Cut of the Day: Strength, "Overheat (Deelay Ceelay Remix)"

overheat cover
By EMILEE BOOHER

As I listen to Deelay Ceelay's remix of "Overheat," a song by fellow Portland band Strength, I close my eyes and try to imagine what kind of videos the duo would craft to play alongside of it in a performance. I'm seeing fluidly moving colors, graceful modern dancers and a smoky silhouette of a saxophone player (think less upbeat disco-dance; more sexy underground-trance).



Chris Lael Larson and Delaney Kelly—known for their visually stimulating live shows that combine dueling drum sets, pre-recorded audio and experimental video projections—just sent this catchy cut out yesterday. Theirs is a slowed-down, sultrier version of the Strength original infused with psychedelic undertones, a range of percussion, vocoder, synthesizer, and layers of punchy instrumentation. It's really a complete reworking more than a traditional remix.

Angi Kuzma of the band Petoskey lends alluring vocals, and Reed Wallsmith of the Blue Cranes adds impressive saxophone runs that beautifully dominate the end of the song. The compositional evolution and array of sounds throughout the track create a narrative that’ll put you in a daze.

SEE IT: Deelay Ceelay plays the all-ages version of its Sunset Drumsets release show with Strength and Pegasus Dream on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Backspace. The duo will be giving away free music, as usual.

WWeek 2015

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