The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Presents: Run The Jewels & TV On The Radio - "Angel Duster" Live Remix (Mass Appeal Records)
"I did [approach TVOTR]. They have been my friends for years and I knew it could be something special," @therealelp replied when asked by a fan what the story was behind Run The Jewels' Colbert-facilitated collaboration with "the most under-rated band of all time," TV On The Radio. "HUUUUGE shout out to our friends @TVonTheRadio, Kareem Bunton, @littleshalimar, and everyone who made last night happen. Love y'all," El-P exuberantly Tweeted Wednesday morning, following his Late Show with Stephen Colbert performance along with unlikely partner in crime, Killer Mike. El-P and TV On The Radio's working relationship would seemingly date back to around 2006 when El-P was commissioned to remix "Hours" from their Return to Cookie Mountain LP, while Killer Mike was still running with OutKast-affiliated crews Purple Ribbon All-Stars and Dungeon Family. It should additionally be noted that TVOTR lead guitarist and in-house producer Dave Sitek submitted his own remix of Run The Jewels' "Sea Legs," which was later attached onto their 2014 Run The Jewels (Deluxe European Edition) 12" re-issue.
Run The Jewels' blistering high-energy TV On The Radio-backed and string section-assisted "Angel Duster" revision was performed in memoriam of beloved Mars Volta and Jack White keyboardist Isiah "Ikey" Owens, whose last recorded performance was actually on "Angel Duster," as well as friend, Los Angeles-based costume designer, and avid surfer Desiree Zondag; "tonight's performance on [The Late Show with Stephen Colbert] is dedicated to our friends Ikey and Desi... we love you and we miss you." While nothing has been either 100% confirmed or denied whatsoever, I almost wouldn't be surprised if RTJ x TVOTR's Indie Rock-leaning "Angel Duster" revision turned out to be their submission to this year's annual Adult Swim Singles series, which will be unveiled as the series' "closing track" this upcoming October 5th. Although, for the time being, Run The Jewels' RTJ2, a precursor to crowd-funded cat sounds-centric remix album Meow The Jewels, and TV On The Radio's latest album, Seeds are both currently available for your listening pleasure.