Reaction-Analysis - Pentatonix's "Daft Punk" medley

[@kathycarias1271]

This not only "got PTX a bunch of fans they didn't have before", it got them their first grammy.

[@NotYourMomma]

Kirstin actually is singing "Around the World" during Avi's "Television" section, and several times afterwards. You missed that in your listing of the songs. Near the end, several times she sings, "we're up all night for good fun ... around the world"

[@jlelliotton]

This was recorded and filmed in the apartment Kevin and Avi were sharing at the time. The video was filmed in the kitchen and the audio was recording in a walk-in closet. All for (apparently) $400 and it they got their 1st Grammy for the arrangement.

[@Gwennedd]

Correct. There would have been extra charges for the sound engineer and finishing visual productions, but yeah...they had booked studio time to shoot and record this, but it was cancelled or unavailable at the last minute, so they used Avi and Kevin's apartment as their studio..

[@Julandran]

Since I haven't seen anyone else mention it, the arrangement was by Ben Bram, who's done a lot of their arranging, especially back then. He originally brought the five of them together specifically to compete on the third season of The Sing-Off. (Clearly, it worked.)

[@margretrosenberg420]

Old pentaholic joke: Kirstin: I found this blue tinsel wig that matches the contacts, so I think I'll go all blue and silver. I have this blue tutu thing I can wear on my shoulders. Scott: Well, I got a new dress shirt. I think I'll wear that. Mitch: I'm just going to wear this comfortable old sweater. Kevin: Hey guys! Look at the cool shades I found! Avi: Wait! You guys are planning to wear CLOTHES?!

[@marablemorgan8292]

They won their 1st Grammy for the video.

[@SuzyBarnett-l9e]

They are SO good! Be sure to see live Kiss From A Rose and O Holy Night. They show how much they have grown!

[@Kazeemi2810]

Where Kevin is going mega beatbox with Avi soloing, Kirsty is actually singing ‘Around the World’ 😁

[@debrawalkermeyer9109]

They perform this live Hollywood Bowl 2022 and they did it off mic in a private performance that I believe was Make a Wish. All the record skipping and voices is them, they can truly almost mix themselves and fade in and out depending if doing background or solo vocals as one example Try New Rules x Are You that Somebody if you want something new that is awesome. Matt and Kevin are fire with the beat and bass and then they all sing like WOW ❤❤❤❤❤

[@mirandameyer237]

Something I admire about this medley is how it's composed to almost have regular pop song structure. Most multi-song medleys kind of leapfrog between them all in a row and then maybe do some mashing up at the end. This one keeps coming back to "One More Time" so that it functions kind of like a chorus, so you get intro (Technologic), chorus, verse 1 (Get Lucky), chorus, verse 2 (Harder Better Faster Stronger), bridge (Television/Around the World), slowed down chorus, and outro (mash everything up). The very different lighting and angles is one of the reasons I think of Television as the bridge, because nothing else in the video looks like that, so it presents itself as an interlude. With the starts and stops you asked about in the "more than ever hour after our work is never over" bit, I'm as sure as I can be without being in the room that they're doing that vocally. I can hear glottal closures on the offsets and glottal stops on the onsets between the little jerks of silence, and that's how I'd do it. You'd need practice to get it as smooth as they have it, but they obviously had plenty of practice, and they'd done less ambitious versions of the same thing live before (e.g., Video Killed the Radio Star on the Sing-Off.) Re: the change in style: they were definitely more experimental in the first half or so of their career thus far. That's another reason I believe they would have done this vocally. The place a cappella was in at the time was very much about experimenting with how to get the voice to make sounds one would think it couldn't to expand what a cappella could be, and Scott and Avi (and Ben Bram) were very plugged into that scene from what I understand.

[@alan-freeman]

You need to catch the "Private Performance" kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqiXinapfb1-nas&pp=ygUUZGFmdCBwdW5rIHBlbnRhdG9uaXg%3D where they stand at the front of a back-stage room and sing with no mic's and captured on a fan mobile device so the sound is not 100% hence catch the official FIRST.

