Nirvana Techno Tribute Turns 27 Cobain Songs Into Dance Tracks
Twenty-seven Nirvana songs re-emerge as pulsating electronic music cuts on the new covers album Come as You Are: Nirvana Reimagined as House & Techno.
The tribute from electro collective TECHROW arrived on Oct. 1. And in the spirit of late Nirvana bandleader Kurt Cobain's championing of gay rights, it will help support the LGBTQIA+ community, with a portion of proceeds going to GLAAD and other outreaches.
Produced by electronic musicians Jonathan Hay and Cain McKnight, the album's number of tracks honor the 27 years since Cobain's death as well as the 27 years he was alive. The effort sports appearances from fellow EDM-minded artists such as The Knocks' JPatt, 41X, Sara Cooper, Maurice Brown (Anderson .Paak) and Chip E. (Frankie Knuckles), plus rockers Scott Page (Pink Floyd) and John Norwood Fisher (Fishbone).
The tribute's version of "Something in the Way" first emerged in April via The Advocate, the LGBT-interest magazine that once interviewed Cobain. The Reimagined take on the Nevermind track features contributions from transgender activist Daniella Carter.
Carter said, "In this unprecedented time with so many state legislators introducing anti-trans bills, it's more important than ever that we have allies who speak up like Kurt Cobain did: 'If you're a sexist, racist, homophobe or basically an asshole, don't buy this CD. I don't care if you like me, I hate you.'"
Hay remarked that Cobain "was a supporter of LGBTQ+ when it wasn't politically correct to be so. He's about love and positivity, which is what house music is all about. So, it just made sense for us."
Last week, a video for the Reimagined "Come as You Are" cropped up online around the same time the tribute album was released. See the clip further down the page.
"When you dive into it, you can tell the band was so tight," Hay added of Nirvana. "You can feel the core values that he had. The deeper [you dig], you see their messages and beliefs and everything else. I think this will be cool to bring people into that awareness."
Visit Hay's website at jonathanhay.co and listen below.