Fool Around With Bran Van 3000

What other contest would give you the chance to mess around with the vocals of Curtis Mayfield?

The Bran Van 3000 remix contest, that's what.

Grand Royal is inviting musical tech wizards to fool around with "Astounded" from their new album Discosis. The winning creation will be a B-side on a commercially released BV3 single. The winner will also get a set of Numark turntables. To enter, you need to visit www.acidgrandroyal.com and download AcidXPress, a recording and production studio for your PC.

You can use this software to slice and dice the BV3 track, or plug your instrument or mike into the back of your computer and play along. According to the Grand Royal people, it's easy to use and is "just bleemin' fun."

Just be prepared for a lot of sitting around as it trickles down onto your computer slower than molasses on a cold day.

Once your masterpiece is completed, you simply upload it to the above web address and then the waiting game begins. If you need something to shake your confidence, you can go to the site to listen to other people's remixes.