Andy Vaz: Lost & Recovered Data
Persistencebit

VA: Andy Vaz Remixes
Persistencebit

A few years ago, Vladislav Delay lost invaluable demo material when his computer's hard drive (and back-up) collapsed, forcing him to return to earlier takes for the eventual 2004 release Demo(n) Tracks. Recently, Andy Vaz suffered a similar fate when a hard-drive crash caused his own work to be partially lost, forcing him to re-cover and re-edit the tracks that now comprise his Lost & Recovered Data EP. Not that you'd ever know it, by the way, ‘cos the three clubby cuts here sound in no way unfinished. Perpetuating the free-flowing, shape-shifting style Vaz deployed on his recent album debut Repetitive Moments Last Forever, the opener “Dark Changing Patterns” twists and turns throughout its nine-minute reign. Being so central, the groove's transformations are most conspicuous, with the rhythm morphing through spacey funk, jazzy swing, and techno-funk. More direct by comparison (though it too subtly moves through myriad episodes), the B-side's “New Horizons” is dominated by a tight, bass-driven slam that builds hypnotic force through repetition, while the most club-friendly of the three, “Mild October Days” swings mightily.

A sweet companion to Lost & Recovered Data is Vaz's latest, a12-inch collection of First Aid Course remixes courtesy of Farben (Jan Jelinek), Anthony Shake Shakir, Krikor, and Mapstation (Stefan Schneider). Farben drapes trademark textures and sprays tiny blips of acid over a chugging microhouse pulse in his “People Change” overhaul while Mapstation lends an African-styled bump to a swinging techno pulse in his “Second Aid” treatment. In a style not radically unlike Vaz's own, Krikor (Krikor Kouchian) fills his pumping “ Inscrutable Insects” mix with anthropod chatter before Detroit legend Anthony Shake Shakir rocks “Dark Inclination” with infectious, old-school punch. By keeping his sights firmly set on the song's driving rhythms, Shakir's track leaves the strongest impression of the four. Play the original and remix discs side-by-side for optimal listening pleasure.

October 2006