Em português, Antologia significa "coleção de trabalhos notáveis".
HOLIDAY SHARE orgulhosamente apresenta DONNY O'BRYAN ANTHOLOGY, lançamento exclusivo e histórico.
Notável é a história de Donny O'Bryan, remixer ultra conhecido e querido no mundo madônnico.
Notável é sua carreira de remixer que anda quase de mãos dadas à carreira de Madonna. Enquanto Madonna tem 40 anos de carreira, Donny tem 35 anos oficiais mas suas primeiras experiências em remixar começou cerca de dois anos antes. Suas primeiras experiências foram realizadas com fitas cassetes, algo que hoje não podemos imaginar como era possível!
Notável é seu objetivo de remixar cada música de Madonna e o objetivo está quase concluído. Donny também é conhecido por suas produções para outros artistas também.
Notável é saber que uma das produções mais antigas de Donny está em Anthology, Lucky Star (Donny's Feeling Lucky).
Notável é o número de remixes em Anthology! São 17 CDs contendo mais de 300 remixes de Donny e seus pseudônimos igualmente famosos: Chillerz, Retrosonic, Opus, Power, Christian C entre outros. A grande maioria desses remixes, todos em seu formato Radio Edit são inéditos e indicados com um * em cada arte. Dias atrás um remix inédito foi liberado para fazer parte do single Think Of Me (Donny's Remixes).
Notável é a produção de Anthology, remixes selecionados, produzidos e re-mixados por Donny, Produção executiva de Inco e seus 15 anos de apoio à Madonna e aos remixers e o talento criativo de Will Tait que mais uma vez produziu uma arte completa para esse super lançamento.
Como não definir Anthology como notável?
Após entenderem a proposta desse lançamento, leiam a entrevista exclusiva com Donny. Os links para os CDs e arte completa se encontram no final do post.
INTERVIEW WITH DONNY O’BRYAN
In conjunction with the release of his Complete Madonna Anthology
By HolidayShare creator, Inco
INCO: I’m happy to have this release from you, Donny. 308 tracks spanning 35 years of remixing. That’s quite a legendary achievement. But didn’t you say you’ve been remixing since 1985? That would make it 37 years.
DONNY: Well, technically, yes. The stuff from 1985 and 1986 have been lost over time, hiding away in storage within a box of unmarked cassette tapes. I have yet to explore those tapes, so the earliest mixes I could find were from 1987. So this anthology captures the 35 years from 1987 to 2022. One day, if ever I find the free time, I will dig out those tapes and see what gems I have hiding there. I can’t believe that are very good though. As with any trade, you start off bad and get better over time.
I: What were those missing mixes exactly?
D: They were not remixes as we know remixes these days. They were more “extended” versions of the album. Back then, I called those mixes “Beat2Beat” mixes. Any Beat2Beat mixes that appear on this anthology are from the early days, the beginning. Other Beat2Beat mixes are on those cassettes.
I: That’s interesting. I was just about to ask you what the oldest track was on the anthology.
D: Probably “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” Beat2Beat mix. I used cassette editing (with the use of a pause button on the tape deck) from the start…all the way until the late ‘90s when I finally got a computer. Then I explored more styles of mixing.
I: What was your first mix made on a computer?
D: It was “Lucky Star” (Donny’s Feeling Lucky Mix). At that time, I was finally getting into the groove, as Madonna would say, at mixing on computer. I had a dream to mix every Madonna song she ever made. So I started mixing each album in order. That puts Lucky Star as the first remix I made on computer.
I: Every song! That will take a very long time.
D: I know. But it is a passion. Ever since I discovered remixing.
I: How did you discover remixing? Or, more specifically, how did you know you wanted to remix?
D: I started going to dance clubs in 1984. That’s when I heard extended versions of dance songs. It was strange to hear after hearing on the album versions. I bought twelve-inch records and found myself fascinated with the idea of “different” versions. By 1985, I knew it was something I wanted to try out. So I started editing songs. And not just Madonna. I did Pet Shop Boys, Dead or Alive, Sandra, and so many other artists. It was all so fascinating for me. I knew I had a passion for it.
I: So, your earliest mixes were extended versions of the album tracks, and eventually fun edits, although you still used album tracks for the base.
D: Yes, that’s what everyone did. Computers were not available back then. And we certainly didn’t have the vocal acapellas or music stems to work with. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have fun with acapellas in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Recently, I read a post from a Madonna fan who said that they didn’t like my mixes, because they sound like the album versions – nothing special. What they fail to understand is that what they refer to is my older work, and that, since then, I’ve moved on into more modern style of mixing, using acapellas (filtered or studio leaked) and modern club music.
I: I’m so sorry you read a negative criticism of your work.
D: I used to be bothered, but not so much anymore. I know I have a great number of fans who like my work. Most accept all my portfolio as a whole. But I recognize that we live in a world of social media interaction, and with that comes negative comments from people who can’t help themselves. So eventually, I decided to look at those few negative comments as a chance to do better. And every few years, I get better than I ever did before. There’s always room to grow.
