Danny Elfman Teams Up With Death Grips’ Zach Hill for ‘Kick Me’ Remix

Danny Elfman has released a chaotically glitchy remix of his song “Kick Me,” created by Death Grips drummer and producer Zach Hill.

“I was a big fan of Death Grips and Zach Hill’s work, and so appreciative to have him jump in with his creative energy,” Elfman said in a statement. The track features vocals, guitars, and synths by Elfman, drums by Josh Freese, guitars by Warren Fitzgerald, bass by Stu Brooks, percussion by Sidney Hopson and Joe Martone, and strings by the Lyris Quartet (Kraftwerk, Ben Harper).

Elfman released the original version of “Kick Me” on March 11th, following his plan to release a new song on the 11th day of every month for all of 2021. (“Elf” means “eleven” in German, as it were.) The new singles have included “Love in the Time of Covid,” “Sorry,” and 2020’s “Happy,” which marked Elfman’s first pop single in nearly 40 years.

Elfman is best known as the composer behind The Nightmare Before Christmas, several Tim Burton films, and The Simpsons theme song, but was also the frontman for oddball Eighties band Oingo Boingo, famous for the singles “Dead Man’s Party” and “Weird Science.” Having just signed to Epitaph, it’s possible that a new Elfman solo album may be on the horizon. But in the meantime, he’s set to compose the score for the Marvel film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will be released next year.