Don't Get Stuck In The Past

Today's 2021 retrospective highlights some great remixes from various singles and albums. The post title is the opening line of track 1, but also slightly tongue-in-cheek: a quick glance at the track listing and it's like an old school reunion, with Soulwax, Darren Emerson, Mark Ronson, UNKLE, Groove Armada and - bloody hell! - Kris Needs. My other challenge was avoiding making this a Hardway Bros. 'best of 2021'. Sean Johnston has delivered so many fantastic remixes, several of which have featured in previous posts; for this selection, I managed to whittle it down to two. Also making two appearances is Jesse Fahnestock: remixing Spacemen 3 as 10:40 in April, which led me to many more subsequent Bandcamp purchases, and November's single Thrill Me, as Jezebell (Fahnestock & Darren Bell), which includes a suitably whacko retro sample. This is barely scratching the surface, and I've a long list of this year's music that I still want to get, as 2022 and even more new sounds approach.

 

1) A Hero's Death (Soulwax Remix): Fontaines D.C.

2) That Time Of Night (Darren Emerson Remix): GLOK ft. Shiarra

3) Sail We Must (Hardway Bros Remix): Wet Signals

4) Thrill Me (Darren Darko Mix): Jezebell

5) Flying Tiger (The Mole's Slower Remix By Colin De La Plante): Dreems

6) New Love Cassette (Mark Ronson Remix): Angel Olsen

7) Hegel Dialect (UNKLE Reconstruction): Krust

8) They're In Our Head (Kampong Glam Mix): Rude Audio

9) First Class Bitch (Groove Armada's Confidence Trick Remix): Confidence Man

10) Point And Kill / Fear No Man (mindtrix music Remix): Little Simz ft. Obongjayar

11) Walking In The Sun (James Bright Remix): Andres Y Xavi ft. Rolo McGinty

12) Obey (Hardway Bros Stereo Odyssey Mix): Rheinzand

13) Love Comes In Waves (Pye Corner Audio Remix): Andy Bell

14) Weekend (The Judas Triangle) (Dom Beken & Kris Needs Remix): The Orb

15) How Does it Feel? (10:40's Terrace Moonshine Dub) (Remix By Jesse Fahnestock): Spacemen 3

Don't Get Stuck In The Past (1:39:08)

 

A note on yesterday's post: track-by-track comments still to come. Early visitors may have noticed that I dropped Show Your Face by The Anchoress into the mix for a second consecutive day. Oops! That was a mistake: much as I love the song, it was supposed to be Let It Hurt instead, but in my half-awake state I pulled the wrong track. After a shower and a strong coffee, I've corrected and replaced the selection and link. Slipshod DJ licence currently under review and may be revoked.

Cosmic Intervention

From goth to groove in 24 hours. Today, I was up early and not in the mood to move. Thankfully, Australia's Angus Gruzman aka Dreems has remedied that with the infectious Opium Tiger, Flying Again. It's a rework of a 2019 song and all the better for it, nearly 13 minutes of groove, that changes tack about halfway. There's also a very indie guitar snippet, which got me thinking of Pink Industry at one point. The remix EP, out today, includes further versions of Flying Tiger by Japan's Zongamin and two from Canada's The Mole, all worth your time and hard earned pennies.

Opium Tiger, Flying Again: Dreems (2021)

Next up, and out earlier this month, is the UNKLE remix of Krust's Hegel Dialect from his 2020 album, The Edge Of Everything. In typical back-to-front fashion, I haven't heard the album yet, but this remix package (TEOE Remixes #3) is spot on. I think the last UNKLE remix I picked up was in 2015 so this is a welcome surprise.

Hegel Dialect (UNKLE Reconstruction): Krust (2021)

What will come as no surprise is that Sean Johnson aka Hardway Bros delivers a killer groove on his remix of French producer Margee's Wrong Dream, from the In My Sleep EP released last Friday. 11 minutes of pulsing beats and shimmering synths that feels way too short. Both the Krust and Margee packages include essential remixes from Bristol legend and founding member of The Wild Bunch, Milo Johnson, in his DJ Nature guise. 

Wrong Dream (Hardway Bros Cosmic Intervention): Margee (2021)

 

 

Dreems (Bandcamp)

Krust on Crosstown Rebels (Bandcamp)

The Edge Of Everything: Remixed (out 6th August on Bandcamp)

Margee (Soundcloud)

DJ Nature (Soundcloud)