With entries having closed on January 1st it has been a tense few weeks of deliberation as Tom and Andy of Groove Armada judged the submissions in our ITM remix comp for their new single I Won’t Kneel. The band are about to embark on an Australian tour, headlining the Boiler Room on the sold out Big Day Out tour, as well as taking time to play their own sideshows in Sydney and Melbourne, all in aid of launching their new album Black Light. To celebrate its release we offered up the stems for their latest single, and asked the producer community of ITM to turn in their best rework. The entries arrived thick and fast, and Groove Armada have now selected their winner.

Congratulations are in order for MT Wallet – the production moniker for Perth DJ SteveH – who impressed Tom and Andy with his Chi ‘Cos It’s Summer Mix of I Won’t Kneel. When we called Steve to let him know of his win, he was understandably chuffed, and he also gave us an insight into how he approached the remix. “Having listened to the original mix of I Won’t Kneel several times I was immediately struck by how much Groove Armada’s music has evolved since their earlier work,” he explained. “So I went back to the beginning, so to speak, and listened to their back catalogue with the aim of producing something that replicated the sound of days gone by.”

Running a setup of Ableton Live Suite 8.1 with a Novation Nocturn midi controller and Akai MPK49, Steve kept the original vocal almost untouched, but set about giving his remix a ‘live’ feel. “Once I started, I knew that the vocals of SaintSaviour and the work that Tom and Andy had done in producing them should be allowed to stand on their own – everything I did needed to draw the listener to the vocals. I also wanted to create a remix that felt ‘live’.” He even roadtested his remix when DJing at Perth nightclub Geisha on Christmas Eve, before going back to tweak it one last time.

He’s won himself a double pass to the Big Day Out in Perth with a spot side of stage to watch Groove Armada as they close out the Boiler Room, and of course a copy of the new album. Keep your ear to the ground for further remix comps on ITM throughout 2010.

Winner:
MT Wallet’s Chillin Cos It’s Summer Mix

Runners Up:
Dave Winnel Mix
Stanny Abram Remix
Chris Corby Remix