Fuxmup (Independent)

Fuxmup is a daring if utterly misguided calling card from local rock and hip-hop producer Doug Naugler, who’s made backing tracks for Todd Francey, Kyprios, and Sweatshop Union. In an effort to stand apart from the countless unofficial remix compilations floating around online, Naugler has set his sights impossibly high, tackling 10 classic songs ranging from the Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” to Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Any attempt to improve those tunes is destined to fail, of course, but Naugler’s banking that their classic vocal hooks will keep listeners around long enough to give his beats a chance.

Naugler applies what might best be called the Jock Jams approach, preserving the vocal line and replacing the instrumental with shiny synthetic tones and thumping house beats. His rendering of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” is emblematic, as he swaps out the original’s haunting mariachi horns and trotting waltz rhythm for cheesy preset keyboards and four-on-the-floor handclaps. In the process, he takes one of the pop canon’s most brilliantly conflicted ballads and turns it into the soundtrack for the worst acid trip you could imagine. It’s a ballsy move on Naugler’s part, but an embarrassing one.