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Dubbed & Freq'd by TobyMac  | CD Reviews And Information | NewReleaseToday

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Dubbed & Freq'd [edit]
by TobyMac | Genre: Pop/Rock | Release Date: March 27, 2012
 

Tobymac returns with his first new remix record in 7 years. Dubbed & Freaked features new remixes of several of the biggest songs from his albums Tonight and Portable Sounds. Toby’s unique blend of rock, pop, hip hop and urban styles is perfect for the remix treatment and brings an entirely new sound to his songs.

Track Listing
Click here to add a video. Click to add lyrics if not listed.
01. Made to Love (Telemitry Remix)
02. No Ordinary Love (G-Man Remix)
03. Showstopper (Capital Kings Remix)
04. City on Our Knees (Golden Snax Remix)
05. Tonight (Capital Kings Remix)
06. Hold On (Telemitry Remix)
07. Get Back Up (Broke Remix)
08. Boomin (UTB Remix) (Featuring Shonlock)
09. Lose My Soul (Shoc Remix)
10. Captured (KP Remix)
11. Ignition (Hot Wired Remix)
12. Start Somewhere (X-Zach'd Remix)

Entry last edited by kingtiger on 02.29.12

Christian CD Reviews
(7) Total Review(s) | Average NRTeam Rating:
Rated 4 Stars
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Another Solid Reimagining | Posted March 16, 2012
It’s rarity that a remix album of any sort goes on to achieve a high amount of success. Typically, they’re a nonchalant side project an artist releases in between albums to offer a fresh take on some of their staple songs. They hardly sell well, are never played on radio and if anything, mainly go on become a collectors piece for diehard fans to enjoy.

And then you have tobyMac, whose 20-years-plus career in music has been anything but “typical.”  

Back in 2003, he released ReMix:Momentum, taking songs off his first solo effort, Momentum, and giving them the tobyMac treatment with a funky, fresh edge. The album was a hit and the remix of “Love Is In The House” became a favorite among fans, even incorporating it into his live show for a number of years.

Having found a niche, a sequel titled Renovating Diverse City, came a few years later, taking the same approach by remixing songs off his critically acclaimed Welcome To Diverse City album. Again, the album found a large amount of success and the New Wave remix of his song “Burn For You,” became one of the most played CHR songs of 2005.
Fans were surprised when two more studio albums went by without the release of another remix project. It had become a custom they’d grown to love. Unlike so many of his fellow artists, Toby’s approach to his remix albums comes differently. Not wanting to offer up the same songs for a second time, he likes to take the music he’s already created and serve it up in a way that makes it almost unrecognizable to the listeners, becoming in a way, a whole new album.


After seven years, his first full length remix effort, Dubbed & Freq’d--taking popular songs from 2007’s Portable Sounds and 2010’s Tonight--is coming as a much-awaited and welcomed treat to longtime listeners.

Made To Love (Telemitry Remix)” starts the party off on a quirky note, making the move nicely into another fan favorite, a club infectious and fun version of “No Ordinary Love (G- Man Remix.)” A stellar retelling of one of Toby’s newest tunes, “Showstopper (Capital Kings Remix) comes next and serves as my favorite mix on the record. Taking the best parts of the original version and highlighting them against an irresistible dance track.

City On Our Knees (Golden Snax Remix)” is one of the more original mixes on the record, and one that fans of mainstream artists such as Usher and Bruno Mars will love. “Tonight (Capital Kings Remix)” would fair well in a club setting, although the guest vocals from Skillet’s John Cooper found on the original are sorely missed.

Hold On (Telemitry Remix)” offers an underlying island vibe, while “Get Back Up (Broke Remix) sounds almost too much like the album version, but is still a fun effort nonetheless. “Boomin’ (UTB Remix) takes one of Toby’s most beloved rock songs and gives it an eerie vibe with the addition of some synth strings in the beat, also a welcomed treat, is a guest rap from former Diverse City band member Shonlock.

Lose My Soul (Shoc Remix),” remixed by none other than Jack “Shoc” Shocklee (producer and husband to rising CCM artist, Beckah Shae) will become yet another favorite, taking one of tobyMac’s most soulful songs and carefully shuffling it into a hip-hop lover’s dream.

