Teen pop thing, Justin Bieber, is not a name you would find on my iPod. His particular brand of music isn’t really my cup-of-tea, however that might be about to change.
Bieber is a 16 year old Canadian who has been enjoying success in the world of processed pop music. He was discovered on YouTube in 2008 and was quickly thrust into the limelight where he promptly became the heart-throb of many a teenybopper.
In truth I learned most of this information from Wikipedia because, as talented as Bieber may indeed be, his stardom had gone largely unnoticed by me. That was until last week when I was introduced to Bieber’s song ‘U Smile,’ or rather a version of the song that had been slowed down 800%.
Slowing down the track to such an extent transformed if from tweenbop pulp to a full scale ambient piece more akin to the music of Brian Eno or Sigur Rós.
The track glistens beautifully though a series crescendos that gives the now 35 minute piece an epic quality far beyond Bieber’s original which the San Francisco Chronicle recently described as an “uncreative and unremarkable piece of cookie-cutter pop.”
The slowed down version of ‘U Smile’ was posted on soundcloud.com last week by 20 year old Nick Pittsinger from Tampa, Florida, who produces ambient music under the name Shamantis. It was an instant hit and at the time of writing this post the track had been listened to 1,671,365 times and downloaded 19,467 times.
Bieber himself has apparently said he likes his ambient piece, commenting to this effect on his Twitter feed. However, despite it’s popularity, it’s unlikely the slowed down version of ‘U smile’ will find it’s way into his world tour.
Perhaps in years to come, after many rounds of rehab to recover from what will surely be a fearsome battle with cocaine and alcohol addiction on a par with other child stars, Bieber might actually produce music to this standard deliberately. Until then this will remain the only track of his you will find on my iPod.
Oh, and in case you’re curious, speeding up the music of Sigur Rós by 800% does not produce a Justin Bieber like sound. (Listen for yourself)
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Justin Bieber, ‘U Smile’ – Slowed down 800%
Sigur Rós – Sped up 800%
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‘U Smile’ slowed down 800%
‘U Smile’ – The original
Sigur Rós sped up 800%
How to make your own Ambient epic
Tree roots and other things
Four decades of naked ladies
Wrote the following comment on Aug 23, 2010 at 5:38 pm
Playing this now though I’ll have to finish it later as it’s pretty much time to get the hell out of here for me. But yeah, this is actually pretty damn good ambient music. I would have said it was more like Phillip Glass than Eno or Sigur Rós though.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 23, 2010 at 7:03 pm
it does sound like good ambient music! but i am not a fan of the digital distortion, though it’s kinda impossible to avoid it.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 23, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I think maybe I need to smoke some of whatever it is you’re smoking when you listen to this simon because to me it sounds like a mess.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 12:32 am
I listened to a few minutes of the slow version and about 10 seconds of the original…in my opinion, he doesn’t have a very good voice. The slow version was kinda cool – definitely relaxing. The original version was anything but, in fact it was just irritating because he seemed to be so contrived and produced.
With that said, if I was 13 or 14 years old, I’d probably love him too.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 12:51 am
I would love to know if Bieber himself has really listened to it in full. It’s actually quite beautiful.
It reminds me of the music by Michael Stearns for the film Baraka (which if you haven’t seen you really must).
In response to what Edith wrote though, these days it is rather impossible to avoid digitally altered music, at least in the commercial world. Practically all the music you hear these days has gone through auto-tune, which corrects pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. Even sadder than that is the fact that many live performances you see these days are using a live version of the software.
We live in a digital world I guess. For now though I’m enjoying this track and trying to think of ways in which I could use it.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Simon.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Urgh! I hate this kid. Don’t get me wrong, I do like a lot of what my boyfriend calls “shit music” because its pop, but there is just something annoying about some 16 year old trying to give me ‘fuck me’ eyes!
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Oh that Sigur Rós sped up track is hilarious!
