The enigmatic “U Smile 800% Slower” has become a sensation on the web. “U Smile,” the second single from Justin Bieber’s new album, was slowed down 800 percent and uploaded to the web by Nick Pittsinger, a 20-year-old aspiring music producer in Florida. The song’s trippy atmospherics have attracted more than 1.7 million plays online. You can listen to the 35-minute “U Smile 800% Slower” here.
“U Smile 800% Slower” is eight times as long as the original four-minute pop song , turning the high-pitched bleats of the pubescent signer into primal howls and cries that seem to linger forever. The song is reminiscent of late ’90s work from Icelandic singer Bjork, with Biebert’s voice heavily deconstructed and eerily intimate. This YouTube video is a watered-down version of the “U Smile 800% Slower”.
Compare this with the original “U Smile” which sounds much less memorable.