kehlani, jealous (carmack remix)
Mr. Carmack has always maintained a peculiar aura, even amidst his recent surge in fame. In many ways, he has intimated the qualities of a pseudo- ghost writer for progressive and future music as a whole (TMN has chronicled many of his releases here and here and here). Moreover, his guiding influence has been felt far and wide without direct connections to many artists, in large part, due to his staying power over the years. He may have been better suited to call himself Mr. Consistency.
To that point, Carmack is held in unanimous high esteem by his peers, despite lacking a level of popularity or notoriety (among general music fans) which would typically accompany the talent and reputation of works as great as his. By setting the bar within the Soulection crew and the music producing community at large, Carmack has been releasing tracks this summer at a break-neck pace.
Following up his #SongsFromScratch collaborative release under Adidas+YoursTrulySF with Kehlani last month, Carmack has revealed a remix to the songstress’ latest hit, “Jealous”. Kehlani’s massively popular hip-hop/soul track receives a complete revamp in this latest rendition; Carmack introduces a deep bass line and smooth vocal oscillation techniques, giving the remix a dreamy and ambient quality.
Fluctuations in the dynamic scheme and timely interjections of future elements throughout the tune keep the listener engaged with the instrumental aspects of the song and steal some of the attention away from Kehlani’s moving vocals – which is no small feat. “Jealous” really comes together at the 3:12 mark after Lexii Alijai‘s fast rapping third verse, when Carmack is able to merge the style of the original with his own distinct impression of the song.
Keep tabs on Carmack this summer: music festival enthusiasts can catch his sets at Camp Bisco in Pennsylvania, Hard Summer in L.A., and at the Canadian music festival Shambhala.
Photo credit: GL Askew II