I couldn’t listen to the whole of the Justin Bieber track here at work because the guys started complaining that they felt like they were in a “new age love fest.” (Trust me, these are not guys I ever want to be in a new age love fest with!) But it’s certainly surprising that the slowed track works so well as ambient music.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Justin Bieber is just another production of a music industry that overlooks genuine musicians and song writers in favor of talentless cash cows like this pre-pimple pop pixie.
Nobody will look back on Justin Bieber and celebrate his talent or lyrical wonder will they! It’s a tragic irony that his best work will be something he didn’t create!
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 10:28 pm
@ E Roberts – I can’t believe I am about to do this, but I am going to speak up in for Justin Bieber!
I agree that there is a horrible amount of “uncreative and unremarkable cookie-cutter pop” around, but I don’t think its entirely fair to label Bieber or those processed so-called artists like him “talentless.” I mean, the guy can play the guitar, piano, trumpet, and drums (according to wikipedia). If that’s true then he can’t fairly be called talentless can he?
Yes his music is saccharin nonsense, but hasn’t that kind of airy sale safe stuff always been around? Isn’t Bieber just a couple of evolutionary jumps away from Donny Osmond, and isn’t it the case that in order to find good music you have to develop your own taste and do a little searching? (Heck, isn’t that pretty much the case in all things?)
As for the question of wether or not Bieber’s music will stand the test of time, I rather think it will, to some extent…
While I was in California this summer I was introduced to Bieber by my friends 13 year old daughter. Like any 13 year old her tastes are developing and she is still enjoying the sugary sweetness of this child star who she can, on some level, relate to. Now, long after Bieber has been consigned to the ‘hasbin’ I suspect Grace will still enjoy hearing her favorite Bieber songs not because of their lyrical or musical quality, but because those old tunes will remind her of the simple days when she was 13 and used to listen to Justin Bieber.
He’ll be a musical landmark for some, in the same way some awful stuff stands as musical landmarks for me. I mean come on, I’ve got Tiffany and The Venga Boys on my iPod for goodness sake! :-)
Wrote the following comment on Aug 24, 2010 at 11:24 pm
LOL!!! Tiffany and The Venga Boys!? Somewhere in the world a Gaydar just spiked off the chart.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 25, 2010 at 1:06 am
Just for the record, Grace likes the slowed down version of the track as well as she does the other Justin Bieber songs. And I think you’re right Simon, even though they are mostly drivel, they will remind her of her childhood at some point in the future.
Thanks for the link. Because of you I’ve now got Justin Bieber in my itunes too.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 25, 2010 at 2:26 am
i like justin bieber and im not a tweeny! its silly pop thats good fun, like eating candy. pop is okay as long as you have some snap and crackle in there too.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 25, 2010 at 4:00 am
Lets face it, Bieber is simple money honey right now. I don’t have much of an opinion on his music. I’m not a 14 year old girl so my opinion isn’t the slightest bit important to the team that manage and profit from the kid.
In a way I feel sorry for him because I think he’s being exploited. Yes he could make it though this stage of his life unscathed and come out the other end with a boat load of cash and a hell of a tale to tell, but the odds on him being anywhere near normal are stacked against him.
He’s a child star of the music industry. On the scale of ‘celebrity exploitation’ that’s surely only one wrung up the later from being a porn star. I bet he’s making hella bank right now, but in a few years time, when his star has well and truly faded, I bet we’ll be reading stories about his cocaine fueled benders and looking at his bloodshot eye mugshot from his obligatory DUI in some sketchy LA neighborhood.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 25, 2010 at 6:19 pm
@ Braden Mac – It is sad in a way that this kid, who is clearly talented, is in the glare of the spotlight. I can only imagine how hard it must be to cope with being famous, but to have to do that when you’re smack bang in the middle of one of the most delicate and impressionable times of your life!
I hope Bieber doesn’t have to battle any addictions, and that he does mature into a level headed good guy. But yeah, its a vicious heartless world he occupies now so you can’t help but wonder if he’ll follow in the footsteps of so many other train wreck tweenies.
Wrote the following comment on Aug 25, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Just Bieber is a total muppet!
Wrote the following comment on Aug 26, 2010 at 11:34 pm
haha, brilliant ;o)