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Yoko Ono

Give Peace a Chance (The Remixes) (Mindtrain/Twisted)

By Marisa Iacobucci
Published: July 4th, 2008 | 9:00am

The world first heard about "Give Peace a Chance" when it was recorded at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal during John Lennon and Yoko Ono's week-long "Bed-In For Peace" during the Vietnam War. That was back in 1969, but don't be surprised if you start hearing the timeless and evocative message of that historic tune being pounded out, albeit with more electro-urgency, on a dance floor near you. Almost four decades after its original historical recording, Lennon and Ono's world peace anthem is rallying up some new beats. And, yes, you can credit the artistic, musical, and cultural force that is Yoko Ono for bringing back this familiar call to disarm.

Give Peace a Chance (The Remixes) is a series of electro-dance mixes from Mindtrain/Twisted Records, available exclusively in digital form via Beatport.com and the iTunes Music store. Ono added a more upbeat and poetic narrative to the electronic production talents of musical innovators such as Dave Aude, Johnny Vicious, and Tommie Sunshine for an unforgettably contagious take on her legendary mantra. In “Dave Aude's Club Mix,” Ono's lyrics, "Five billion of us standing together / It's time for action / Action is Peace / Think Peace / Act Peace / Imagine Peace. We don't have to do much. Think domino effect," serve as gentle, prophetic calls to action over syncopated beats and samplings. And if the message wasn't clear enough, Johnny Vicious makes sure of it in his “Warehouse Dub Mix” as he draws out Ono's lyrics, stretching, stressing, and repeating vowels and consonants over dizzying cyclical drumbeats and droning bass. Aptly fitting in light of current events, all the mixes speak loudly and poignantly of our current political, social, and environmental shortcomings.

This release — which commemorates the 39th anniversary of this world peace anthem — is chockfull of catchy and contemporary remixes (and even more proof that there's no stopping Ono), but it also serves as a sobering reminder that we haven't moved forward enough on a global scale to be able to sing a different tune.

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