Blue Sky Black Death Remixes Child Actor’s “This Is It”

It’s easy to pinhole Blue Sky Black Death in the “cloud” rap sub-sub-sub-genre, what with their ethereal, blunted production work for the likes of Nacho Picasso and Deniro Farrar, but the Seattle-based duo’s repertoire extends far beyond the spacey sound they helped develop. In both their solo and hip hop productions, BSBD have shown a commendable willingness to experiment with different styles. Take “Halle Selassie” off of Exalted, their second collaborative album with Picasso. Cracking 808s and synth pads (pretty standard BSBD fare) are offset by rolling wobble bass that devours the track and gives it a thick as molasses feel. Not counter-hegemonic or anything, but a curious venture into new territories. Anyways, the point is that BSBD are more than willing to delve into uncharted waters and expand their already bloated production acumen. The duo’s latest expansion is into the pop realm, remixing Child Actor’s (both are signed to Fake Four) “This Is It”. Like much of their hip hop production, BSBD take a stark approach here, infusing a chunky synth base and static percussion. The combination of these elements and Child Actor’s yearning vocals is magical, adding hip hop sensibilities to the original’s candy-coated vocal arrangements. Stream and download below.