Remix Release: Santana's "Smooth" by Konan Doyle

The Ontario rapper put his own hip hop spin on the late 90s classic.

Ontario hip hop musician Konan Doyle just dropped a groovy remix of a 90s classic- "Smooth" by Santana. Released on his social platforms on February 12, 2021, the remix sprinkles hip hop styles throughout the Latin rock staple. Doyle said he's been sitting on the remix for two and a half years, waiting for the right time to show it off.

"I remember making up a list of popular songs from my childhood to use as samples," said Doyle. "I was just itching to create something catchy and I remembered the iconic guitar piece in "Smooth" being one of those catchy, older tunes."

The rapper says the recording process went fairly quickly, and only took a couple of weeks to finish.

"My producer, Infinite Replay Beats, or Michael Smith, was able to grab key components from the song and chop them up into a completely different genre, making a perfect instrumental to write some rap verses overtop," said Doyle. "This project was only ups, thankfully. Everything went according to plan- we loved the results. Honestly, ‘smooth’ is the best word I can think of in terms of how the production went!"

Doyle's producer had his hands in the entire project.

"I didn’t mix and master the project myself- this was also done by the producer, Infinite Replay," said Doyle. "Everything was recorded in his home studio, also where he did the mixing and mastering. He’s a good friend of mine so we were able to have plenty of fun during it- it truly didn’t feel like work at all."

Fans of the original can now have the best of both worlds.

"I really hope the listeners are hit with that feeling of nostalgia, while also getting drawn in by the new flow and wordplay," said Doyle. "Santana’s guitar riffs and Rob Thomas’ vocals are so familiar to so many and it makes for an already catchy song- we just hope the rapping twist is well received by those who already appreciate the original for the masterpiece that it is."

You can help support Doyle by following his socials below, and watching the rapper perform "Smooth" in the video above.

Upcoming gigs:

(Postponed due to COVID-19.)