Music review and Interview with Soren Andrews – They Don’t care About Us Remix

I really like the way this one starts up; the speed of it, quite hectic, yet really tidy sounding, quite a captivating industrial set of rhythms and sounds. The remix is nothing like you’d expect, it has so much about it that is completely unrelated to the original track, but it’s used the essence of the song in a really powerful way. Obviously 2 Cellos have put their stamp on the whole thing first of all, but the remix adds a plethora of freshness to it, which is really powerful in a whole new set of ways.

That hectic collection of sounds and beats, that industrial, man made noise, essentially representing the core of the original song and what it meant. Everything that comes into this, each new element or instrument, makes me love it even more – it all draws you in and really hooks onto you. Those haunting strings, the rampant drums, the way all the sounds contrast and collide as the whole thing delves deeper and deeper into it’s own creativity. The art is new, but the concept and the melody are as classic as ever, and the depth that existed originally has been held on to, and utilised, and expanded on, with this sensational instrumental remix.

Occasionally you get a remix of a classic song that is merely using a sample from the track so that they can put the famous name on their work and draw in a wider audience. This is categorically not the case with this mix. The track is superb, it really works so well, especially when you turn it up loud and genuinely listen – listening out for every corner turned, every new sound, every emotional moment that manages to shine it’s light intermittently within this fast paced dance hall of industrial power. The producer has put a lot of thought into the building of this remix, the structure and the melody seem to be that of the original hit, also maintaining the initial flair of 2 Cellos, but everything else is brand new – turned into a sort of new age, modern representation of what is essentially a world full of the same issues; highlighting perhaps the fact that we have still not learnt, or we are still trying to learn, or we still feel the same way about the world.

By Rebecca Cullen

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

Soren Andrews: I grew up in the small town of Roswell, New Mexico, (AKA The Alien Capital of The World) I attended a military school, New Mexico Military Institute, for the first 3 years of my High School career where I was introduced to my first DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) FL studio. I was about 16 at the time, so from then on I just kind of dabbled in making these really awful EDM 4 to the floor beats Haha. When I first decided to become an artist, I was in my freshman year of College (07) still deciding what I wanted to do with myself or Major in. I would spend my free periods in the computer lab surfing Youtube trying to find new Trance music. When I stumbled upon the video for Trance Energy 2007 & saw all of the people having a great time, and the deejays, I knew right then and there, that’s what I want to do with my life. Of course it helped that the theme song for that year was JOOP- The Future, so I instantly fell in love & decided to drop out of College and pursue my dream.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

Soren Andrews: Soren Andrews was just really a decent google search towards my Scandinavian heritage. My mother was born in Stockholm, and I figured having a European name in a European market would help me settle in better.

 
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

 
Soren Andrews: Online music sharing is helpful yet also hurtful to the industries artists. It helps the new kids on the block get their sound out the masses while hurting those who have already established themselves as an artist in the industry. Since it’s so easy to download music all over the internet, it’s hard to make a living from just that.
As for giving my music away, I have tried to find a balance between having labels release most of my work & leaving plenty of free downloads on my SoundCloud page. I think every artist should give out a freebie here and there, especially on the fun side projects that you normally wouldn’t release in your genre. There was a Liquid Drum & Bass remix I did of 2CELLOS’ take on Michael Jackson’s They Don’t Care About Us, that took off with over 5K listens and still growing that I gave away for free

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Soren Andrews: Spend about two solid years on nothing but finding YOUR sound & learning your craft. Find something that makes you unique & stand out from the rest of the crowd from the average norm. Once you’ve done that, head on over to social media & start giving a free track away here and there & start building your following.
As for getting gigs, I would recommend finding out who your local promoters are & start sending them demo’s and mixes of your work. Be prepared to be told NO on more than one occasion. Don’t be discouraged & use the No to your advantage. Don’t forget, even the Beatles got rejection letters from music labels, so take it as a grain of salt. The best thing you can do, is use every No as motivation and as fuel to push you and your music forward. It’s rare you will have overnight success, and those that do, typically don’t last more than a few years. So try to work towards building a self-sustaining career.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

Soren Andrews:  My inspiration comes from just about anything really. I try to take all the emotions that we express and try to work them in to my music. I usually like to write in Minor keys as they are more “darker” or emotional for me. They just have a more driving feeling to the music, especially in the basslines. Major keys just sound too happy for me, almost unrealistic, so I could never relate to them. Although, one or two songs in Major keys I have heard are okay. I also enjoy listening to Classical, Hip-Hop, Metal, Screamo, Indie etc. I just grab ideas from all over. I just love music!
As for a process, every track for me is a new beginning and adventure. I never start a track the same way twice and I try to be as open minded about where I want to go with the sound. Sometimes it takes me hours to complete a track, and other times its weeks or months. So the process varies.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

Soren Andrews: I do, its www.SorenAndrews.com. The one I use most is Soundcloud.com, but I have also used Dropbox.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

Soren Andrews: You know, I love being around my family & friends. I would probably take 200K for myself, pay off my families homes, take care of their bills, and pay off my car. Then start building a brand new PC designed just for music. Take a small vacation to Alaska, then buy into a really well rounded yearlong PR campaign to help boost and promote my music a bit more. I would take another 200K and split it evenly. 100K to my savings, and the other into the market to be invested in Water, the Housing market, & a few other stocks. With the remaining 100K I would give it to charity, or find someone who needs help paying hospital bills or help kids with their surgeries etc

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

Soren Andrews: You know, that’s a tough one really. The old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat. Promotion is really easy if you have a solid following. But if you are just starting out, I would suggest looking into some type of a PR campaign to help boost a certain release or Album. For me, it’s just a quick upload to Soundcloud, and then start dropping the link in all of my social media accounts followed by a collection of direct E-mails to certain DJs

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

Soren Andrews: Actually yes! I just released a two track EP (Banja Luka) on Ukrainian label, Big Toys Productions. You can currently buy it on Beatport.com. So far it has gotten a lot of great reviews and support from deejays around the globe in the promo pool. Im currently also working on a single that I am hoping to sign to a Blackhole Recordings sub label, Outburst Recordings. Mark Sherry (Owner/Producer & DJ) has really been putting out quality on his label, so I am aiming for this one there. I also have a few tracks in the works aimed at Garuda Music, so we will see what happens this year!

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

Soren Andrews: I really haven’t given it much thought to be honest. I always thought about maybe joining the military, or playing professional Baseball. To be honest, Music is really just my life’s greatest passion. I would be lost without it. I have always felt I was meant to do something great, & music just happens to be that thing.

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

Soren Andrews: Honestly, Military school really prepared me for life. At a young age, I was taught time management, so I never really feel stress when I have to balance multiple things. At 14 I was basically expected to take care of myself as an adult would. It was almost like being in college, but for High School. I also try not to take anything too serious, music is such a joy for me that I could never really take it as a serious “JOB”. It’s more of a gift than anything, a great pleasure, so I never feel that I have to keep pumping out the next “hit” track.

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

Soren Andrews: A lot! I have so many exciting projects that I want to get started on in varying genres. This year, I want to branch out even more and start hitting different markets & just have a blast doing it.

A huge & special thanks to Exposed Vocals for the interview and support of myself & different artists. It’s a tough industry, but you guys make it worth while!