[@kayecastleman6353]

Love your detailed analysis of this oldie. It won PTX their first Grammy, which was for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Capella, I love their early work with Avi, especially the low-production videos like Gold and Evolution of Michael Jackson. Thanks for this trip down memory lane and your enthusiastic appreciation of their singular talents.

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

Personally, I think this is the highest-quality creative thing PTX has ever done. And yes, watch the backstage version of this that was filmed on somebody's cellphone with no mics. It's not perfectly mixed and whatnot, and due to the poor mic the audio quality is not up to the official MV's standard; but you can get a really good idea just exactly how much of what they're doing is pure vocal skill, and just exactly how little post-production they need.

[@reginairvine3919]

They arent using looping vocals, they are simulating the vocals, skips, scratches themselves. There is a private video this.

[@ShinyElfriend]

I agree, every time I see this video, I notice how we get sort of ambushed before we’re ready to leave the feel of the ending of the arrangement. Everyone else has shared the kitchen, $400, Grammy thing that is so remarkable about this, and also told you about the unadulterated backstage and the live concert versions, so yeah, check those out for more insight into what each of them are doing in a performance of this one. I so enjoy your detailed commentary - I always get something I hadn’t noticed before!

[@elvwood]

One of my top three PTX! Thanks for a great analysis.

[@dwfarr]

I like that your blue glasses match Kirstie’s makeup. Recommend their live performance video of Kiss From A Rose.

[@demeraragirl]

That's them doing the looping. They perform this livemany times.

[@sheilatumpach2112]

Yes. You can see several live performances of this on KZbin, one of which is a special green room performance with no microphones or anything else. It proves to the naysayers that everything you hear is just them. No auto tune or other digital changes needed.

[@davidbangtson3109]

Daft Pun is, without a doubt, one of their very best from the early period. Then, they made it such an innovative and inventive way. No wonder they won their first Grammy for it!

[@kimberlybrower925]

I have watched countless reactions to the song and you drew my attention to so many things I had never noticed before. If you haven't reacted to Can't Hold Us, I would love to see you react to that! There is so much in that video to break down as well!

[@sallymaria]

This is one of my favourite Pentatonix songs/musical pieces in any case, but the incredible FifGen video really makes something special. The way they were able to create such impressive visuals in such limited conditions just shows where they learnt the skills that Jimmy Bates is still using as a videographer, and Reilly and McKenzie are using for their own music videos.

[@gerrimesack7166]

Great reaction. Subscribed! I love Pentatonix reactions!

[@yoclark2723]

They were such babies! It was recorded in a closet in Avi and Kevin's apartment and edited on the kitchen table. It got them a grammy. I really like Kirstie's little half smile. I think she was self conscious about it and got it fixed. I miss it in the later videos.

[@Bonofox1]

👉👉Everything they do is FANTASTIC!! GREATEST A capella group EVER! They DO THIS LIVE!! As mentioned check out their live "off mic" private performance. The section you mentioned where Avi was doing a deep hum HE IS ACTUALLY doing a "phaser sound" Go back and check again . On the part where Avi is doing his solo, Kirstie is sing Around The World, a Daft Punk song. They were quite young. This early era we consider as BabyTonix. They won their first Grammy with this arrangement. 3 Grammys and 2 more nominations ONLY A capella group to be ever achieve this PLUS ONLY A capella group to receive a STAR on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame!!! I'm here for ALL you PENTATONIX reactions!!!

[@reginairvine3919]

We will never complain about Avi's wardrobe choice (or lack there of) or that is the most normal look Mitch has ever had..

[@totoro123]

Watched this many times (and many other reactions too), but you did pick out a few new details for me to appreciate it even more. Job done 👍

[@CapriUni]

There's a video out there on KZbin of all 5 of them singing this full medley in what I think is a room in a hospital, for someone's Make-a-wish granting -- without mics. So I'm pretty sure it's all their natural vocal control.

