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First off, I love Los Angeles. LOVE IT. Amoeba Records and those in-store performances? Pure gold. Rich musical history. Great weather.

Okay, so my knowledge of L.A. is relegated to a couple quick conversations about the music scene, a weekend-long bender and hands-down one of the best record stores in the country, but suffice to say it has made quite the impression on me. One thing I can concede to from keeping an ear to the underground is that there’s nothing short of a deluge’s worth of “personal agenda” floating around out there. If this sort of solipsistic quid pro quo sported the green sheen of money, then Los Angeles would be swimming in it, face down, somehow able to breathe in its own excess. The sycophantic make the friends, the egoistic make the money, and all the while a blind eye is turned.

Thankfully, when DJs break this mold, they rock the foundations upon which their scenes are fashioned.

So, without further ado, I give you ON OFF ON, moniker for electro wizard Andrew Verner, a fresh face whose work ethic and demeanor is about as solid and seemingly unpretentious as is his music. He’s already making the rounds and paying his dues as an up-and-coming DJ extraordinaire around town. It helps that he’s a genuinely nice guy. It definitely doesn’t hurt that his artistic output has him poised to become the next Arbiter of Awesome.

Tears for Fears - Shout (ON OFF ON Remix) (192 kbps)

His newest remix, a solid, nuanced reworking of the classic track by Tears for Fears, “Shout,” a CreamTeam exclusive nonetheless, doesn’t just merely rock, its hooks refuse to let go, at once both familiar and catchy, yet somehow imaginative and fresh, a whole new monster of a track. In other words, this is bona fide gold. The best part about this remix is how effectively Verner eschews the original song’s vocal melody in favor of a glitchy, syllabic sampling of T4F frontman Roland Orzabal’s lyrics, sequenced to make a whole new (albeit nonsensical) melody. It’s a damn fine reworking of an already interstellar classic.

BONUS: get to know ON OFF ON better. More mp3s to get your dick wet:

Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (ON OFF ON Remix) (192 kbps)

ON OFF ON - Engine Down (192 kbps)

ON OFF ON - Truce (192 kbps)

And finally, a question for Mr. Verner: why are you nicknamed “Princess Cupcake?” Don’t be shy, dude. We’re all friends here, but oh boy, you’ve got some ’splaining to do.

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