The keen reader might remember Upstate New York’s alt-pop duo Reality Distortion. Featuring the project in November, we proudly celebrated ‘Rat Race’ as “blending cinematic, ethereal and dreamy textures with gritty guitar tones and grunge-flavoured punch”. We stand by our words: the American duo champions a peculiar, original pop brand, a formula that’s equally evocative and industrial, the perfect balance between light and darkness. Following up on the record, Reality Distortion are now back with a special release, a remix of ‘Rat Race’ by Brooklyn-based producer Ryisfly.
Transforming the track into a club-powered, intense aural anthem, Ryisfly manages to maintain Reality Distortion’s leftfield allure, all the while making the record suitable for a rowdy, late-night dancefloor. The release is centred on a wider community-building strategy, being chosen as a result of a remix challenge hosted in partnership with ADHDBEATMAKERS, a community of independent producers, and sponsored by Hermetic Minds, Neuroast Mushroom Coffee, and Mottos T-Shirt.
Delving deeper into the choice of opening up their music to their community, Devon and Linnea explain: “We spend years in a room making things that almost no one hears until they’re done. Opening the song up was a way of inviting people in. Daring them to dream again, the same thing the song is asking people to do.” We particularly appreciate and love such an expansive idea: making their material collaborative, Reality Distortion aim to develop a like-minded community of dreamers and an engaged fanbase.
Recommended! ‘Rat Race (feat. Ryisfly) [Remix]’ now: