There comes a time when the caffeine ceases to stimulate and the nicotine fails to rejuvenate. That’s when the remix artists behind Lance Herbstrong decided to take matters in their own hands – meth for breakfast.
Not literally. But an album by the same name has a lot to live up to. “Meth Breakfast” remixes classic hits by the likes of Eric Clapton, Beastie Boys, Joan Jett, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Billy Squire and Black Sabbath to name a few. Lance Herbstrong has even managed to do a cool remix of “Electric Avenue.”
The album features songs that at times qualify as remixes and in other cases could classify as dance hits with clever sampling techniques. What’s the difference? Listen to this album, and you’ll find out. What preserves not only the album’s audibility, but the artists’ credibility is a demonstrated ability to sample well and use it to enhance a dance track. Some samples even have songs built around them for full effect. When that happens, Lance Herbstrong doesn’t just remix – they rebirth a classic hit into something that borders on musical genius.
Never tell a musician they’re a genius – it’ll go to their head.
The least amount of work seems to have been put into Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher.” But with that less heavy approach, it allows for some come-down from the prior songs. The majority of the original song has been preserved with a dance groove applied at key points. Even when the comparing this softer approach with this track, the other 14 on the album are still enjoyable for their source material as well as in their new dimension.
“Meth Breakfast” is great for jamming in the car in the morning, for use late at night to keep the energy level up, dishing out for friends or blasting at the club. One of the biggest impressions left with the listener after hearing the album is that the source material was treated with respect and brought to at least an equal level in its remixed form. The original songs weren’t stripped and then trashed as can happen with someone who simply remixes for the sake of remixing.
Check it out at the group’s website, LanceHerbStrong.com. This and “Tokelahoma” are available for free download. Whereas “Meth Breakfast” is high energy, “Tokelahoma” has the same energy as the drug of choice to which the album name refers. “Tokelahoma” is 13 tracks with some more sampling added, thus continuing the remix theme. But less original music is used, and Lance Herbstrong uses more bass beats. And there’s definitely more reggae and old school hip-hop rhythms in comparison to “Meth Breakfast’s” high-energy pulse.
Think of Lance Herbstrong as having “Meth Breakfast” the night before and “Tokelahoma” the next morning when everyone’s coming out of the post-party fog.
Seriously, who needs drugs when you’ve got great music like this?
