ROB LOVE & LOCH RAVEN TEAM UP ON 'BLUE' (LOCH RAVEN REMIX)
“Blue is meant to be relatable to anybody that has ever experienced a break-up,” Rob Love said. “We all know the feeling when you can’t stop thinking about that person. No matter how hard we try everything we see and everything we do constantly reminds us of them.”
Rob Love’s single “Blue” came out back in February and if you have not heard it yet, you’re missing out. The collaboration between Rob Love and Gate Citizens tells a familiar story built on a compelling beat. Rob Love draws you in with plain and relatable lyrics packaged with an airy harmony. Now, building on this irresistible tune is the remix version of “Blue” by LOCH RAVEN: available for streaming on all platforms.
“I’d like to give a big thank you to GC (Gate Citizens) for helping me bring Blue to fruition and LOCH RAVEN for the awesome Remix!” Rob Love said. “While incorporating elements from the original mix LOCH RAVEN adds his unique flavor to the remix giving the song a more chill retro sound.”
Part of what turned “Blue” into a remix with a distinctive LOCH RAVEN style is the shimmering slap of the drums alongside the pulsing bassline. High trumpet-sounding synths lift the energy and tone while retaining the longing of Rob Love’s vocals.
“Rob's lyrics felt nostalgic to me the first time I heard it,” LOCH RAVEN said. “Heartbreak is a super familiar topic to all of us and evokes all kinds of memories. I think that’s why it's such a classic songwriting topic. I wanted to really play up that nostalgic feeling and a retro 80's-style synth-wave track seemed like a great way to do that.”
LOCH RAVEN dove into the remix process by isolating the vocals and leads in the track. Listening to this, the pulse of the song allows him to home in on the essence of the song and what resonates with him. It was this process that allowed him to create a remix that captures the nostalgia and wistfulness of Rob Love’s song, while still creating a remix that sounds distinctly like a LOCH RAVEN remix.
“When I first heard the concept for the Blue Remix it was totally different from anything I would have ever envisioned for the song,” Rob Love said. “For that exact reason, I knew this was the direction I wanted to take for the Blue Remix.”
Where Blue is chill, the remix interpretation pushes the energy up adding an element of escapism. It is the same story told, with different spices and interpretations.
“Remixes are such a great opportunity to be playful,” Loch Raven said. “You can be free to experiment in ways that are sometimes intimidating to do when you're writing a fully original track from the ground up. I don't know that I would have ever produced a synth-wave track for my original music, even though I've always wanted to try it out. What I discovered is that your style as a producer, what makes you unique, follows you even when you try to produce a track in another subgenre. That it's really more about the process and approach to making music than the end product. It encouraged me to experiment more with my original music!”
There were two “aha moments” for LOCH RAVEN as he worked on the Blue remix. It was these breakthroughs that made the project finally come together. The first moment was the creation of the lead melody in the drop. “It complimented Rob’s hook super well, while also capturing that catchy 80’s feel,” he said. “Sometimes a good lead really makes the track.”
The second moment was adding extra bass in the last turn of the song. “Bass just always puts a smile on my face,” he said. “So of course, I got super excited and cranked it up way too loud in the mix originally. I eventually toned it down a bit during the mixing/EQ-ing stage, but I still love the driving feel it brings to that last drop.”
When tackling a remix, there is a large element of trial and error, as well as trusting your instincts. For anyone aspiring to become a music producer, Loch Raven recommends to “try not to get overwhelmed by creating a remix that super closely emulates the original. It's a lot to try to figure out what to do with all the different stems. Instead, try isolating a few of your favorite parts and building a new track around it. I think that kind of innovation will blow the original artist away and it's an altogether easier way to go about it in my opinion.”
“It was really great working with LOCH RAVEN on this project. Being open-minded to new ideas and visions is so important during a collaboration,” Rob Love said. “Like anything production takes hard work, focus, time, and patience to really get the best results. LOCH RAVEN is super talented, and I would love to collaborate again in the future.”
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