Remixes: Other Ways of Hearing 2020.
And a few re-imagined gems from the past.
Technology is a time stamp. In the area of music, where tastes (and the tools of creation) change with the wind, it’s sometimes possible to guess the date of a recording just by the sounds. A certain kind of thundering rock drum attack can provide passage back to arenas circa 1977; the room ambience on many jazz records signals live-to-tape recordings from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s; buzzy, high-energy analog synthesizers connote the cocaine-dusted Human League jitter of the early 1980s.
Among the artifacts of 2020 that may draw the attention of future historians: Remix projects. It was a healthy year for them – both in terms of collections of older works and re-imaginings of current creativity. Below, a few that spoke to the fragile psyches and cultural maelstroms of 2020….
DUA LIPA: Club Future Nostalgia. From one angle, this frenetic collection is the best way to engage the phenomenon of British siren Dua Lipa. Featuring reworkings of the material from her wildly praised second album Future Nostalgia, the “Club” treatments weave DJ breakdowns and radio callouts and unevenly chopped rhythm transpositions into a boisterous and occasionally riveting nightlife simulator. 15 producers were involved, and as a result the album is seriously diffuse; when it works, as on the Moodyman reworking of “Break My Heart,” the vibe is that of a clandestine warehouse-district gig in the Before times. Which, it must be said, is no small feat.
KRAFTWERK: Remixes. Art-electronica pioneers Kraftwerk understand the needle-threading involved in remixing: While the outlines of the original material need to be at least momentarily discernable, the atmosphere of the reimagining should transport listeners elsewhere. Kraftwerk has done this masterfully – see the strikingly improvisational 1991 The Mix album, which used previous releases works as the basis for new interpretation. The new set focuses on other artists rethinking the Kraftwerk architecture: There are multiple versions of “Expo 2000,” but the most sparkling and vivid fantasias come from Hot Chip – “Aero Dynamik” and “La Forme.”
THE ROLLING STONES: “Scarlet (The War On Drugs Remix)” from Goats Head Soup. Among the surprises contained in the deluxe remastered version of Goats Head Soup is “Scarlet,” an unissued track featuring guitar provocation from Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Of the two included versions, this one by War On Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel is the gem: Its groove gently stretches the foursquare pattern of the original, and, in keeping with the rest of this project, the beautifully captured guitars sit on the front edge of the mix. Worth hearing even if GHS is not your favorite Stones moment.
100 GECS: 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues. The rococo opulence of the 2019 debut from 100 Gecs keeps bearing new fruit: After the St. Louis duo posted the raw tracks, in “stem” form online, fans both unknown and famous fired up laptops to make new jigsaw puzzles from the source material. This collection spotlights truly out-there fan remixes alongside “pro” ones involving Fall Out Boy and Charli XCX; the overstuffed synthesized tapestries speak with a kind of coded elegance about the chaos of 2020.
TAME IMPALA: The Slow Rush In an Imaginary Place. Here’s a different response to lockdown: A soft-focus headphone-mix reimagining of The Slow Rush designed to sound like a party that’s happening in the next apartment. Some of the individual parts, like drum tracks, might have been changed, but the idea is less about new creativity than imposing a new filter or lens through which to encounter Kevin Parker’s deceptively introspective songs. It’s a bit surreal, and therefore a perfect artifact for the 2020 time capsule. Listen to the album below.
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