Nitrada: Four Remixes
2.nd rec

Four Remixes presents radical overhauls by Apparat, Lawrence, Telefon Tel Aviv, and Turner of three tracks from Christophe Stoll's early 2004 outing We Don't Know Why But We Do It. While the remakes retain recognizable components of the Nitrada originals, they strike the ideal middle ground between homage and reinvention. In his elegant Lawrence makeover of “Everything Is Not Alright,” Peter Kersten imbues the original's spectral atmospheres with his customary autumnal sparkle and lush swaying rhythms, while Paul Komine's Turner-ized “No. 4” opts for a delectable soul-funk feel in its first half and adds increasingly acidic synth arpeggios in the second.

Just how amenable the material is to other artists' interpretations is shown by the two versions of “Fading Away.” Both retain the song's melancholy aura and Kaye Brewster's sultry vocal but Sascha Ring's Apparat treatment boosts the original with an aggressive electro attack of punchy beats, pummeling fills, and dense strings that escalates to an ecstatic peak near track's end. Marrying blissful slide guitar and melodica with tactile machine clatter and Rhodes sprinkles, Telefon Tel Aviv gives the song an irresistibly dreamy 'laptop soul' treatment that would sound right at home on Map of What Is Effortless. All four interpretations are not only excellent but stylistically diverse, making Four Remixes a worthy complement to the Nitrada full-length.

April 2005