Colouring Everything With A Mirror And A Steady Hand

Seventy five minutes of Zero 7 for a Saturday slumber.

There have been a lot of shared comments recently about the passage of time, mainly how fast the present becomes the distant past. The difference between growing older and just growing old.

Here’s another example. I did a comedy double take when I realised that next year will be 30 years since I first heard Zero 7, tucked away on the “B-side” of the 2nd CD of Karma Police by Radiohead.

I thought their remix of Climbing Up The Walls was pretty good, but kind of filed them away for future investigation.

A few years later, my work colleague Tim came into the office enthusing about Zero 7’s debut album, Simple Things.

Tim was in IT, a team of four, 75% of whom had super cool music taste and introduced me to lots of great artists and albums. Simple Things was one of those albums and a CD-R burn, with an (office) photocopied sleeve exchanged hands pretty much the same day.

I really enjoyed the album, but I’ve never managed to stick with Zero 7 and seem to have more remixes (by them and of them) than studio tracks.

So, the inspiration for today’s selection is exactly that: a dozen songs, spanning that 1997 remix of Radiohead through to an edit of a Simple Things single/highlight by mass Thomas in 2022.

Lots to enjoy in between, including Zero 7’s arguably career-defining moment, the remix of Uo With People by Lambchop. Simple, beautiful, perfect.

Low Five by Sneaker Pimps from 1999 is possibly a lesser known Zero 7 rework, Motor City Drum Ensemble’s reconstruction of Home a decade later takes it’s time but doesn’t waste a second (or a note).

There’s a chill in the air, so what better time to chill out?

 

1) In The Waiting Line (mass Thomas Edit): Zero 7 ft. Sophie Barker (2022) 

2) Low Five (Zero 7 Mix): Sneaker Pimps (1999)

3) Home (MCDE Remix By Motor City Drum Ensemble): Zero 7 ft. Tina Dico (2009)

4) Up With People (Zero 7 Mix): Lambchop (2000)

5) Hey Now (Zero 7 Remix): London Grammar (2014)

6) Everything Up (Zizou) (Gold Panda Remix): Zero 7 (2009)

7) Provider (Zero 7 Remix): N*E*R*D (2003)

8) Distractions (Madlib's YNQ Remix): Zero 7 ft. Sia & Yesterdays New Quintet (2001)

9) Ordinary Boy (Zero 7 Remix): Ultraísta (2020)

10) Ghost Symbol (Julio Bashmore Remix): Zero 7 (2009)

11) If You Can't Say No (Zero 7 Remix): Lenny Kravitz (1998)

12) Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix): Radiohead ft. Sneaker Pimps (1997) 

 

 

Colouring Everything With A Mirror And A Steady Hand (1:15:30) (GD) (M)