In the ever-evolving world of music, the Canadian musical outfit, Deadbeat Superheroes, is making waves with their Edmonton EP, now remixed as “Edmonton (Redux)” by the enigmatic artist HORNETS! This exclusive interview delves into their collaboration and the journey of Deadbeat Superheroes as they mark their 13th year in the industry.
Could you tell us more about the origins of the collaboration between Deadbeat Superheroes and HORNETS! on the “Edmonton (Redux)” remix? What inspired this partnership?
DBS and HORNETS! became acquainted in the early 2010’s in the Toronto music scene. They’ve been following each other’s work for the past 10 years or so, and after HORNETS! heard the Edmonton EP, they really wanted to put a stamp on it. So, the mutual appreciation of each other’s work came into play here.
Deadbeat Superheroes is about to celebrate its 13th year in the music scene. How has the band evolved and adapted over the years, and what does this milestone mean to you?
The band has gone through a lot of iterations – from acoustic trio to full-on rock band – to being infiltrated by the blips and bleeps of HORNETS! What does that mean? When HORNETS! mixes your s**t, you’ve arrived; somewhere.
“Edmonton (Redux)” carries its own distinct identity while staying true to the original tracks. Could you share some insights into the creative process behind this remix and the key elements that set it apart?
As a pop/rock record, the Edmonton EP is about the melodic elements … Julie’s voice, Marek’s keyboards, MT’s guitars … but the voice stands out. The remixes utilizes those melodic sensibilities to build on and recreate, electronically. Just fuck them up a bit. Parts that were highlighted in analog on the original EP, have been adopted, morphed, and recreated.
Can you shed light on the role of Marek David, the veteran engineer, in the production of the original Edmonton EP? How did his work influence the project, and how does it connect to the remix by HORNETS?
His role, aside from instilling fear, was to arrange the songs in a way that had more pop sensibilities – that made them more cohesive as a four-song package – he played a large role in defining the sound, as we all sent in our performances by email – and then he created the final arrangement and production from those.
Regarding HORNETS!, they took the original stems and worked with those – essentially devoid of any influence by Marek.
The EP was mastered by Peter Letros at Wreckhouse Mastering in Toronto. How did this final touch affect the overall sound and quality of “Edmonton (Redux)” and Deadbeat Superheroes’ music in general?
From HORNETS!’s perspective – Peter added a clarity to the top end. These tracks would have been really hard to master because of the amount of low-end (sub) that’s not as common in a typical pop record. There’s so much going on – that it must have been a challenge to master; no pun intended.
One piece to consider is that our previous EP had too much high-end on it – and when Marek recommended Peter to master the original Edmonton EP, we loved how it sat in just about any output (car stereo, studio monitors, earbuds, you name it).
Peter has also mastered a massive amount of music in Canada over the years, as he is the former Chief Mastering Engineer at Sony Music Canada, so it’s a proud thing for us to be part of that pedigree.
Find Out more about the Deadbeat Superheroes here.
Find Out more about the Deadbeat Superheroes here.
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