EXCLUSIVE First Look: Nirvana Reimagined As House Music With The Aid Of Hallucinogens, LGBTQIA+ Organization

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Tech Row Records, a “shamanistic” label that brought together a diverse group of people to achieve genre-bending versions of Nirvana songs with the aid of hallucinogens, is releasing “Come As You Are,” the debut video from the full-length album Nirvana Reimagined as House and Techno.

Below is an exclusive look at the new video, ahead of its official release:

Distributed by Fat Beats Records, the psychedelic tribute to Kurt Cobain is co-directed by house music pioneer Chip E., who is known for his work with Carl Cox and Frankie Knuckles.

Filmed in Dallas, Texas, the Tech Row team feels the video’s abstract visuals capture Cobain’s advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights. Under the leadership of transgender activist and Ted Talks speaker Daniella Carter, Tech Row Records understands that while entertainment culture is more accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community, there is still a resistance to full acceptance and inclusion of artists of all races, classes, gender and sexualities.

Microdosing For Big Results

This familiar, yet modern house and techno mix of Nirvana’s classic was recorded with Grammy-award-winning musician Maurice Brown, known for his collaborations with Anderson Paak.

The undeniable compassion, love, purpose, intent and anti-establishment views expressed throughout the music of Nirvana echo the psychedelic spirit of the rave and LGBTQIA+ gatherings, producer Jonathan Hay explained

“Microdosing LSD has also drastically helped both my creative process and mental health,” said Hay, who is a vocal proponent of medical cannabis as well.

‘Leave Us The F**k Alone’

“Come As You Are” reminds the world of the legacy that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain left behind- even if it wasn’t recognized at the time. Cobain was a fierce advocate for the LGBTQIA+ populace in a time when many entertainers were afraid to speak out.

Roughly three decades ago, Cobain confessed to The Advocate that “If any of you, in any way, hate homosexuals, people of a different color or women, please do this one favor for us – leave us the f**k alone. Don’t come to our show and don’t buy our record.”

Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno was recorded in both Brooklyn and Venice Beach, with JPatt from The Knocks (Sofi Tukker), Mink (Teksupport), Pink Floyd saxophonist Scott Page, Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher, 41x (Bhanga Bangla), Daniella Carter (GLAAD), Sara Cooper (Carl Cox) and many more. Cain McKnight and Don Klein participated in the production too.

The album features 27 songs to honor the 27 years since Kurt Cobain’s death and the 27 years he lived with meaningful purpose, inspiring the world to change. The electronic musical project is committed to further helping Cobain’s unapologetic narrative of LGBTQ+ visibility, advancement and advocating for victims of rape and sexual abuse.

Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno album highlights Kurt Cobain’s support for the LGBTQ+ community

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The 30th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind album has put the grunge pioneers back in the limelight, but what would the band’s back catalogue sound like if it was reimagined with a house and techno twist?

The question has been answered by electronic music outfit Techrow – a collaborative effort between producers Jonathan Hay, Cain McKnight, and 41X. Their self-explanatory new album, Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno, contains 27 tracks, one for each year of Kurt Cobain’s life.

The new record contains multiple versions of some of Nirvana’s biggest hits, including electronic house, future house and electronica mixes of Techrow’s take on Smells Like Teen Spirit. Techno, melodic techno and dark techno versions of Come As You Are are also on the agenda.

EDM.com reports that the album has been created to highlight Cobain’s status as an LGBTQ+ advocate. The LGBTQ+ community, of course, has always been at the heart of dance music culture, and the Nirvana frontman was a vocal supporter.

Want to hear Techno and House versions of Nirvana hits? Here’s 27 new takes on Kurt Cobain’s best songs

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With widespread media coverage celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind album, and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl reflecting upon his time in the band in his newly-published memoir The Storyteller, the spotlight has fallen once again upon the life-changing power of Kurt Cobain’s songwriting.

Now a US dance music collective have put a fresh spin on the Aberdeen, Washington trio’s music by reimagining some of Cobain’s most impactful songs as House, Techno and Electro tracks.

The work of electronic music producers Jonathan Hay, Cain McKnight, and 41x, Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno, features contributions from Pink Floyd saxophonist Scott Page and Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher among others. In addition to showcasing Cobain’s songwriting skills, the album has been created to highlight Cobain’s status as an LGBTQ+ advocate.

