Chameleon of pop David Bowieis set to give fans a chance to remix his classic hit ‘Space Oddity’ in time for the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.
‘Ground control to Major Tom…’
40 years on and ‘Space Oddity’ remains one of David Bowie’s most recognised tracks. With its atmospheric production and futuristic lyrics the single caught the public’s imagination during the summer when humanity walked on the moon.
Yet at the time is was seen as a one hit wonder. Bowie had trawled the R&B circuit before turning his hand to novelty psych-folk, and was seeking to re-invent himself again. Ahead lay ‘The Man Who Fell To Earth’ – arguably the first step Bowie took to becoming a glam rock icon.
Continually changing his music and his outfits, David Bowie led fans on a merry chase during the 70s as he shifted and defined trends in rock music. Now a venerable figure in British music, way back when the singer could provoke outrage purely by throwing his arm around guitar player Mick Ronson on Top Of The Pops.
David Bowie is set to look backwards with an unusual new release. Scheduled to coincide with the 40 anniversary of the moon landings ‘Space Oddity EP’ will consist of four variations on the classic track.
However in an unexpected twist David Bowie is also set to release the stems of the song. The component parts of the track, stems are used in remixing with fans being able to add or subtract as many elements as they want.
In addition to this, fans will be able to remix the track as they move around. The new iPhone application iKlax allows users to create music, and the new release of ‘Space Oddity’ will be compatible with the remarkable new program.
Partly inspired by seeing Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ the song remains one of the best loved of Bowie’s career. In fact, the songwriter later returned to the Major Tom character in ‘Ashes To Ashes’ – though albeit in a radically revised format.
David Bowie is set to re-release ‘Space Oddity’ on July 11th. Tracklisting is as follows:
Space Oddity (original UK mono single edit)
Space Oddity (US mono single edit)
Space Oddity (US stereo single edit)
Space Oddity (1979 re-record)
