Awesome Vocals

The NetMusic YouTube channel specializes in isolating vocals from the music in various songs. This edit is a true gem, highlighting the amazing vocal talents of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush as they perform their 1986 duet Don’t Give Up. After listening to this, it feels like the music was almost unnecessary.

Daft Punk were masters at incorporating talkbox and Vocoder effects in their music. Nashville-based musician Russ Pahl shows off his skills with an excerpt of the robots’ track Within, performed on a pedal steel guitar, with his vocals processed through an analog talkbox. We also enjoyed Russ’ otherworldly tune Butt Call from Mars.

Shonkywonkydonkey has performed Weezer’s Undone and Radiohead’s OK Computer using his voice in place of all of the instruments. Now, he brings us some sunshine in a bag with his unique spin on Gorillaz’s self-titled 2001 album, including great tracks like Tomorrow Comes Today, Clint Eastwood, and 19/2000. 

Musician Wendel Gama doesn’t just impersonate Michael Jackson’s look and dance moves, he’s got the voice to back it up. If you close your eyes and listen to his performances of Billie Jean, You Are Not Alone, and Remember the Time, you’d be hard-pressed to tell it isn’t The King of Pop reincarnated. He also does Tiny Tim.

The Clash’s London Calling is arguably one of the greatest albums ever. In terms of its messages and music, it’s incredible. Ieatmdf extracted the vocals from every song, giving us an amazingly fresh perspective on the Brits’ 1979 punk record. It’s hard to decide which is our favorite, but we’re leaning toward Rudie Can’t Fail and Spanish Bombs.

Steven Blake of the band Animal Sun has figured out that if you listen closely to some popular songs, the vocals sound like they were sung by another famous person. By showing a photo of the person, your brain will be totally convinced that it’s true. Find more examples on their Instagram reels page.

Same as it ever was… or maybe not. The Talking Heads track Once in a Lifetime is a true classic. Ross Hudson wanted to know what the vocals from the 1980 track might sound like without the music and posted this clip of David Byrne’s isolated voice, which gives the song a whole new texture.

Software engineer Kanru Hua shows off an impressive application he’s currently working on – a synthesizer that can emulate different vocal styles and sing in multiple languages. It shows quite a bit of promise, and could take on the big dogs like Vocaloid and CeVIO.