There are tons of great remix and mash-up mixtapes on the Internet these days. Some of them get lost, never making it pass 100 views on YouTube. Some of them get passed around twitter and tumblr more than pictures of boobs. Either way, if you spend enough time online you can find some great remixes of classic songs and albums from your favorite artist.
I found a mash-up mixtape of two of my favorite artist a couple years ago, Jay-z and Radiohead. Jaydiohead is the brainchild of NY based producer and DJ, Max Tannone. Max has become pretty well known for his work, being recognized by Mos Def and Talib Kweli for his Mos Dub and Dub Kweli projects.
This summer I met up with Max in Soho to talk about his latest project, Ghostfunk. I rushed to a crowded Starbucks on Spring St and found him sitting at a small round coffee table in the corner with his MacBook open. Once I realized we weren’t going to find a quieter or more spacious area, I sat down and we began talking. We talked about everything from some music I sent him on twitter to his day at work. A comment about Hip Hop artist having characters and being animated in their lyrics led us to his newest project, Ghostfunk.
Ghostfunk is a mixtape complete with lyrics from Ghostface Killah over African Funk samples. “I like Ghost cause he’s such a character,” Max said about his favorite Wu Tang member. “Remember when he was rocking the eagle and Jason mask.” Ghostface’s energetic nature is definitely evident on this mixtape accompanied with spaced-out guitar riffs and chords, funk horns, and 70’s drum patterns.
The first track Max worked on was “Psychedelic Woman;” though it’s the 8th track on the tape, it sets the tone for the entire project. Each track is just as psychedelic and funky yet still has the gritty sound that Ghostface is known for.
“I don’t expect anyone to check out so if anyone does, it’s a bonus for me.” Max is extremely modest about the attention he’s been getting from his work. I recently found a copy of Ghostfunk in criminal records in Atlanta on vinyl for sell, even though the project was originally released online for free. Besides that, his Jaydiohead project is getting one of the most talked about Jay-z remix mixtapes out. “Just to have someone listen and give their opinion,” Max explains what he gets out of doing music, “ I do it just because I like it.” He described his motive behind the Ghostfunk tape as being the simple fact that there’s tons of Wu Tang a capellas online and just being in the mood to do it.
Though Max Tannone is extremely talented and dedicated to his music, he still is a regular guy. He wakes up and goes to work everyday. He doesn’t hype himself up or expect people to know who he is. He sat, listened, and gave positive feedback on my music as if he didn’t just come back from DJing a show in San Francisco and doesn’t have his music in New York Times magazine. He’s more than modest. He does what he does because he sincerely likes to do it. He claims that he’s still trying to develop his sound, but music seems to come naturally to him. He says he doesn’t know when or what his next project will be, but be on the lookout for more work from Max Tannone. You can find his work at www.maxtannone.com