The darker “Captured (KP Remix)” brings the focus back onto the lyrics of one of his most worshipful songs, and goes nicely into “Ignition (Hot Wired Remix.)” This mix first appeared as the theme song to Toby’s video blog several years back with a multitude of fans soon asking for it to be released on an album. They’ll enjoy hearing it again. Taking this project home is the utterly chaotic “Start Somewhere (X-Zach’d Remix.)” In true tobyMac fashion, it‘s an electrifying way to go out, and brings to an end an eclectic and lively remix record.

Closing Thoughts:
I’m skeptical when it comes to remix albums. It must offer a batch of killer makeovers to win me over, and very few have achieved this. When it comes to tobyMac’s remix projects however, I’ve always been pleasantly surprised, which is exactly case with tobyMac’s Dubbed & Freq’d. While not as a strong as his two previous remix efforts, it once again brings to light the creative genius tobyMac is known for in his music. It’s a fun and upbeat record fans will love and I hope to see dance radio eat it up.

If you’re new to the music of tobyMac, this probably isn’t the best place to start, his Tonight album painting a much clearer picture for you, but if you’re familiar with the music and are interested in hearing it in a fresh new way, look no further… and prepare to be freaked.


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Pretty Good | Posted September 29, 2013
 This album is rather interesting since it is a remix album. The remixes are better than a lot of other remixes. I would not recommend this album to someone who wants to hear what Tobymac  really sounds like, but for obivious reseaons. 

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One of the best remixers | Posted July 03, 2012
Toby has always been good at remixing his songs, and this album is no exception. He doesn't hesitate to lay down some heavy beats on some of his most popular recent songs, and also does a great job of creating new and fresh melodies for others. This is the first remix project that I have liked enough to buy, and would recomend it to any and all of Toby's fans.


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username2 (375)


4/5 | Posted April 06, 2012
When it comes to remix albums, TobyMac always seems to be a cut above the rest.  That's no exception here as he brings us his latest remix collection of songs from Portable Sounds and Tonight.  The album starts out great with many songs that sound like pure rave material.  It's towards the other half of the album that things start to slide a bit.  Some of the remixed songs sounded a bit boring or similair to the originals but they were still good nonetheless.

Dubbed and Freq'd is a fine collection of remixes that would be acceptable in any sort of party atmosphere.  The first half is stronger then the second half but it still does not take away from the experience.  Give it a listen.


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justink (115)


NOISE | Posted April 05, 2012

This really shouldn't be classified as music. Noise? yes, indeed. 

I mean the songs are mediocre in the first place- and if you are under the age of 15 and are never exposed to good music- then this is a 5 star album for you. However, if you think that a remix of a song should include something more than the addition of sonic elements- you won't want to pick up this album. 

Sonic bleeps and zooms added to the songs- mostly in the same arrangement as the original.

Showstopper is remixed to the point of obnoxiousness.

The only song that I was really feeling was "Tonight" with it's Benni Benassi intro feel. Until the pre-chorus came in. 

 



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A Very Enjoyable Effort | Posted March 29, 2012

(You can also read this review on my dc Talk fansite, dctalkunrestricted.com)

His first remix album in seven years, “Dubbed & Freq’d” is tobyMac’s return to the change-ups that he loves to make and his fans love to hear. It contains a selection of songs from His two most recent studio album - the alt-rock & pop-laced “Portable Sounds” and the uber-poppy “Tonight”. As could be expected from the always-up-with-the-current-trends Toby, many of the remixes contain hints of dubstep, while several others have a very mainstream pop sound. Here is the track-by-track breakdown:

1. Made to Love (Telemitry Remix)
 
This “popstep” track is a fantastic interpretation of the original song. It stays true to the original song's intent, but gives it a hard-hitting backbeat with killer distorted synths.

2. No Ordinary Love (G-Man Remix)
 This is probably my least favorite remix on the album. Although I love the beat & instrumentation, I hate how much the original vocals are sped up - it feels fake, and just ruins it for me. Also, the bridge feels too abrupt - first with that “It’s the re-re-re-re-remix” snippet, and second with that different beat that’s just different enough to make me uncomfortable. But, it is good as a pop-club-dance track.

3. Showstopper (Capital Kings Remix)
This one is sped up too, but unlike the last remix, I REALLY like this one. It’s sped up just the right amount to make the hard-hitting 4-on-the-floor beat work well. It’s a great club remix with more of those buzzy bass synths. It may seem short, but for some reason that doesn’t bother me.

