Producer goes viral for remixing classic tracks over drill beats

Drill beats are usually accompanied by cold bars, but Blaccmass has decided to add his own spin to see how the trap sub-genre connects with songs from the past.

Last month, the producer shared his most successful remix to date - a drill-infused version of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1979 classic hit "September", which has since gained millions of views.

september drill version

pic.twitter.com/ajDLkuuLUo

— (@blaccmass) August 26, 2020

The response on social media was so great that he's released a three-track EP on SoundCloud, featuring his drill mix of "September", as well as his drill version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (now called "Smells Like Teen Drill"), and a mashup of Clairo's "Closer To You", aka "Closer To Drill".

As Complex notes, Blaccmass has been making these mashups since 2017, but didn't gain momentum until he started using Brooklyn drill beats. He told Complex, "I don't know what it is with those New York drill beats, but they sound otherworldly. You can listen to the beats on their own, and they'll sound like a whole song by themselves. The simplicity of drill beats gives enough space for artists to shine on the beat. They give them enough space to do what they need to do."

His Earth, Wind & Fire mashup even made its way to the band members, who said they "love" the remix and told Blaccmass to "Keep building". Blaccmass said of the interaction, "That was crazy, I wasn’t expecting them to love it so much. When I was talking to them, they understood what I was trying to do with the sound and pushing music forward. And it made me feel good, knowing that a legendary group like them understands that. It was super humbling."