Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler Remxes

Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler (Kevin Saunderson remix)" (YSI link)

Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler (Jesse Rose remix)" (YSI link)

Simian Mobile Disco, "Hustler (Shackleton remix)" (YSI link)

I'm still working on the end of the year stuff, but in the meantime I'm gonna put up some things that I had wanted to get to at the end of last year. It was a big year for Simian Mobile Disco, as they dropped their first album, Attack Sustain Delay Release, to critical acclaim and toured the world. Ironically, one of their first singles, "Hustler," which dropped all the way back in the year 2006, continues to thrill and get the remix treatment.

The most recent batch of remixes fit in perfectly with some of our recent foci here at Pound for Pound - techno, dubstep and fidget house. With the focus this week on Detroit, we've got a lead off with that Kevin Saunderson remix. I mean, Kevin Saunderson, people! Belleville 3! Dude does not disappoint here, dropping a sick, filtered techno remix that turns the original a little darker and more menacing. Those insistent kick drums start things off, taking center stage while a acid-y bassline works its way around the beat. The pace picks up, the drums get a little more jackin' until some vocal snippets and video-game synths come in around the halfway mark. My favorite part, though, comes around the four minute mark when the kick drums drop out for a bit, leaving only these filtered, wobbling synths and hi-hats. Wait for it, here comes the kick drums again and away we go on a similar, but off-kilter vibe to the first-half.

Shackleton brings the delays out to full effect, creating a molasses version. It almost seems like you are hearing it underwater, especially when those massives horn like sounds come in every so often, I almost expect to see a tugboat coming down Kent Avenue. The Jesse Rose remix might be the pick of the lot, keeping more of the sound of the original, but turning up the dirty and nasty with a fuzzed bassline and jackin' house beats. This one should destroy dancefloors.

If you haven't already copped the SMD LP, you really should do so now. It's been making the top lists for all of the major dance magazines, definitely an album you need to own.

Benga - Night

Benga & Coki, "Night" (YSI link)

Benga, "Drumz West" (YSI link)

Here's a rare late-night weekend post, have been meaning to post these songs up for minute. Anyway, 2007 was a big year for dubstep, as it has gotten more exposure and more diversity, spreading further and further from its UK roots.

Benga has been around since the earliest days, has put out some big tracks on all of the key labels (Big Apple, Tempa, Planet Mu) However, none has been as big as "Night," his collaboration with Coki of the Digital Mystikz. Many consider it to be the track of the year; I'm not in a position to say that, but I can say it's a monster.

Burial Remixes

Bloc Party, "Where Is Home? (Burial remix)" (YSI link)

Jamie Woon, "Wayfaring Stranger (Burial remix)" (YSI link)

Blackdown, "Crackle Blues (Burial remix)" (YSI link)

I'm not quite ready to put Burial behind us, so I wanted to take a look at the man's remixes from the past year. There seems something almost wrong about having the mysterious Burial lend his talent to someone else's music, his own music seems like an obsession that requires every second and every ounce of his talent. In some ways, after listening to these remixes, there seems to be a little truth to this, as nothing comes close to his own originals.

The main draw here is the Bloc Party remix for "Where Is Home," his first major remix as far as I know. The original comes from A Weekend In The City, an album that has grown on me all year. Burial takes the original out of the arena and brings it to the late-night streets. Things start off with what sounds like a steady rainfall you would expect in an old noir film, you can almost feel the fog coming in as the song goes ahead. From there, Burial brings in the breakbeats and effects, plus a really nice piano fill that create a great new version of this song about dislocation, identity and belonging. There's an odd breakdown in the middle, a sort of extension of the song's first few seconds, it breaks up the momentum for me. But other than that, it's a nice remix, completely transforming the original and in many ways providing a more proper mood for the lyrics of this song.

In a similar vein, Jamie Woon's "Wayfaring Stranger" delves into similarly important topics. Fortunately, Burial has provided a remix that does away with the nearly acapella gospel sound of the original, unsettling things and providing a proper home for this wayfaring stranger. Interestingly, the vocals are untouched for the most part, a departure from Burial's originals. That's not a bad thing, as Woon has a beautiful voice. The drums are standard, it's all about the haunting reverb sound that sit a little back in the mix, or even the vinyl crackles buried deep down too. Finally, I threw in the Burial remix of Blackdown's "Crackle Blues," a rare foray into remixing a dubstepper. It's definitely a departure from the other, dominated by a hi-hat beat that sits front and center. It's everything that goes on around that center that make this my favorite of the lot. From the ghostly sorta-voices in the background to the deep, subterranean bass, this remix haunts your ears in a good way. He does all this at such a measured pace too, never rushing or forcing things, it creeps up on you in a way few songs do.

Like I said Friday, you need to get a copy of Burial's Untrue LP as soon as possible.

Burial - Untrue

Burial, "Archangel" (YSI link)

Burial, "Untrue" (YSI link)

I'm about to embark on one of the biggest/scariest moments of my life, it's raining and miserable and I'm physically and mentally exhausted [ed. note: I wrote most of this yesterday when it was raining and I was embarking on said moment]. I can't think of a better time to jump back into dubstep by taking a look at its most acclaimed artist, Burial? Actually, I probably should be doing a post on love songs or brainless sugar pop tunes, but whatever.

Burial's Untrue is his second LP on Hyperdub and an immediate contender for album of the year. It's a really stunning achievement, picking up the corpse of trip-hop & UK Garage and lacing with huge subbass, skittering rhythms and detached, smeared soul/R&B vocals. It's those vocals that leave the most lasting impression, disembodied sounds longing, searching, hoping to connect but failing repeatedly. Check the sampled, robotic voices on "Archangel," which seem to be conversing. One asks "If I trust you" repeatedly to no answer, which fits the dark, unfulfilled nature of the music. Burial also adds these haunting effects deep in the mix, whether the crackling, rain-like ones on "Untrue" or the creepy wind sounds on "Archangel," that only add to the dark, sinister mood. All in all, the album is more focused than the excellent, self-titled debut, perhaps a reflection of Burial's confidence in his sound, avoiding more standard dubstep songs here.

I referenced dubstep and the album has come out on its premier label, but it's not a place to start with that genre. In fact, this album really seems to have as much in common with Massive Attack as it does with Skream, which isn't a bad thing. The pacing is different, the bass isn't as massive, a bit more melancholic and neurotic. I don't have as much knowledge of UK Garage, but what I have heard makes me think that that may be the biggest influence. The breakbeats and r&b vocals, however, are mutated by Burial's reverb and pitch-shifting, as he plays with time like its cotton candy. Creepy cotton candy, though, not the girl-y pink shit. Some have referred to it as futuristic soul, or Massive Attack for 2020, give it a listen and see what you come up with.

I can't recommend this one more highly, one of the best albums of the year from what I can remember. Like The Knife last year, this album heads into the darkness with various genres and comes out with a classic, although not in the dancefloor sense. This is for those late-night subway rides or nights in your room with the headphones in, when it's dark and things seem a little unsure. Buy your copy now, no hesitation. Check this cool interview with Burial conducted by Kode9, plus this excellent review by Phillip Sherburne for Pitchfork (okay, he's a way better reviewer than me, get over yourselves!)