Don’t miss their ‘Clint Eastwood’ remix below. Musically, however, Gorillaz is a cutely caricatured blend of Albarn s eclectic Brit-pop and Nakamura s equally wide-ranging hip-hop, and it sounds almost as good as the band looks. Rome in Silver and Bonnema are a match made in heaven.
The second half of the remix is just as enthralling, with added liveliness and dynamism contributing to the punchy piece. The various versions of ‘Clint Eastwood’ also reflect Gorillaz’ open attitude to the finished artistic form, another very 2021 trait. The 100 BPM heater quickly builds to a bass-laden drop highlighted by crisp sound design, pristine percussion and an oddly soothing hum, giving midtempo a refreshing touch in an over-saturated market. Gorillaz, consciously or not, were making these pan-generic footsteps 20 years ago, when Spotify was not even a glint in Daniel Ek’s beady eye. In their ‘Clint Eastwood’ remix that we are ecstatic to be premiering, the two producers stay true to the essence of the original through the use of the oh-so familiar chorus in the introduction, but revamp the instrumentals to give it an ominous late-night grunge. While Rome in Silver is hot off of his lighthearted, feels-inducing Like Lightning EP, Bonnema has been lurking in the shadows, nonchalantly releasing consistent heat in the depths of the underground and working on perfecting his eclectic sound. Sometime in 2002 Murdoc started using the now famous 'El Diablo' Flying V Bass guitar, which he could be seen playing in the 2002 Brit Awards where Gorillaz played their hit Clint Eastwood. As artists who never miss the mark, nobody is better suited to take on the legendary ‘ Clint Eastwood‘ by the Gorillaz than Rome in Silver and Bonnema, offering their superb take on the genre-defying classic and turning it into a bass bop. It was a similar type of bass Junior Dan used on Gorillaz Debut Album.
It takes a great amount of talent and confidence to try to do justice to tracks that are familiar to everyone, but when done properly, can result in an anthem. Remixing a modern classic is never an easy feat, and more often than not ruins the integrity and soul of the original composition.