RAC (musician)

André Allen Anjos, better known by his stage name RAC, is a Portland-based Portuguese-American musician and record producer.[1][2] RAC has created more than 200 remixes in the rock, electronica, and dance music genres for various musical artists, with his work featured in ads from Citigroup and Hulu, among others.[3] The live, five-piece touring act has been featured at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, Bumbershoot, Corona Capital music festival and Lollapalooza music festival.[4][5][6][7]

RAC
André Allen Anjos
BornPorto, Portugal
Genres
Occupation(s)DJ
LabelsCounter Records
Associated actsAndrew Maury, Linkin Park
WebsiteRAC.fm

Early life

Anjos was born in 1985 in Porto, Portugal, to a US-American mother and a Portuguese father.[8] His family moved frequently and Anjos has stated that he attended “ten different schools” until his parents settled in Santa Maria da Feira, near Porto.[9] Anjos took up playing the piano when he was 6 and got his first guitar when he was 13.[9] He lived in the US for a time with his parents in the mid-1990s[9] and went back in 2005 to study Music, Media, and Entertainment Business at Greenville College in Illinois.[8] At college he met his wife Liz, who was a piano major.[10] They moved to Portland after graduating and have been based there since.[11] As a musician, Liz Anjos performs under the name Pink Feathers.[11] Anjos' parents and brother also live in the US.[9]

Music career

Founding Remix Artist Collective

The Remix Artist Collective was created in January 2007 by André Allen Anjos, after recruiting fellow online remixers Aaron Jasinski and Chris Angelovski. Originally from Porto, Portugal, Anjos founded RAC in Greenville, Illinois, U.S.[12] while he was a student at Greenville College, and became coordinator of the Remix Artist Collective.[13] Later, Andrew Maury (New York City) and Karl Kling (Portland) joined RAC.[8][14] RAC's first release was "Sleeping Lessons (RAC Mix)" for The Shins, earning the remix a spot as a B-Side on the single release for "Australia." The mix, along with several other projects garnered interest among bands like Tokyo Police Club, Bloc Party, and Ra Ra Riot.

RAC's 2008 Sega Vs. Nintendo EP[15] spurred interest by bloggers and earned a headline from the gaming site Kotaku.[16][17] In addition to the mention and posting of remixes by online publications such as Pitchfork Media and Brooklyn Vegan,[18] RAC has received more formal recognition in a full-length feature cover article for the St. Louis Riverfront Times,[3] an online interview with Stereo Subversion,[19] and an exclusive free mp3 debut through Stereogum.[20]

Recent years with solo project

RAC has remixed artists such as Kings of Leon, Lana Del Rey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Edward Sharpe, Death Cab For Cutie, Phoenix, Foster The People, Linkin Park, Two Door Cinema Club, Bob Marley, U2, Ella Fitzgerald, New Order, Lady Gaga, Odesza, and Washed Out.[3] RAC released their first original song "Hollywood" featuring Penguin Prison's Chris Glover via Green Label Sound on May 3, 2012. "Hollywood" was the promotional single to the debut RAC original album.[3]

RAC released their second original song "Let Go" featuring Bloc Party's Kele and MNDR on August 20, 2013. This was the second single from their EP "Don't Talk To", released October 1, 2013.[21] RAC's debut studio album as Anjos' solo project, Strangers, was released on April 1, 2014.[22] Anjos now resides in the USA.[13] The title refers to the fact that the album was primarily made on line, with Anjos never meeting most of the collaborators in real life.[8] Outside of remixing, Anjos has done work creating original music content for HBO's Entourage, and was a principal member of the indie-electronica band, The Pragmatic until its end in 2010.[23][24] RAC also composed and performed the soundtrack for the videogame Master Spy.

RAC performed at music festivals including the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Firefly Music Festival, Bumbershoot, the Corona Capital music festival, Ultra Music Festival and the Lollapalooza.[4][5][6][7]

RAC was nominated for a Grammy Award for Say My Name (Odesza featuring Zyra) in 2016.[25]

Its remix of Bob Moses' "Tearing Me Up" won Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017.[25][26]

RAC played a major role in the production of Linkin Park's seventh studio album One More Light.[27]

RAC frequently collaborates with Pink Feathers, the music project of Anjos' wife, Liz Anjos.[28][29] They met at college in Illinois and moved to Portland, Oregon after graduation.[11] Besides being a musician, Liz Anjos is also a sub-3-hour marathoner.[10]

Style and influences

The vision of the Remix Artist Collective was to maintain a style of remixing that strays from the "club mix" archetype, creating new incarnations of songs that stem from the original structure, but expand on their genre and musical arrangement. Early RAC mixes typically feature a blend of hip-hop and vintage drum machine samples, analog synthesizers, melodic hooks, and original instrumentation performed by the remix artists themselves.[3]

Annie Zaleski of the Riverfront Times wrote of Anjos' style: "Unlike many electronic remixes, which are commonly technical and precise, RAC mixes embody a unique aesthetic built on emotion and nuance, an almost intangible warmth and innate playfulness."[3] Anjos' signature remixing sound is in large part a result of some of his equipment, notably, a 1982 Roland Juno-60 and 1973 Univox MiniKorg, though he has also been known to manipulate analog tape machines to achieve effects, and primarily works with Ableton Live to do so.[3]

Members of Remix Artist Collective
RAC
Background information
Also known asRemix Artist Collective
OriginPortland, Oregon, U.S.
Genres
Years active2007 (2007) – present
LabelsCherrytree, Interscope
Websiteremixartistcollective.com
MembersAndré Allen Anjos
Past membersAaron Jasinski
Chris Angelovski
Andrew Maury
Karl Kling
Current members
  • André Allen Anjos
Former members

Discography

Albums
Year Title Release details
2010 Holy Rollers OST
2012 Chapter OneRemix compilation
2014 Strangers Interscope/Cherrytree (Mar 3, 2014 / Apr 1, 2014)[30]
2015 Master SpyOriginal soundtrack, Battlestation Records (Sep 11, 2015)
2017 EgoCounter Records (July 14, 2017)
2020 BoyCounter Records (May 8, 2020)

EPs
Year Title Release details
2008 RAC VOL. 1Stereogum (2008)[20]
Nintendo VS Sega2008[31]
2009 RAC VOL. 1.52009[32]
2011 Nintendo VS Sega 2
RAC VOL. 22011[33]
2013 Don't Talk To
2014 Cheap Sunglasses (Remixes)
2015 Back of the CarRemix compilation, Battlestation Records (Oct 16, 2015)
2019 Closer2019

Singles
Year Title Album Release details
2010 "If You Forget Me" (ft. Liset Alea) Holy Rollers OST Self-Released
2012 "Hollywood" (ft. Penguin Prison) Strangers Green Label Sound[34]
2013 "Let Go" (ft. Kele and MNDR) Cherrytree/Interscope
2014 "Cheap Sunglasses" (ft. Matthew Koma)
2015 "We Belong" (ft. Katie Herzig)
"Back of the Car" (ft. Nate Henricks) Non-album single Battlestation Records
"Falling Hard" (ft. Madi Diaz)
"Can't Forget You" (ft. Chelsea Lankes)
"3am" (ft. Katie Herzig)
"One House" (ft. Speak)
"Magic Hour" (ft. Little Boots)
2017 "This Song" (ft. Rostam) Ego Counter Records
"I Still Wanna Know" (ft. Rivers Cuomo)
"The Beautiful Game" (ft. St. Lucia)
"Unusual" (ft. MNDR)
"Fever" (ft. KNA)
2019 "Never Let You Go"
(featuring Matthew Koma and Hilary Duff)		 Non-album single

Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2016 "Say My Name" (RAC Remix) Best Remix Recording Nominated
2017 "Tearing Me Up" (RAC Remix) Best Remix Recording Won

References
  1. "What?". RAC. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  2. "Discovery: RAC". Interview Magazine. 2012-06-28. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  3. Zaleski, Annie. "E-Mix: André Anjos and the Remix Artist Collective leverage initiative, ingenuity and the Internet into an online music force". Riverfronttimes.com.
  4. Goodman, Jessica (6 August 2014). "10 Of Your Favorite Artists Pick The Song Of The Summer (Spoiler: It's Not 'Fancy')". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  5. Miller, Jeff (13 April 2015). "RAC & Penguin Prison Talk Coachella, Collaborating & Pool Parties". Billboard. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  6. "Firefly Music Festival 2014 Lineup". Festrip. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  7. Mansfield, Brian (29 April 2015). "Bumbershoot gets Goulding, The Weeknd". USA Today. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  8. DeRosa, Nicole (December 4, 2014). "Q&A with Artist + Producer, André Allen Anjos – The Man Behind RAC (Remix Artist Collective) Who Has Remixed For: Lana Del Rey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Phoenix, Releases Debut Album". Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  9. "Up Magazine – TAP Portugal » André Allen Anjos, Portland". upmagazine-tap.com. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  10. Myers, Jason (2017-07-31). "How Running And Music Intersect For RAC's Liz Anjos". PodiumRunner. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  11. "About". Running Liz. 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  12. Scott, Aaron (February 12, 2016). "Portland's Indie Remix Pioneer, RAC, On His Grammy-Nominated Work". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  13. "who? - RAC". Theremixcompany.co.uk.
  14. "Single Review: RAC – 'This Song' ft. Rostam". Wickeddchildd.com. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  15. "Sega Vs. Nintendo EP". Thremixcompany.co.uk.
  16. Leitch. "Weird: A Lions Fan Setting Something On Fire". Kotaku.com.
  17. "Nintendo Vs Sega Ep - Rac". Thremixcompany.co.uk.
  18. "What's going on between Christmas & New Years?". Brooklynvegan.com.
  19. "Home - Stereo Subversion". Stereosubversion.com.
  20. "Stereogum Presents... RAC Vol. 1". Stereogum.com. 10 June 2008.
  21. "Don't Talk To EP, RAC". genius.com. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  22. "Strangers, RAC". genius.com. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  23. "The Pragmatic - Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos". Myspace.com.
  24. "Maxbumps.net". Maxbumps.net.
  25. "GRAMMY Award Results for André Allen Anjos". GRAMMY.com. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  26. "RAC Follows Grammy Win With 'This Song' Featuring Rostam: Premiere". Billboard. April 4, 2017.
  27. One More Light- Linkin Park–Download and listen to the album Qobuz Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  28. "Interview: RAC on better songs through remixing, the mythology of a touring band, and shady college promoters". Vanyaland. 2015-11-03. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  29. "RAC ft. Pink Feathers - "Simple Kind of Life" (No Doubt Cover)". complex.com. December 14, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  30. "Strangers by RAC on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com.
  31. "RAC". Remixartistcollective.com.
  32. "RAC VOL 1.5". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014.
  33. "RAC". Remixartistcollective.com.
  34. "Green Label - A Mountain Dew Venture". Greenlabelsound.com.
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