PEEKABOO‘s EDM and Pop-inspired When I’m Gone blooms with 3 new remixes by Ganja White Night, Curbi and NGHTMRE, each containing different palettes of buoyant spring 2023 vibes. A blissful surprise by Insomniac‘s NIGHTMODE, the series of releases mark the label’s emergence from the industry’s typical seasonal hibernation into the more active period.
Belgian Bass duo Ganja White Night’s transformation of the Detroit-born Dubstep star PEEKABOO‘s original song structure on the 2023 remix might as well be viewed as a genre-bending amplification of what was already existing in the foundation of When I’m Gone. The two keep the melody-centered verse-chorus-verse smoothness of the track, but increase the gap in dynamics between those parts in such a way, that the impact of the drop sounds like a culmination of a dramatic action-blockbuster each time it hits. While the first of the three remixes is also the least aggressive groove-wise, Ganja White Night still manages to maintain a sense of melancholy and introspection that were some of the most appealing qualities of the original. Hence, those who were impressed the most by the emotional aspect of PEEKABOO’s song will definitely find the Ganja White Night version worth exploring: as a way to refresh the memory, but especially as a more dramatically intense interpretation.
Stream PEEKABOO – When I’m Gone (Ganja White Night Remix) on Spotify below!
For those who haven’t checked the entire catalog of the UK DJ Curbi, the name of the producer might be associated with a more mellow, deep and atmospheric House sound. But much like PEEKABOO, who can work with both, sentimental and emotionally dense songs like When I’m Gone, as well as aggressive and bouncy numbers like Bumpy Road, Curbi’s versatility as a producer makes him view the genre boundaries as challenges, rather than obstacles. That’s exactly what the listener hears on the new Curbi 2023 Hard Techno-flavored remix, where nothing really reminds of Curbi’s own hits like Vertigo or Flying, nor of PEEKABOO’s original song. With only a couple of restful moments, the whole track is revolving around a thunderous bassline and electrifying fuzzy synths. The vocals from the original, sped up, pitched and distorted, have some kind of urgency to them, which makes this version sound more like action music, than an emotional love ballad.
Stream PEEKABOO – When I’m Gone (Curbi Remix) on Spotify below!
NGHTMRE’s remix of When I’m Gone is another departure from the original, this time, however, along with the stylistic changes, there’s a significant shift in the track’s general mood. PEEKABOO’s song, along with the subtle melancholy, had a significantly softer groove that felt much slower in terms of its development and pace. NGHTMRE‘s version flips all of those on their heads. The upbeat DnB and Dubstep influenced sound is full of colorful melodies, which the American producer assembles using parts from the original material. Mostly those are vocal samples, distorted to the point they sound almost unrecognizable, upon which NGHTMRE keeps building new layers of synths, keys, and, at some points, even horn-sections. But the most impressive thing in NGHTMRE’s production is the fact, that he somehow manages to evenly distribute and connect all the genre influences in a way that neither of those dominate the track. There’s some heavy emphasis on the bass and percussion, however, the eclectic nature of the track makes the transitions from one sound into another on the new NGHTMRE 2023 remix sound organic and seamless.
