With the release of his award-winning self titled album, Justin Vernon, better known as his beautifully sad project Bon Iver, has established himself as a breakthrough indie hit in mainstream music. His sophomore album, Bon Iver, entranced millions, and now fans have a chance to break down the melancholy layers of each track on his most recent album for cash via a remix contest.
Bon Iver, Bon Iver: Stems Project is a “call-to-arms remix contest” that invites fans to recreate Bon Iver’s album with complete creative freedom. Bon Iver has released all ten of the songs on the album’s individual audio stems (which means each individual track of solely the drums, guitar, vocals, or an endless variety of other instruments) for free so that you can really experiment with an already pretty experimental album. If you’re really looking for a challenge, I dare you to remix “Holocene,” which was Grammy-nominated for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
The hugely popular music-streaming service Spotify is sponsoring this contest, which means that your remixes could reach audiences around the world even if you don’t take home the grand prize. Once your remix is uploaded, fans will have a chance to voice their opinions on each other’s creations through Bon Iver’s website and Facebook, Spotify, and Indaba Music, with the ultimate decision falling to Justin Vernon. So no pressure! The best remixes of each song will be compiled and released exclusively on Spotify “for the world to hear.”
Download the stem tracks and enter the Bon Iver, Bon Iver: Stems Project contest here. If you’re looking for inspiration, some impressive submissions have already been posted in the comments. You have until the end of August readers, so what are you waiting for? Fire up that creativity and get moving! You’ve got this.
For more information on Bon Iver:
im doing this, you will see me on this album