I: Well, I can honestly say I’ve been a fan of yours for years, and am proud to consider you a friend. I’ve enjoyed all your work, from the Beat2Beat series, to the more recent alias names you’ve used. You have went by several other names in your work. Why did you do that?
D: I think it started with the name RetroSonic. I was making mixes that mashed up Madonna’s vocals with classic songs of years before. This gave it a more “retro” feel. So RetroSonic was created. Crackle Pop was a term for the pop music style behind it. Opus was more Dub Step in nature. Pulse was more high energy or trance in style. Christian C was meant to be peaceful. And of course, you know the story about Chillerz.
I: Yes, you told me that story. It was something about an ex-boyfriend of yours.
D: That is correct. I was dating a fan who lived in my city, who has asked not to be identified today. He loved ambient music and wanted me to show him how to mix. So we tried mixing Madonna’s vocals with some chill-style music. I told him he needed a name. He chose the name Chillerz with a Z (because ending with a Z was cool at the time). He made one mix (I think it was Stay or Shoo-Be-Doo, but I could be wrong) – and let’s face it. I did all the work, so it was more me than him, although he did have some suggestions. After the mix, he decided it was too hard. So I kept the name for myself and made several Chillerz mixes. He may be an ex of mine, but he is still a great friend and Madonna fan. We still talk on Facebook.
I: That’s good to know…
D: Oh, and let me clarify something about the name “Beat2Beat” and “Power Mix.” They were my earliest names because I was scared to let people know who made them. Beat2Beat refers to DJ-ing in a dance club (which I used to do) and spinning two records on two turntables at the same time, matching up their tempo (beat). Thus – Beat2Beat. I later made Power Mixes, a shortened name from a DJ company at the time called Power House DJ Remix Service. Both Beat2Beat and Power Mix are included on this anthology.
I: Let’s get into the anthology. How did it come about?
D: For the longest time, I wanted to make a greatest hits. But it was difficult to narrow down the best tracks. And then somebody suggested I made a complete Anthology of every song of Madonna that I ever remixed. The idea intrigued me and I knew it would be daunting. Yet there was one problem that stood in my way: most of the full length remixes were between 5 and 7 minutes long. It was end up being 30 to 40 CDs long.
I: That is a lot of CDs!
D: It wasn’t until Madonna released her “Finally Enough Love” compilation of #1 dance tracks that I found my solution. Madonna released them all in radio edits so that the 50 tracks would take only 6 CDs. This was perfect for me because most of the “radio edits” for my mixes were unreleased. If I released the edits instead of full-length mixes, the CD total would be less than 20.
I: That is a great idea, for sure. I didn’t realize there were short versions of all your mixes.
D: Yes. Even from my very first mixes, I made radio edits. I kept them to myself, usually, and released the full remix to the public. Now, for the first time, every radio edit will be available. Unfortunately, there are some tracks that I did not include in this “complete” anthology. I made dub versions for several of the early Madonna albums. I left them out knowing I may made a dub collection sometime in the future. I also left out any medley or Megamix. These decisions to omit were solely to keep the CD total to a more reasonable number. Again, the Megamix compilation, like the dubs, might find a release one day in the future.
I: This makes me happy. I want them all. Many fans do. So tell me, how did you decide the order? Where there any complications in putting this anthology together?
D: I put them on CDs in track length order, with CD one having the longest length tracks. The last CD naturally had the shorter tracks and more quantity. With each CD, I arranged those tracks with my favorite track as track one, and my least favorite as the final track. Yes, I did have some complications: some of the tracks had vocals off-key with the music. So over the past several months, I fixed those tracks so they sounded great. In a few instances, I completely changed the mix altogether.
I: Do you have a favorite “fixed” track?
D: I do, indeed. It is Runaway Lover. The original mix I made had filtered vocals over poor sounding music (which was a Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran”). This time around, I cleaned up the vocals, and found better music for it. The end result is very different from my original release, and I love it so much.
I: I am sure everyone will love it too. It’s hard to imagine 308 songs over 3 decades.
D: Actually, there’s 309 songs. I could not fit the final song onto CD, so it is included as a bonus digital track. It’s the song “Take A Day,” that I called Paradiso Mix. Not to mention, there are 17 songs on my computer that are unfinished. One day I will finish them and release them too.
I: I can’t wait. And finally, he’s the question on everyone’s mind – or at least mine: What’s next for you? Are you retiring from remixing?
D: Not really. But I definitely and slowing down. I’m older and my health is not like it was. I need more quiet time these days. Time to myself without obligations. Will I do more Madonna mixes? Of course, but I’m not rushing into it. I still have a vow to keep – to remix every Madonna song. In fact, I will be contributing a new Madonna remix in March 2023 to Madonna Remixers United to celebrate their anniversary.
I: Thank you so much Donny for your hard work for all these years.
D: Thank you, Inco and HolidayShare, for supporting me.
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