According to a statement, “the album features 27 songs to honour the 27 years since Kurt Cobain’s death and the 27 years he lived with meaningful purpose, inspiring the world to change. The electronic musical project is committed to further helping Cobain’s unapologetic narrative of LGBTQ+ visibility, advancement and advocating for victims of rape and sexual abuse.”

All proceeds from Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno will be donated to charitable organisations, including GLAAD and MusiCares, to support the wellbeing of marginalised communities.

Nirvana Techno Tribute Turns Cobain Songs into Dance Tracks

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A double album’s worth of Nirvana songs re-emerge as electronic music cuts on the new covers album Come as You Are: Nirvana Reimagined as House & Techno.

The tribute from electro collective TECHROW arrived on Oct. 1. And in the spirit of late Nirvana bandleader Kurt Cobain‘s championing of gay rights, it will help support the LGBTQIA+ community, with a portion of proceeds going to GLAAD and other outreaches.

TECHROW, “Come As You Are” (Nirvana Techno Cover)

Produced by electronic musicians Jonathan Hay and Cain McKnight, the album’s 27 tracks honor the 27 years since Cobain’s death as well as the 27 years he was alive. The effort sports appearances from fellow EDM-minded artists such as The Knocks’ JPatt, 41X, Sara Cooper, Maurice Brown (Anderson .Paak) and Chip E. (Frankie Knuckles), plus rockers Scott Page (Pink Floyd) and John Norwood Fisher (Fishbone).

The tribute’s version of “Something in the Way” first emerged in April via The Advocate, the LGBT-interest magazine that once interviewed Cobain. The Reimagined take on the Nevermind track features contributions from transgender activist Daniella Carter.

Carter said, “In this unprecedented time with so many state legislators introducing anti-trans bills, it’s more important than ever that we have allies who speak up like Kurt Cobain did: ‘If you’re a sexist, racist, homophobe or basically an asshole, don’t buy this CD. I don’t care if you like me, I hate you.'”

Hay remarked that Cobain “was a supporter of LGBTQ+ when it wasn’t politically correct to be so. He’s about love and positivity, which is what house music is all about. So, it just made sense for us.”

Last week, a video for the Reimagined “Come as You Are” cropped up online around the same time the tribute album was released. See the clip further down the page.

“When you dive into it, you can tell the band was so tight,” Hay added of Nirvana. “You can feel the core values that he had. The deeper [you dig], you see their messages and beliefs and everything else. I think this will be cool to bring people into that awareness.”

Visit Hay’s website at jonathanhay.co and listen below.

 

TECHROW feat. JPatt + Daniella Carter, “Something in the Way” (Nirvana House Cover)

TECHROW, Nirvana Reimagined as House & Techno

Nirvana’s Hits Reimagined with House & Techno Album in Support of LGBTQ+ Community

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Nirvana’s best hits have been primed for the dancefloor.

Nirvana Reimagined As Home And Techno marks 27 years since frontman Kurt Cobain’s demise, celebrating his legacy and the band’s lasting influence. Headed up by producers Jonathan Hay and Cain McKnight, the 27-track assortment consists of “Come As You Are (Techno Combine),” “One thing within the Approach (Home Combine)” and lots of extra.

In true Nirvana trend, the music stands for rather more, upholding “Kurt Cobain’s unapologetic narrative of LGBTQIA+ visibility, development and advocating for victims of rape and sexual abuse.” Proceeds from the recordings go to GLAAD and MusiCares.

Hay and McKnight based R.U.S.H Music and Tech Row Information and began reimagining fashionable musical catalogs, whereas genre-bending the all-time greats together with Eric B. & Rakim, The Infamous B.I.G., Tupac Shakur — and now Nirvana.

GRAMMY author Morgan Enos sums up the discharge: “Now, we now have this unconventional, digital tribute, presenting Cobain in a context that few would consider, however which makes good sense looking back.”

Pay attention under.

Nirvana Reimagined As Home And Techno

너바나(NIRVANA)의 음악이 하우스, 테크노 음악으로 재해석되어 발매되었다.

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프로듀서 Jonathan Hay, Cain McKnight, 그리고 41X이 너바나(Nirvana)의 음악을 하우스, 테크노 음악으로 재해석한 콜라보레이션 앨범 ‘Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno’을 발매하였다. 이 앨범은 작고한 커트 코베인(Kurt Cobain)을 음악적으로 오마주하고 있을 뿐만 아니라 그의 사회적, 문화적 영향력에 찬사를 보내고 있는 작업물이다.

