New ways to sing in “Sine Language”

Electronic duo The Crystal Method, composed of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, released its newest project The Sine Language EP on Nov. 16. The Sine Language EP is a compilation of remixes of the single “Sine Language” featuring electro-hop duo LMFAO, from the Crystal Method’s fourth studio album, Divided By Night.

Producers such as Richard Vission, Omega, Von Ukuf, Future Funk Squad, Moonbeam, Datsik and Metasyn reworked “Sine Language” to add varying sounds to the original track. The track was initially a lighthearted single with the goofy lyrics characteristic of LMFAO, the group behind the popular party tracks “I’m In Miami Bitch” and “Shots,” paired with intense and wobbling beats.

The Sine Language EP begins with the single edit of “Sine Language,” a track that warms up the listener before the more intense tracks that follow. The focus of this track is less on the beat and more on the featured group.

The relatively simple beats go well with the vocal line, ridiculous rhymes that the listener will find hard to take seriously, such as At the club the line is long / How long? / About as long as my ding-illy-dong.

The next track, a remix by Richard Vision, brings a darker feel with a stronger, quicker bass and more percussion. It is one of the most successful remixes, cleverly pairing LMFAO’s lines and the beat. The listener only hears the first few lyrics of the song, so the aim of this track seems to be to get the crowd moving, not feature the artists.

Following the Vision remix is an adaptation by Future Funk Squad. This track has a more ethereal, less intense feel. It begins with a synthesized instrumental introduction, followed by LMFAO’s first lines of Blast that sh-t into outer space, repeating until the bass is dropped.

The Moonbeam remix of “Sine Language” follows, and begins with haunting sound effects then slowly escalates until an instrumental melody is introduced. Throughout this track, the vocal line is completely distorted: rewound, fast-forwarded and slowed.

Additions to the track such as sounds of cheering fans increase the complexity of texture, though not necessarily the quality of the remix.

Well-known dubstep producer Datsik’s remix follows this, beginning with LMFAO’s rap sped up over a growing siren sound. Datsik’s remix is characteric dubstep, with a wobbling bassline and thick instrumentals.

Although a successful remix, the distorted bass line is able to stand alone — the vocals add to the texture of the track but are overshadowed by the manipulation of the beat.

Following Datsik’s remix is one by Metasyn, presenting a completely different mood. It begins with a much more mainstream and catchy guitar line. A weaker beat makes this track a different kind of dance track; the light-hearted mood relates best to the ridiculous vocal line.

The Omega remix is next on the EP, and brings back the darker mood of Datsik’s remix. Although successful in adding unique features such as loud talking in the background of the track, Omega’s remix has little variation — the same beat is repeated throughout, and the vocals are heavily processed but not made any more interesting.

Von U-KUF’s remix is the second to last on the album, and provides a refreshing take on “Sine Language.” It begins with a simple beat, adds synthesized instrumentals and then layers multiple parts of LMFAO’s line on top of itself. This is a lighthearted remix, reminiscent of Daft Punk’s optimistic “One More Time.”

Ending the album is the Dylan Holshausen remix, thick with percussion and rewound vocals. The variation of the synthesized melodies paired with contradicting big beats and tinny percussion makes it quite a successful and intriguing track. It is easy to picture crowds moving to this song, which would fit in at any rave or party.

Despite the creative attempts of all the producers, The Crystal Method’s overall dark and hardcore sound would be better represented with a different selection — the ominous feel of Divided by Night and other previous albums is completely missing from this EP.

The remixes could have been more interesting with a different, stronger rap as well as a more serious feel that better matched the accompanying music.

However, the EP does present a great variation of remixes that will get the crowd dancing. LMFAO’s joking lyrics and partying attitude added to The Crystal Method’s electronic roots create a pairing that will appeal to a wide variety of listeners.