Off The Grid

Album: The Mix-Up (2007)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A jazzy instrumental jam by the Beastie Boys? Your ears do not deceive you. In fact, their entire 2007 album The Mix-Up is comprised of instrumentals.

    Their previous album, To The 5 Boroughs, was all rap, so they decided to change course completely, with no vocals and a retro vibe. To get in the spirit, every day they recorded they dressed in getups from 1956-1964 - the band loved costumes, dating back to their "Sabotage" video.
  • The song is called "Off The Grid" because it wasn't locked to a specific tempo in Pro Tools, which they used to record it.
  • Mark Nishita, who played keyboards with the group, co-wrote this song with them and also played on it. When Beastie Boys moved away from sampling and drum machines, Nishita became a crucial component.
  • Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys asks us to admire the the break in the middle of this song, writing in the Beastie Boys Book that it's "one of my favorite musical left turns we ever made."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.