Ben Pierre On Reshaping ‘Elodie’ For The Dancefloor Without Losing Its Core Identity
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Magnetic Magazine Recordings returns with its 45th release, a two-track remix package built around one of last year’s most resonant singles, ‘Elodie’ by Pørtl. Where the original leaned into clarity and restraint, Ben Pierre’s rework focuses on pacing, tension control and melodic depth without abandoning the track’s emotional core.
For Ben Pierre, saying yes came down to instinct. “I loved the whole atmosphere and emotion that the original conveyed - it was smooth, melodic, but what really caught my attention was the topline progression. Listening to it, straight away I knew it was something I could put my own twist on.”
That topline became the anchor. When he opened the stems, his first focus was clear. “The atmospheres, the chords as well as the topline piano that they provided were the first three elements which allowed for me to bounce ideas off from and expand from there. In my productions, I like to have more of a melodic focus, so the MIDI was my first port-of-call to put my own spin on things.”
From there, the project unfolded naturally. “As soon as I heard the toplines, something clicked, and I went straight to expanding on these. The expansion of the melody rendered the project in G minor, and more additional ad-lib melodic features then came about on top of the new elements. First it began with the breakdown and the rise into the drop, then the intro, the drop and the outro - it just all seemed to fall into place quite fluidly, albeit with some experimentation and the usual ‘happy accidents’ that happen in between!”
Energy building was not reliant on one trick. It was layered. “Changing density, especially in the intro and outro phases allow for a driving aspect; to guide people into the track, to give hints and pull people into the journey of the music. Harmonic movement allows for more variation within the project and can enhance the whole ambience of the piece, especially if the melodics work in a ‘call and response’ or complementary technique. Percussive detail also provides helpful variances which can assist with transitions, escalations, as well as a good top-end ear candy element.”
One habit accelerated the process from draft to final. “Structuring for sure, but also focusing and freely experimenting on how I could use my own techniques in the production. One technique I love is to use natural ambiences (birdsong, woodland ambience) as a backing to really hone in on the atmospheric aspect, especially when working on the pad sections.”
He pushed that further by manipulating the original piano. “With the piano top-line stems, I also ran them through a granulator to create a backdrop atmosphere, which assisted me to also bounce new ideas from in the early stages. On top of this, mixing as I went along also helped a lot as everything had its place as the project continued on, leading to a relatively swift closure to the project once it was all complete and finalized.”
You can catch Ben Pierre at Ministry of Sound in London this April:
The result sits comfortably within Ben Pierre’s wider catalogue. Formerly known as Ben Mitchell in the trance world, he has steadily transitioned into organic and progressive house, earning support from Mixmag, BBC Introducing, Gareth Emery, Tony McGuinness, Marsh and Hernán Cattáneo. Recent releases on Sound Avenue, Buddha Bar’s George V Records and David Hohme’s Where The Heart Is have positioned him firmly within the deeper end of the spectrum.
Yet his approach to remixing remains practical and transferable. “Drop all the stems into the blank project file and select which features would be best to keep in order to stay true to the original, but also focus on what elements can be expanded on to make the remix your own. Experiment with the MIDI from the offset - put the chords into a piano roll and experiment with pads, arps, toplines and see how it can be made into something that’s distinctively you. Also, I think that roughly and quickly mapping out the project in terms of structure can help streamline the workflow.”
On ‘Elodie’, that workflow preserved the identity of the original while widening its scope for DJs. The emotional through line remains intact. The pacing stretches. The tension breathes longer. It feels built for extended sets without compromising the melodic heart that made the track resonate in the first place.
Ben Pierre's remix of 'Elodie' by pørtl is available to buy/stream now via Magnetic Magazine Recordings.
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