Joyce Muniz
The DJ and producer tells us how she put the brakes on Gumboots
As a Brazilian who broke through the Viennese underground, remixing an African-inspired track by an American artist, Joyce Muniz’ entry to the Graceland Remixes project is a comprehensive example of dance music’s multiculturality! We tracked her down to find out more about her approach to remixing. Do you have any personal connection with Graceland or with the track? “I grew up in the ’80s and my parents are huge Paul Simon fans. I think that was the first time that my grandparents really understood what my work is about. When I dropped the news on a family lunch, I could see the happiness in their eyes. It felt good for me to have a chance to remix a music genius. Gumboots wasn’t one of the biggest hits of the album, but is still a very unique production. The percussion and the strings of the original are ace.” What vibe were you going for? “Basically, I only had the vocals to work with, the label couldn’t provide me the original stems of the track. So I was very limited with the stems and I had to do a slower version. For me, it was very important to keep the spirit of Graceland. I wanted to keep the African vibe but also make it deep and warm. Every time I was listening to the vocals, I saw the sunset, and I wanted to see DJs dropping Gumboots at sunset.” What’s your approach to remixing? “It’s very important to have a strong original with quality vocals or sometimes just catchy sounds. Of course I have to like it or be connected to the music or artist.
“I’ll never forget when Richard Dorfmeister [aka Tosca] asked me to do a remix. He sent me this amazing track with beautiful distorted classical piano. I was young and I couldn’t find the element to make a remix, so I asked him to send me another track with vocals. His feedback was that the piano was the vocals. From that day on, I opened my horizons.”
How do you begin work on a remix?
“First I open all the stems and see if I can use any of the drums. My next step is to see if I can sample the main sound. It could be a synth, chords, instruments (guitar or piano) or just vocals – it really depends on the track. Most of the time I use my own drum kit, bassline and synths. Mostly I don’t choose more than two or three sounds from the original.”
Which remix of yours are you most proud of, and/or which did you find the hardest?
“One I am proud of is the remix of
Burning Bright by Maya Jane Coles feat. Kim Ann Foxman. The original is amazing! It took time for me to figure out what I could make different, but in the end I found the right recipe and I love this remix.
“The hardest remix was actually this one! The original Gumboots is at 151bpm, and the guys wanted a deep house remix! It was very tricky to get the vocals to that point, but it was worth it for sure!”
Is there anything you’d love to remix?
“I’m a big trip-hop fan, so anything by Massive Attack, Björk and Beth Gibbons are on the top of my list. But there are a few more…”
I wanted to keep the African vibe of Graceland but make it deep and warm