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Switched on Pop

Too Fast? We’re Curious: The sped-up remix phenomenon

Switched on Pop

Vox Media Podcast Network

Music Interviews, Music History, Music, Music Commentary

4.62.7K Ratings

🗓️ 10 January 2023

⏱️ 27 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Over the past few months, you may have heard your favorite song pop up on the Internet – just slightly faster. You’re not alone: the phenomenon of the “sped-up” remix has taken over social media, with everyone from Lady Gaga to Thundercat getting the tempo treatment. The popularity of the craze has led to millions of TikTok videos, Billboard number ones, and songs becoming relevant again, decades after release. Ever since the proliferation of these “remixes,” the big questions remain: where did these songs come from and why are they here? On this episode of Switched on Pop, we explore this exact phenomenon, tracing its roots from Thomas Edison to Cam’ron to vaporwave to nightcore. Songs Discussed: “Dream On” – Aerosmith (sped up) “Escapism” – RAYE, 070 Shake (sped up) “Bad Habit” – Steve Lacy (sped up) “Miss You” – Oliver Tree (sped up) “Say It Right” – Nelly Furtado (sped up) “Bloody Mary” – Lady Gaga (sped up) “Heat Waves” – Glass Animals (slowed down) “Juicy” – Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy” – DJ Screw “Jolene” – Dolly Parton (slowed down) “リサフランク420 / 現代のコンピュー |” – Macintosh Plus “In Da Club Before Eleven O’ Clock” – DJ Rashad “Monster [Nightcore]” – Meg & Dia, remixed by Barren Gates “Concrete Angel” – Hannah Diamond “Witch Doctor” – David Seville “Oh Boy” – Cam’ron, Juelz Santana “Cool for the Summer” – Demi Lovato (sped up) “Them Changes” – Thundercat (sped up & Chopnotslop remix) “That’s All” – Genesis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Slack. With Slack, you can bring all your people and

0:05.9

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0:11.1

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0:16.7

like huddles for quick check-ins or Slack Connect, which helps you connect with partners

0:20.9

inside and outside of your company. Slack, where the future works. Get started at

0:26.9

Slack.com slash DHQ.

0:41.9

Welcome to Switched on Pop. I'm producer Rihanna Cruz.

0:44.6

I'm songwriter Charlie Harding. And I'm musicologist Nate Sloan.

0:48.2

So the other day when I was browsing TikTok, I heard this.

1:06.2

I didn't know that I could enjoy Aerosmith any less than I already do.

1:08.8

Right, so that is a sped up version of Aerosmith's Dream on.

1:14.8

You're piercing.

1:26.8

Okay, it feels so slow now. It feels like glacial. Like it's the slowest talk I've

1:34.3

heard. Right. And the audacity of it being an Aerosmith

1:38.0

dub got me thinking about how TikTok and other video platforms have been founded on

1:42.9

user-generated audios, but specifically over the past few months, something called

1:47.6

sped up audios.

1:49.6

Audios? What are we talking about? I'm so confused about everything

1:53.3

and happening right now. Okay, old man.

1:55.6

Buggle up, Charlie.

1:57.6

You can't scroll out TikTok for more than a minute without hearing one of these.

2:02.6

And like we just heard in the Dream on example, sped up audios are songs that are

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