Oswald's Plunderphonic Splotch

John Oswald is a composer and media artist best known for his project Plunderphonics. This project consists of the act of creating new music out of already existing recordings. However, the original sounds must still be somewhat recognizable for it to be considered plunderphonic. Plunderphonics, in turn, was inspired by William S. Burroughs’ cut-up method, which is a literary collage technique.

Oswald’s “Dab” is first and foremost a pun on Michael Jackson’s “Bad”, which is the sample for Oswald’s recording. Not only does Oswald reverse the name of the iconic song, but he also plays with the meaning of the English word ‘dab’, commonly used interchangeably with ‘blot’ or ‘splotch’. Hence, the song “Dab” is like a splotch: once it appears, you cannot ignore it and it can leave a permanent mark. It being a plunderphonic recording of Michael’s infamous “Bad” only adds to that notion.

“Dab” begins with the sound of a metronome, and it slowly transitions into percussions. Not even ten seconds into the song, the repeated lyrics “Who’s” appear, already hinting at the sample song but not making it quite clear yet. Twenty seconds in, Michael’s voice repeats the words “bad”, and the background rhythm of “Dab” turns into Michal Jackson’s “Bad.” The listener expects Oswald’s “Dab” to remain similar to Jackson’s “Bad”, however, the song quickly becomes quite chaotic. It succeeds in creating suspension and holding the listener’s attention because every few seconds it seems as if an iconic “Bad” line might burst through the remix. Around 1:40, Oswald adds alien-like sounds and finalizes the fact that this is wholly his work, not Jackson’s.

While this song includes one of the most listened to records in history, it might not be suitable for everyone – and it does not have to be. Oswald created a whole new piece of art with his plunderphonic technique, reusing already successful hits. The amazing thing with this method is that if someone does not enjoy the new version of a song, they can listen to the original sample and still have a good time.