Remixing a classic is always risky, and remixing a cover of a classic is an even more precarious undertaking. Yet here we have VIRTU flipping the downtempo indie cover of Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" by Imad Royal and Mark Johns, while simultaneously playing with my cherished 90s childhood.
Premiering on EARMILK today, and releasing everywhere via Nice Life Recordings and Atlantic Records, VIRTU restores the sonic urgency of Nirvana's original to Imad Royal & Mark Johns' rework of the legendary grunge rock track. The familiarity is deepened from the moment the guitar chords of the Nirvana original, as recognizable today as ever, begin to play as VIRTU's remix sets into motion. From there an electronic bassline swells, and the track is on it's way to becoming a rock/trap hybrid of epic proportions. VIRTU effectively pays homage to the original, and I certainly wouldn't be mad about it if this happened to drop in a festival set sometime this summer.
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