이 앨범의 독특한 점은 커트 코베인이 생전에 LGBTQ+ 커뮤니티의 인권을 열렬히 옹호하였던 개인사적인 측면을 인용하여 작업물로 끌고들어왔다는 점이다. 퀴어 커뮤니티와 댄스 뮤직 문화의 발전을 떼어놓고 생각할 수 없는 만큼 앨범의 프로듀서진들은 너바나의 음악 세계를 일렉트로닉 음악의 맥락에서 재해석하려면 기존에 자주 다루어지지 않았던 커트 코베인과 LGBTQ+ 커뮤니티와의 관련성을 재조명해야한다고 생각하고 있다.

앨범의 리드 싱글은 ‘Something in the Way (House Mix)’로서 LGBTQ+ 커뮤니티의 권리를 증진시키기 위해 1967년에 설립된 잡지사 `The Advocate`에서 최초로 공개되었으며 첫 번째 뮤직 비디오 `Come As You Are (Techno Mix)`에는 시카고 하우스의 전설적인 DJ/프로듀서 프랭키 너클스(Frankie Knuckles)의 멘토로도 잘 알려진 Chip E가 협업 프로듀서로 참여하기도 하였다.

‘Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno’ 앨범의 모든 수익금은 소외된 커뮤니티들의 복지를 지원하는 자선단체에 기부될 예정이며 아래에서는 ‘Come As You Are’의 테크노 버젼을 뮤직 비디오와 함께 감상할 수 있다.

“NIRVANA REIMAGINED AS HOUSE & TECHNO” ALBUM HIGHLIGHTS KURT COBAIN’S SUPPORT FOR LGBTQ+ CAUSES

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Previously, imagining what Nirvana would sound like as a dance music act was only a pie-in-the-sky thought, but today producers Jonathan Hay, Cain McKnight, and 41X have made the concept a reality.

Their collaborative album, Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno is not only a musical tribute to Kurt Cobain’s musical legacy, but also a tribute to his social and cultural impact.

The inspiration for this seemingly outlandish idea is rooted in the artists’ desire to highlight Cobain’s fervent advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Given the vital role the queer community played in facilitating the rise of dance music culture, the producers felt that reimagining the musical world of Nirvana in an electronic music context would be an engaging way to highlight this infrequently covered element of Cobain’s legacy.

Cobain showed solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community throughout his career, from spray-painting the phrase “God is gay” in his hometown of Aberdeen to using his platform to vocally push back against bigotry. His principles were unwavering.

EXCLUSIVE First Look: Nirvana Reimagined As House Music With The Aid Of Hallucinogens, LGBTQIA+ Organization

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Tech Row Records, a “shamanistic” label that brought together a diverse group of people to achieve genre-bending versions of Nirvana songs with the aid of hallucinogens, is releasing “Come As You Are,” the debut video from the full-length album Nirvana Reimagined as House and Techno.

Below is an exclusive look at the new video, ahead of its official release:

Music With A Cause

Distributed by Fat Beats Records, the psychedelic tribute to Kurt Cobain is co-directed by house music pioneer Chip E., who is known for his work with Carl Cox and Frankie Knuckles.

Filmed in Dallas, Texas, the Tech Row team feels the video’s abstract visuals capture Cobain’s advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights. Under the leadership of transgender activist and Ted Talks speaker Daniella Carter, Tech Row Records understands that while entertainment culture is more accepting of the LGBTQIA+ community, there is still a resistance to full acceptance and inclusion of artists of all races, classes, gender and sexualities.

Microdosing For Big Results

This familiar, yet modern house and techno mix of Nirvana’s classic was recorded with Grammy-award-winning musician Maurice Brown, known for his collaborations with Anderson Paak.

The undeniable compassion, love, purpose, intent and anti-establishment views expressed throughout the music of Nirvana echo the psychedelic spirit of the rave and LGBTQIA+ gatherings, producer Jonathan Hay explained

“Microdosing LSD has also drastically helped both my creative process and mental health,” said Hay, who is a vocal proponent of medical cannabis as well.

‘Leave Us The F**k Alone’

“Come As You Are” reminds the world of the legacy that Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain left behind- even if it wasn’t recognized at the time. Cobain was a fierce advocate for the LGBTQIA+ populace in a time when many entertainers were afraid to speak out.

Roughly three decades ago, Cobain confessed to The Advocate that “If any of you, in any way, hate homosexuals, people of a different color or women, please do this one favor for us – leave us the f**k alone. Don’t come to our show and don’t buy our record.”

Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno was recorded in both Brooklyn and Venice Beach, with JPatt from The Knocks (Sofi Tukker), Mink (Teksupport), Pink Floyd saxophonist Scott Page, Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher, 41x (Bhanga Bangla), Daniella Carter (GLAAD), Sara Cooper (Carl Cox) and many more. Cain McKnight and Don Klein participated in the production too.

The album features 27 songs to honor the 27 years since Kurt Cobain’s death and the 27 years he lived with meaningful purpose, inspiring the world to change. The electronic musical project is committed to further helping Cobain’s unapologetic narrative of LGBTQ+ visibility, advancement and advocating for victims of rape and sexual abuse.

Nirvana Reimagined As House And Techno Is Upon Us

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NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — On October 1st 2021, Nirvana Reimagined As House And Techno is introduced to the masses. Produced by Jonathan Hay and Cain McKnight; this highly anticipated album contains 27 tracks to honor the 27 years since Kurt Cobain’s death while being part of the infamous 27 club. Hay and McKnight collaborated with platinum recording artist JPatt from The Knocks (Sofi Tukker), 41x (Bhanga Bangla), Sara Cooper (Carl Cox), GRAMMY-award winning trumpeter Maurice Brown (Anderson .Paak), Chip E (Frankie Knuckles) and legendary musicians Scott Page of Pink Floyd, as well as Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher. To commemorate Nirvana; Hay and McKnight followed Kurt Cobain’s unapologetic narrative of LGBTQIA+ visibility, advancement and advocating for victims of rape and sexual abuse. Proceeds from Nirvana Reimagined As House And Techno go to GLAAD and MusiCares to help fortify communities.

Jonathan Hay is a Brooklyn-based, celebrity publicist and an award-winning record producer who is active in the house, techno, and jazz genres. Cain McKnight is a financier and entrepreneur from Dallas, Texas who worked with Imprint Entertainment, most known for the record-breaking film series The Twilight Saga. Hay and McKnight founded R.U.S.H Music and Tech Row Records and started reimagining popular musical catalogs, while genre-bending the all-time greats including Eric B. & Rakim, The Notorious B.I.G., Nirvana and Tupac Shakur. Their first release Follow the Leader (Reimagined as Jazz) spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Charts.

“Something in the Way (House Mix)” was the first track heard from Nirvana Reimagined As House And Techno that premiered on The Advocate, the historical LGBT publication that Kurt Cobain supported when he was alive. The song was just featured in a “BBC Radio Nirvana Documentary” that was heard by millions. Hay and McKnight produced the song with Don Klein, JPatt, 41x and transgender activist Daniella Carter (Ted Talks) in both Venice Beach and Brooklyn. The Advocate recognized their underlying musical message for conservative lawmakers who are seeking to attack transgender people through state legislatures. “Come As You Are (Techno Mix)” is the first music video; directed by house music pioneer Chip E who discovered Frankie Knuckles that solidifies the authenticity of Hay and McKnight’s house and techno pilgrimage. Tech Row Records, a subsidiary of Adastra Media Group, did a joint venture with R.U.S.H Music and Fat Beats Records for the October launch of the album.

Nirvana Reimagined As House And Techno received advance acclaim from The GRAMMY’s that stated, “And while a fair amount of tomb-raiding has occurred on Cobain’s behalf—Nirvana Reimagined is one of a few tributes that align with his principles. Back in 2014, the surviving members of the band played at St. Vitus in Brooklyn with a succession of female lead singers, from Joan Jett to St. Vincent—which Cobain, an ardent feminist, arguably would have loved. Now, we have this unconventional, electronic tribute, presenting Cobain in a context that few would think of, but which makes perfect sense in retrospect.” – Morgan Enos, writer for GRAMMY.com

Media contact:
Nathalie Jupiter
319856@email4pr.com 
917-250-6625

SOURCE Tech Row Records

“At Night, The Disco Goddess”: Why Nirvana Songs Make For Killer House Music

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By now, almost everything Kurt Cobain sang or uttered has been dissected and monetized. But his values and raw compositional abilities are still worth exploring, as ‘Come As You Are: Nirvana Reimagined As House & Techno’ attests
MORGAN ENOS
GRAMMYS

 

JUL 1, 2021 – 1:33 PM

Now that Kurt Cobainhas been dead roughly as long as he was alive, what’s left to absorb about him? Every utterance has been picked to the bone; his thrift-shop MTV Unplugged sweater commands real-estate prices(opens in a new tab); his doomed visage is now an NFT(opens in a new tab). But talk of drugs, guns and dying young obfuscates the most interesting things about Nirvana: Their melodic gifts, moral compass and chemistry as a band. And that’s where producers Jonathan Hay and Cain McKnight come in.

