Music Industry Students Remix Motown Classics On New Project

Music industry college students from New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, Nashville, Boston, Missoula, and Philadelphia discovered and curated artists for Falcon Mixtape – Motor City Classix, a compilation of re-imagined covers of iconic Motown songs by independent artists.

As part of The Falcon Program, students from each college found the talent to record each song, led the recording process, and played a role in the final production and marketing of the mixtape, which is available today (Nov. 13). On Falcon Mixtape – Motor City Classix, the Program collaborated with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Reservoir Media, who will be pitching the re-imagined songs for film and TV placements.

“Working with the Motown catalog was an eye-opening experience that took me back to the roots of how popular music is structured,” said Maddi Ryan, Boston University student and Falcon scout. “Throughout this project, I did a lot of analysis of the songs themselves which really allowed me to delve into the mindset of the writers and gain an even greater appreciation for the lyrics, structure, and how the foundation of popular music was created.”

“I think one of the biggest takeaways I learned from this project was that sometimes the artists you’re searching for, are right next to you…as long as you keep your eyes and ears open all the time,” said Hofstra student and Falcon scout Matthew Tursi.

“Taking an iconic song from the Motown era and making it my own was a fun challenge,” said vocalist and American Idol alum Robbie Rosen, who re-created Marvin Gaye’s classic “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” “On one hand, you need to maintain the integrity of the song, staying true to everything that made Motown what it was and still is today. On the other, you need to turn it on its head and deliver the song like it’s never been done before. It really pushed me as an artist and producer to think outside-the-box and put my own spin on an old classic.”

ALCON MIXTAPE – MOTOR CITY CLASSIX 
“Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing” performed by JAYK & Zlynn (Louisville, KY); A&R by Nick Meredith & Malachi Mabson
“Baby Love” performed by Lasafro (San Francisco, CA); A&R by Skylar Tucker (American University)
“I Heard It Through the Grapevine” performed by Robbie Rosen (Merrick, NY); A&R by Matt Tursi (Hofstra University)
“Dancing Machine” performed by Joe Cardigan (Chicago, IL); A&R by Nikki Berry (Columbia College)
“Footsteps in the Dark” performed by The End of America (Philadelphia); A&R by Terry Tompkins
“It’s Your Thing” performed by Jaclyn Manfredi (New York City, NY); A&R by Matt Tursi (Hofstra University)
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” performed by Kingsley (Portland, OR); A&R by James Hunt (Belmont University)
“My Guy” performed by Thair (Chicago, IL); A&R by Nikki Berry (Columbia College)
“Sexual Healing” performed by Hylynd (Houston, TX); A&R by James Hunt (Belmont University)
“I Hear a Symphony” performed by Norwell and Ira Wolf (Missoula, MT); A&R by Aerial Martens (University of Montana)
“Distant Lover” performed by JAYK (Louisville, KY); A&R by Nick Meredith & Malachi Mabson

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Jessica Nicholson

Jessica Nicholson serves as the Managing Editor for MusicRow magazine. Her previous music journalism experience includes work with Country Weekly magazine and Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) magazine. She holds a BBA degree in Music Business and Marketing from Belmont University. She welcomes your feedback at jnicholson@musicrow.com.

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