Thom Yorke Remixes MF DOOM’s “Gazzillion Ear”

Thom Yorke has shared another remix of the late MF DOOM’s Born Like This track “Gazzillion Ear.” The “Man on Fire Remix” is part of Lex XX, Lex Records’ remix series celebrating the London label’s 20th anniversary. Yorke previously remixed the track—originally produced by J Dilla—in 2009 as an iTunes bonus track for Born Like This. He also teased this new remix as early as 2016, when he co-hosted Benji B’s BBC Radio 1 show. Check out “Gazzillion Ear (Thom Yorke Man on Fire Remix)” below.

Lex Records shared a statement on the collaboration:

Daniel Dumile (RIP) was one of the most prolific artists on Lex, releasing three studio albums as lead vocalist and one as a beatmaker. We spent a huge amount of time with him in the 2010s. He’ll be missed always.

J Dilla and MF DOOM only made a handful of tracks together. The best was “Gazillion Ear,” built around a massive Giorgio Moroder sample.

Thom Yorke remixed the track twice. The first version was originally released simply under “Thom Yorke Remix” but he delivered it with the moniker “Monkey Hustle Remix” to differentiate it from the “Man on Fire Remix,” which gets its debut release 12 years after Thom delivered it.

The “Man on Fire Remix” is searing caustic noise on first listen, but in that dense mass of jarring sirens there’s a lurching, jerking funk track that becomes clearer on every repeat.

MF DOOM died in October 2020; his wife announced his death months later on New Year’s Eve. Several collaborations have since been posthumously released, including tracks with Your Old Droog and IDK, a remix from the Avalanches, and a full collaborative LP with Czarface.

Thom Yorke recently debuted the Smile, a new band with Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner, at Glastonbury.

Read “10 Songs That Show Why MF DOOM Was the Ultimate Rapper’s Rapper” on the Pitch.