We imagine there will more than a few groans from rock 'n' roll purists at this announcement, but here it is: Dubstep producer Run DMT has crafted an electronic remix of The Who's classic "Who Are You." It seemed a little weird to him at first too.
"I could not wrap my head around the idea of a dubstep-ish remix of such a classic, meaningful song. I floated through several concepts, all of which fell short of the power of the original," he told Rolling Stone.
As the single was released during 1978, it was probably still receiving regular airplay after Run DMT was born in 1983. Which isn't to say that the song has seen a significant drop in airplay. "Who Are You" has remained one of the band's most popular songs, and saw a new boost in popularity when "CSI: Crime Scene Investiagtion" began using the song as its theme (and continues to do so after 14 seasons).
Essentially, the remix uses phasing to speed up the original, making it more club-worthy, as well as adding some amplified bass lines and drum machine contributions. Who drummer Tommy Moon was renowned for his abilities, but not even he could match the new lead-in to the verse that DMT added.
DMT has established himself by remixing more recent artists, including Major Lazer's "Jah No Partial." He toured with the Warped Tour over the summer, playing on the traveling festival's first dance music stage, and he released his debut album in July.
Who fans might be cantankerous about such a remix, but the band itself has messed around with other genres before. "Sister Disco" remains a staple of the band's live setlist despite being a tribute to the now-defunct genre.
Check out Run DMT's remix at RollingStone.com.