[@jonadabtheunsightly]

There are some noticeable differences between that audio and the official MV audio, but it's mostly quantitative stuff: the official MV has more consistent amplification, for example, and better mixing. It's clear that they don't have to use extensive electronic effects to achieve their sound, because if that were the case, the differences would be much larger. I was impressed.

[@marablemorgan8292]

Yes, they are creating these sounds...

[@kbogue5690]

When you talked about Avi’s bass line during Kirsty’s solo, I’m not sure you realized he was simultaneously making the whistling/synth sound.

[@heavnsmuse]

When Kev is going off.... Kirstin is singing "Around the World", and it pans around from left to right.

[@pjb3583]

Lovely reaction and analysis, so thanks! As for the visuals, please don’t apologize for obscuring and flipping the video. Most of us have seen these videos dozens of times, and we’re really here to revel in the new experience you’re having. It’s one way we can recapture our own delight in discovering just all they can do. Whatever you have to do to get them to post is fine. BTW, Kevin got to wear the Jodie (sp?) glasses because he just couldn’t tolerate the contacts, and you can tell that Avi wasn’t comfortable either but powered through. I think the editing on this piece is superb, it so enhances the music. Peace …

[@Jennifer_J_C]

Thanks David 😊

[@anna9072]

Wow, I’m never first! And as long as I’m here, I’m going to ask you to cover “Hi, Ren” by the independent artist Ren. I guarantee that it will blow your socks off. And no copyright issues, he encourages reactors.

[@margretrosenberg420]

You know about SuperFruit, don't you? In case you don't, SuperFruit is the private KZbin channel Mitch and Scott were posting to until 2019. In one of their videos from around this time, Scott talked about bleaching his hair. I don't think it was specifically for this video, like Kirstin's blue wig; it was just a look that he wanted to try out, and it didn't last long.

[@musicalmags2010]

Check out their original EDM song 'Love Again' ( written by Avi & Kevin) performed live on an NYC radio station to see how they can produce amazing sounds with just their voices 😏 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z32ZhpWZbq6Ia5I

[@margretrosenberg420]

31:19 Actually, I'm pretty sure Mitch IS singing on an in-breath there.

[@yvetteblanche-thompson258]

This is Daft Punk live at the Hollywood Bowl (which I was at) kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2mzi2qVgLJ6g5Ysi=qH2i_TpIoUH6eaSj

[@marablemorgan8292]

⚡⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥⚡⚡

[@anna9072]

I’m pretty sure that the vocals are all unmodified, all the effects are vocal. And apparently this was all recorded in the closet of Avi and Kevin’s apartment, and filmed in the kitchen. With a budget of $800. That’s the lore, anyway.

[@margretrosenberg420]

Scott said the budget was $400. Actually, I think that was what they PERSONALLY put into it and didn't include the money Madison Gate (their publisher at the time) put into it, such as paying FifGen, the very creative folks who filmed it. That's speculation, however, based on the list of things he said the $400 was paying for, like makeup and a single ring light. As for the vocals, notice those abrupt skips, like the tape just jumped back a fraction of a second? When they did the same thing in the private performance those weren't as crisp. I think those were done in editing. Otherwise, you're entirely right; those are their real voices throughout.

[@marablemorgan8292]

Remember, PTX only does upgrades...

[@jlelliotton]

If this is your 1st time watching this, then you should watch their no microphones "private performance" kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqiXinapfb1-nas They do "looping" with just their voices

[@margretrosenberg420]

We are well aware of the problems reactors have with keeping their reactions up. WE'VE already seen the video, multiple times. That isn't what we're here for; we're here for your reaction. As long as you aren't blurring your own face, we're cool with it. But I'm concerned because you didn't obscure it at all on the second run through. Is this going to get your reaction taken down?

[@marablemorgan8292]

Articulation can be critical! hehehe

[@marablemorgan8292]

They're rather chameleon-like in this....

[@marablemorgan8292]

Tron