The art of remixing finds its roots in the need to adapt a song to a different environment. A remix can be a way to bring a slow song in the club, or an experimental track on the airwaves of commercial radio stations. In the electronic world, a remix is often an opportunity to completely reinvent a track in an act of collaboration marked by the mutual respect of the songwriter and the remix artist. Such is the case for Mathame’s reinvention of Monolink’s recent single Sinner, in which the Giovanelli brothers took Steffen Linck’s dark techno banger and turned it into an euphoric and cinematic ode of epic proportions. We spoke with both Monolink and Mathame to get their perspective on the creation of this new release.

Provided to YouTube by Ultra Music Sinner (Mathame Remix) · Monolink Sinner ℗ Embassy One under exclusive license to Ultra Records, LLC Released on: 2020-08-...

Monolink, what inspired you to write Sinner?

Monolink : The inspiration for Sinner came from a frustration about our capitalist system. I wanted to put this into lyrics by writing a fictional goodbye letter and turn it into a darker techno track.

 How did your collaboration with Mathame come about for this remix?

Monolink : I was in Mexico City where Mathame had their Cercle show, last year, and that pulled my attention. I liked their music a lot and felt that Sinner might be the right track for them to remix due to its darker vibe. So, we reached out to them and, a few days later, they already came back with an almost finished draft of the remix.

It all went down really fast.

What were your expectations with the remix of Sinner? Did you give Mathame any directives or cues?

Monolink : What I like about Mathame’s music is its ability to strip down ideas to their very core and put that into almost cinematic soundscapes. I didn’t want to give them any direction because I knew they were gonna do exactly that to Sinner.  

Mathame, what were your first impressions when you heard Sinner?

Mathame : That I was in front of something like a "prayer", but in a very honest and sincere way, not religious, but spontaneous and with this huge core message underlining the track.   

How did you choose the direction in which to take the track?

Mathame : It was very - as I said - spontaneous. Often, the best things come like that, a very instinctive way. We have found over the years how to have very clear ideas and keep the instinctive nature during the whole process. The choice chooses us, not vice versa.

Monolink - Sinner (Edit) [Lyric Video] Out now on all platforms: https://Monolink.lnk.to/Sinner Follow: https://www.mono.link/ https://www.instagram.com/mono...

Other than the vocals, do you use other elements from the original song when you work on a remix?

Mathame : Usually no, just a few background elements that we heavily processed. We tried to give to the track a completely different vibe than the original, the track actually already had a very good one, especially on the dance floor. So, we completely rebuilt the elements, from the kicks. 

What tools and gear did you use to create the remix of Sinner? 

Mathame : We use a lot of processing on sounds and a bunch of well-known top-notch plug-ins that give us the flexibility to achieve the right sound at the right moment. We don’t stick on the same technique for every track, you know? It’s something that’s hard, but it's so worth it.

We have some secrets that we can’t reveal. But we can say we process outboard with very very very strange processing tools (Plasma for example).   

Back to you, Monolink. Where were you when you heard the remix? What were your first impressions?

Monolink : I’m not sure, but I think I was back in Berlin, in my studio, when I heard the remix. My first impressions were that they really took the song into an apocalyptic synth scenario, which I really liked. It took me a few times listening to it, to get used to the new phrasing of the vocals, because I was so used to the way I sang it and the way I knew the song.

But now I love that they did exactly that to the track.

In your respective opinions, what’s the role of a remix?

Monolink : Everybody sees this differently, but in my opinion, a remix is like painting a new picture with the color palette of an original. A remix should put elements into a new context, quote ideas but not copy them. A remix should be the artistic expression of the remixer.

Mathame : We live in an era where everything is a remix of a remix of a remix of a remix. So, the thing for us is that a remix is a chance to rebirth an idea, in a completely different context. From the perspective of the music industry and the consumer, a good remix is something that gives the right soundscape to an idea within a precise context becoming a truly original piece, more like a collaboration or a featuring track.