Q-Burns Abstract Message, aka Michael Donaldson, has very graciously allowed Boing Boing Video to use his work in our daily video episodes and in BB's (currently-dormant) audio podcasts. I love his stuff, and was excited to hear of a new project he did to help an organization that works to promote health care and sustainable technology in Africa. Michael explains:
OPEN Remix is a charity album conceived by the partnership of renowned African vocalist Youssou N'Dour and global non-profit organization IntraHealth International. IntraHealth's primary mission is to create sustainable, accessible health care by mobilizing local resources. The purpose of the OPEN Remix album is to put a spotlight on open source technology and how it can be used to advance health care in Africa. (…) I was honored to be asked by N'Dour and the project's organizers to do a remix of the flagship song "Wake Up."
I had a blast with this mix and worked on it for a solid month, adding many of the instruments and endlessly tweaking the sound in an attempt to help it live up to the gravity of the project. You'll hear my trusty Fender Stratocaster and Jazz Bass guitars, a bit of tape echo, some Roland Juno-106 action, and the gentle backing vocals of Neneh Cherry. I think you can tell I'm quite proud of this and I think it's safe to say this production may foreshadow some of the future music you'll be hearing from me.
Another fascinating aspect of this project is that since it is rooted in the concept of open source technology N'Dour and IntraHealth have opted to give the songs away and to encourage sharing. In other words, you are more than welcome to download my remix for free and pass it around, post it, Tweet it, embed it, etc. In fact, I'm encouraging you to do just that. I've also got the remix on my MySpace music page in the player so you can add it to your MySpace playlist if you'd like.
* Q-BAM Remixes Youssou N'Dour (q-burnsabstractmessage)
* Press release on the music project: "IntraHealth OPEN Initiative and Youssou N'Dour Release Charity Album to Fund Open Source Training for Health Workers in Africa," and video press release is below. website: Intrahealth International, and here is Youssou N'Dour.