“When you dive into it, you can tell the band was so tight. You can feel the core values that he had,” Hay tells GRAMMY.com. “The more you dig deeper into Nirvana, you see their messages and beliefs and everything else. I think this will be cool to bring people into that awareness. There’s more here than people know about.”

To this end, Hay and McKnight spearheaded Come As You Are: Nirvana Reimagined As House &Techno, a compilation transmuting Nirvana songs from “Sliver” to “All Apologies” to “You Know You’re Right”  into electronic music. The 27-track collection—one track for each year of his life—arrives via R.U.S.H. Music on July 30.

If the genre pairing seems random at first, it’s not. First, Kurt Cobain’s Beatles-level gifts as a singer, songwriter and melodist mean the songs maintain their integrity in any idiom. Second, Cobain was a fierce supporter of queer culture, which is part and parcel of dance music.

Listen Up: 5 Trans & Nonbinary Artists Reshaping Electronic Music: RUI HO, Kìzis, Octo Octa, Tygapaw & Ariel Zetina

Outside of the early Nirvana track “Hairspray Queen,” which contains references to a “disco goddess,” Cobain mentioned dance and electronic music very little. That said, he said plenty about homophobia and elevating what we now call LGBTQ+ voices.

He spraypainted the provocative phrase “God is gay;” he wore dresses in public; he journaled(opens in a new tab) that while he wasn’t gay, he wished he was, just to “piss off homophobes.” “If you’re a sexist, racist, homophobe, or basically an asshole, don’t buy the CD,” Cobain wrote(opens in a new tab) in the liner notes to 1993’s In Utero. “I don’t care if you like me, I hate you.”

“He was a supporter of LGBTQ+ when it wasn’t politically correct to be so,” Hay explains. “He’s about love and positivity, which is what house music is all about. So, it just made sense for us.”

The road to Nirvana Reimagined was paved by Hay’s, producer Mike Smith’s, and saxophonist Benny Reid’s jazz-inspired remix of Eric B. and Rakim‘s “Follow the Leader” back in 2019. As with the Nirvana project, the point was never to shoehorn a prestige artist into a random genre, but to get at the less-understood essence of their spirit. “Jazz was the flow of my youth,” Rakim told Billboard(opens in a new tab) that year, and Eric B. concurred: “I’m from Queens, so I’m automatically a Louis Armstrong guy.”

In order to successfully repurpose well-worn Nirvana songs for the dancefloor, the pair went with Cobain’s MO as a songwriter: Melody is king. “Kurt’s focus was the melody,” Nirvana drummer Dave Grohlonce told VH1. “He used to say that the music comes first and the lyrics come second.”

To this end, Hay initially wanted Nirvana Reimagined to be instrumental—until Cain reminded him how important Cobain’s vocal melodies were. By not messing with Cobain’s majestic harmonic concepts(opens in a new tab)—which he arrived at by his ears alone—they propel these house tracks authentically and believably.

Come As You Are features a gaggle of musician’s musicians, like Fishbone bassist John Norwood Fisher, GRAMMY-winning trumpeter/producer Maurice “Mobetta” Brown, Pink Floyd saxophonist Scott Page, J Patt of The Knocks and the drummer/producer Andy Kravitz.

In line with the LGBTQ+ slant, the producers are putting their money where their mouth is, donating a share of the proceeds to GLAAD(opens in a new tab) and the Recording Academy’s non-profit for musicians in crisis, MusiCares. Overall, the pair hopes to financially support this cluster of marginalized communities while bringing house music listeners into Nirvana’s fanbase—and vice versa.

And while a fair amount of tomb-raiding has occurred on Cobain’s behalf—Nirvana Reimagined is one of a few tributes that align with his principles. Back in 2014, the surviving members of the band played at St. Vitus in Brooklyn with a succession of female lead singers(opens in a new tab), from Joan Jett to St. Vincent—which Cobain, an ardent feminist(opens in a new tab), arguably would have loved.

Now, we have this unconventional, electronic tribute, presenting Cobain in a context that few would think of, but which makes perfect sense in retrospect. The disco goddess is dead. Long live the disco goddess.

Nirvana’s Era-Defining ‘Nevermind’: For The Record

SOURCE: https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-come-as-you-are-nirvana-reimagined-house-techno-disco-goddess-house-music