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Favorite ThisGrid Division premieres contest-winning remix for ill.Gates & KJ Sawka

Published: March 10, 2016

By: Anand Harsh

Grid DivisionWe made some bold choices for The Untz Festival, but it feels good to be vindicated by two of the most brilliant minds in the bass music scene.

Feels real good.

When producer extraordinaire ill.Gates got together with drumming machine KJ Sawka last year for the live MIDI-fighting battle that toured the country, one of the coolest things that came out of that combo was the Unsung Heroes EP, which was released on KJ's own IMPOSSIBLE RECORDS. That in turn sparked the remix contest for the track, which drew more than 500 entries, and doled out thousands of dollars worth of prizes. From that mad pile of remixes, some incredible gems rose to the surface.

From that remix competition, Dylan and KJ were able to cull 10 finalists for a brand new Best of the Unsung Heroes Remix Contest LP. With a diverse array of sounds ranging from raging bass to hook-laden drumstep, there are plenty of hot remixes from relatively unknown acts. That always makes us smile to see so many newcomers get some well-deserved attention.

The Untz Festival Phase 3That being said, the winner winner chicken dinner remix came from an act very near and dear to our hearts: Grid Division. Oakland's Noah Killeen has been on our radar for a minute, producing some of the funkiest glitch-hop we've ever heard. His Adapted Records EP, Groove Patrol, which we debuted back in January, is already one of our favorite releases of the year. Just a month prior, we unveiled Killeen as one of the acts on our inaugural festival, and we couldn't be happier he's getting some attention from esteemed members of the community.

The Grid Division remix of "Unsung Heroes" is a farflung outlier from the rest of the LP. Eschewing heavy bass drops in favor of lightly chopped and screwed glitch patterns, he even breaks the remix up into two different tempo sections, making it more of a suite than a remix. Funky, fresh, and totally different, there's no telling where it'll go next, even adding in crazy vocal flavors and trappy elements.

It's funny that this reworking reminds us of Mr. Bill, because not only is he one of the most technical minds in the game, but KJ Sawka is about to embark on a tour this month as Bill Day's live drummer. And guess who else is on The Untz Festival? Mr.-freaking-Bill! It's all coming together! Grab this remix pack when it drops (again on IMPOSSIBLE) on March 15.

Pre-order Best of the Unsung Heroes Remix Contest from IMPOSSIBLE RECORDS!



Tags: DubstepGlitchTrap