San Francisco�s Quarterbar is a remixer of many ideas. He�ll take an old Motown classic and strip it to its barest elements. He�ll transform a hip-pop party anthem into a dance pop track. He�ll successfully modernize an old-school rap record. He messes with genres, and often, he�s bold.

But it�s not his audacity that sets him apart from other remixers; it�s his instrument of choice. Rather than relying on FruityLoops or Reason, Quarterbar finds emotional resonance in an acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, whether it�s due to pitch problems or tempo troubles, his tracks are often flawed.

Take his remix of Ciara�s �Promise.� Sonically, the introduction is quite mindblowing; in it, a flurry of guitar chords meld together and blend perfectly with Ciara�s cooing vocals. But after that, the song hits several speed bumps. Often, Ciara�s voice jumps ahead of the beat. And it�s hard not to cringe when an organic guitar note clashes with an ultramodern vocoder line. See, Quarterbar tries hard to make acoustic guitars sound futuristic, but, uh: they�re not! So, after three minutes, the track runs out of steam, having wasted its most glorious notes within its first fifteen seconds. Though it�s horribly unrefined, this remix is at least an interesting listen. Its concept is great; the follow-up is just way too sloppy.
Modern day pop songs aren�t really written as guitar tracks, so it�s not surprising that Quarterbar�s acoustic noodling is more suited towards classic R&B tracks than it is to new school jams.

�Where Did Our Love Go?� is a Motown standard; everything about it�from Ross�s rich vocal performance to its euphoric handclaps�seems perfect, especially on first listen. But if you pay attention to the lyrics, something�s off. Why is Diana Ross singing such a heartwrenching story on top of a bouncy melody? The depressing words and the jangly chords really don�t fit together. So on this remix, Quarterbar changes the tone by dropping the tempo and incorporating a stark guitar line. Rather than relying on multiple instruments, he sticks to a simple snare drum, which sounds all the more poignant when it finally comes in. Sometimes, he�ll play with Ross� vocals, but for the most part, this track stays simple and true to the original. With its powerful minimalism, this remix actually delivers on its premise, albeit a much less interesting one.

Ironically enough, from what I�ve heard, Quarterbar�s strongest remix doesn�t feature anything remotely organic. There�s no acoustic guitar, no drum kit, none of the original elements that drew me to his work. Instead, his take on Lil Wayne�s �Stuntin� Like My Daddy� sounds like it was made in a generic computer program. But still, it�s a fairly simple, highly-danceable track that in many ways wallops the original.

In his remix, Quarterbar ditches TMix�s fierce horn production and introduces a few simple keyboard notes. Upbeat percussion keeps both the track and the listener�s feet moving. In the original, neither Weezy nor Birdman decimated the beat. Here, the beat doesn�t try to overshadow them; instead it complements their tight flow. For this reason, it�s easy for both to sound more rhythmic and unstoppable.

So, does Quarterbar have his own style? Not really. But all of his best tracks share one thing in common: they value the vocals over the beat. And for this reason, they�re great.

[buy stuff here]