that winning our contests can have big results-- since then Opencloud have released the 4-track Life EP and been signed to Pacific Front, Infusion's Music for Vinyl, Arabica, and more.
3) All entrants must ensure that any samples used in their remix are the supplied audio samples, their own creations, or copyright free.
4) The winner will be required to submit a high quality audio copy or data copy of their remix in .wav or .aiff format, but we ask that all remixesr intially only submit high quality mp3s!
5) One grand prize winner will be selected by the Proton crew. This winner will receive Ableton Live 5.0, a Beatport gift certificate and a full release on the Proton Music label. Additional remixes are subject to release on the Proton Music label only with permission from the remixer. All released remixes will be signed to the Proton Music label and remixers will receive a majority royalty (50% or more of the artists share) on all copies sold.
6) All submitted remixes become property of Proton LLC until the official announcement of the winner. A remix will become disqualified if it is found as a single or in a mix on a downloading network (Soulseek, KaZaa, etc) or played in a DJ set by an artist other than the original remixer. A remixer is allowed to use their own remix in their own DJ sets. However, under no circumstances, can such sets be sold, offered for download, or distributed in anyway without being subject to disqualification. After the winner is announced, remixes can be distributed freely or played at the remixer's discretion. Under no circumstances is a remix to be sold by any party other than Proton LLC.
7) By downloading the supplied audio samples, contestants agree to abide by all contest rules.
Contestants are required to send us an email with a valid email address containing their artist name, title of their remix, and country of origin. Submissions can be sent via the following methods:
Proton Radio
11903 Coit Road #906T Dallas TX 75251
NOTE: Uploading via FTP requires an FTP Client. We recommend FlashFXP for Windows or Transmit for OSX. If you need help, contact us.
QUESTIONS? If you have a question about anything related to this remix contest, please don't hesitate to contact us. Please refrain from asking for individual feedback on your remixes, we receive too many to do so.
Help promote the release & remix contest and grab various banners and icons for 'Okoboji' to slap on your website, desktop, or forums! Click here to download.
The remix pack is provided in a zip archive and contains a whopping 42 samples of the original track!
BLAKE JARRELL New Orleans native Blake Jarrell is one of the few artists to have had the privilege of working with Starkid (aka Adam Spears) before his tragic death in 2004. Together, Blake and Adam created the haunting 'Apricot' for 3BeatBreaks and a remix of 33Rev for Loöq records.
Lately his solo productions and co-productions with the up-and-coming Jeff Devas have been championed by some of the biggest names in progressive electronic music, such as Sasha, Hernan Cattaneo, Luke Chable, DJ Hyper, Ashley Casselle, Habersham and Kosmas Epsilon among others.
Blake's music won him a full scholarship to the Loyolla school of music, where he is now a Music Industry Studies student. Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, Blake decided to make the move to Chicago where he now works with PUREFUTURE and is busy with several productions and remix projects.
Ableton Live 5.0 is the only solution designed for each stage of the musical process, from creation to production to performance. In the creative stage, Live is transparent, intuitive and responsive, capturing inspiration and encouraging the flow of musical ideas.
During production, Live provides all of the professional tools and studio compatibility required to complete and perfect projects.
On stage, Live delivers the expressive control and stability that innumerable performing artists have come to rely on. Live 5 — from inspiration to studio to stage. Create. Produce. Perform.
Beatport has recently launched gift certificates for their store! The winner of this remix contest will receive a hefty coupon to pick out a bunch of free tracks of their choice.
Ableton develops modern software technology to inspire creative people. Since the company started in 1999, more than thirty-five developers and business professionals have joined Ableton — many of them active musicians or DJs. The company has received outstanding press, awards and customer feedback since the unveiling of Live in October 2001.
Beatport is the first authentic digital music site designed to service the evolution of the digital music culture, redifining how DJ's and enthusiasts acquire their music.
