Objectively Good or Bad?

To begin this post I would like to say that it’s harmful to label things as objectively good or bad because frankly there’s always an upside to things and there’s always downside. Labeling something as either good or bad refuses to acknowledge that the other side exists in a piece which is damaging not only to the creator but also to the consumers because it dulls their eye for criticism if they plainly accept something as objectively good or bad. In terms of remixing, this goes the same way. The question “What makes a good remix?” generalizes the supposed remix as good so while I will discuss qualities that enhance a remix, I don’t want to confuse good qualities with an objectively good remix. Not to mention, what I think it is a good quality of a remix isn’t exactly what someone else thinks is a good quality. Regardless let’s dive in.

The best quality of a remix in my opinion is balance. A new piece is created yet it still has to have prominent elements of the piece which it is remixing without it being too similar. Balance is a tricky thing and oftentimes people will disagree on whether or not a piece has struck that balance, ultimately it has to come down to the artist’s preference. With balance in mind, I think originality is also an important quality of a remix. If the piece isn’t original enough to be distinct and interesting as a new piece, people will just continue listening to the original instead. I think remixing can be judged on the basis of balance, originality, and overall likability of the piece. All of these judgement points are subjective and that is part of why I believe that pieces cannot be objectively labeled as good or bad because it’s a subjective judgement.