4. City on Our Knees (Golden Snax Remix)
Here is a great, full-fledged dubstep track! Not only is it a great remix, it’s great dubstep - with its sudden drops into silence when the chorus hits, its chopped & pitched vocal snippets, and its fleeting arpeggios, I would love this remix even if I never heard the original.

5. Tonight (Capital Kings Remix)
Here is another club-type remix, and this one is decent by my standards. Could be a bit better, perhaps if the vocals weren’t all but missing from the chorus, and the bass parts didn’t sound like several of the other buzzy, distorted synths on the other dance remixes on this album. But, like “No Ordinary Love”, it’s a good club song, if nothing else.

6. Hold On (Telemitry Remix)
This is the first of the “pop” type remixes, definitely a welcome break from the more club-ish tracks that came before. I almost like this one more than the original song, if only for its more straightforward beats and synth parts that hit just a little bit harder. (Important note on this one: it was originally found on the “deluxe” version of “Tonight”.)

7. Get Back Up (Broke Remix)
If I liked that last remix almost more than the original, then I DEFINITELY “almost-like-this-remix-more-than-the-original” even MORE with this one. It keeps original musical focus just enough and adds just enough new material to make it one of my favorite tracks on the album. It makes it a bit more diverse in its sound, and even a little bit more impactful in the way it feels. For example, I absolutely love the chord changes in the bridge.

8. Boomin’ (UTB Remix) (Featuring Shonlock)
I LOVE this interpretation of this song. It’s got a more hip-hop feel to it, while staying quite pop-ish. I love the way the Toby’s rhythms are changed in a couple places, and I love Shonlock’s intense rap verse. Just an awesome track. (This remix was one of the “bonus remixes” that was released sometime after the original “Portable Sounds”… you can find both of them on digital music stores.)

9. Lose My Soul (Shoc Remix)
This remix was originally given out to Toby’s Twitter followers, and then it appeared on the “City on Our Knees” CD single that came out before “Tonight” was released. At first, I didn’t care for this it too much… although I wanted to, and now I actually like it. It has a heavier beat, and some deceptively simple instrumentation that makes it quite nice to listen to. My only complaint is that it may be too simple in a couple places.

10. Captured (KP Remix)
(This remix also appeared on the deluxe edition of “Tonight”.) I think I DO like this one more than the original. I just like its busier beat more - it seems more creative, and harder-hitting.

11. Ignition (Hot Wired Remix)
This is the other “Portable Sounds” “bonus remix”. It has a very similar sound to the “Boomin’” remix, I think it was made by the same producer? I like this one a lot, but not as much as the “Boomin’” remix.

12. Start Somewhere (X-Zached Remix)
Whoa. This one’s a bit crazy. I’m pretty sure it qualifies as straight-up dubstep, but it’s pretty close either way. It has some insane tempo twisting on it - the remix itself maintains a constant tempo, but the vocals are slowed down in the verses, and twice as fast in the choruses. It actually makes a pretty awesome effect.

All in all, a great release, definitely worth the $10 price tag, even if you’re hardcore enough to already own the five previously-released remixes (like me). If you’ve never really owned a tobyMac album before, this actually may not be a bad place to start, even though it is a remix album.

Favorite tracks:
Made to Love
City on Our Knees
Get Back Up
Boomin’

Least favorite track:
No Ordinary Love

Track that should be put on the radio:
Get Back Up
(because the original was never on the radio, and the remix stands by itself extremely well)

Overall album rating:
4 out of 5 stars



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More than just a remix | Posted March 28, 2012
 If you are in anyway aware of today's pop culture, you have probably heard the word "dubstep" at one point or another. A new type of music that has recently blown up to the likeness of teens and young adults. Because of its sudden rise to popularity, there is also a large group of thos that dislike the new genre. 
tobyMac has been known in the past to release remix versions of his tracks. With the new Dubbed and Freq'd, he has open his music to a larger crowd. He can now open this CD up to those who enjoy the remixes, those who enjoy dubstep and bass beats, those who like the Message, those who like the Electronic pick ups, and even those who have always listened to him through years past. Because of my enjoyment and happiness in this album, I rate it with a 4.5 out of 5


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