Beatport and Warner Music Group have teamed up to launch a competition inviting music-makers to remix Madonna's Ray of Light, the title track from her Grammy-winning seventh studio album, released in 1998 and produced by William Orbit.
From today until September 25th, producers can download the official stems for Ray of Light from Beatportal and redeem a free Excite Audio Drum Machine Lite plugin while they're there. Once complete, remixes should be submitted via LabelRadar, Beatport's online platform designed to help artists connect with labels.
The winner, announced October 15th on Beatportal, will take home a bundle of music gear worth more than $12,000 that includes a pair of IK Multimedia's iLoud Micro Monitor Pro studio monitors, a Lewitt Pure Tube microphone and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO MKII headphones, along with an extensive collection of software from Minimal Audio, UVI and more. Also up for grabs is a vinyl copy of Ray of Light signed by Madonna herself.
The remix contest coincides with the release of Veronica Electronica, a companion album to Ray of Light featuring rare and unreleased remixes by William Orbit, Sasha, BT and Peter Rauhofer. Originally conceived in 1998, the project was ultimately shelved, and the remixes are only now seeing the light of day.
Beatport's Global Remix Challenge gives producers the opportunity to rework iconic tracks from established artists, and past editions have featured Tiësto, The Blessed Madonna featuring Kylie Minogue, and more. The winner of the Tiësto competition, Sparkee, has since racked up over 3.8m Spotify streams for his remix of The Business.
"My appreciation for the art of remixing has been passionate since I started making music," Madonna said in a press release. "The ability to propel boundaries and do the unexpected is something I can relate to as an artist. I look forward to hearing everyone’s interpretation - don’t hold back."
