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Chill out/ambient reviews
Here is something I have been looking forward to for a very long time, the Shpongle remixed album from Twisted! Twisted Records never keeps their promises when it comes to release dates, but we always forgive them because they are the best… This album should have been released last year, but finally it’s here. After two fantastic Shpongle albums, they have decided to let some other artists play with their tracks. An album with eight Shpongle tracks, remixed by eight different groups.
Shpongle Remixed (Twisted Records) 2003 (TWSCD23)
1. Crystal Skulls (Western Rebel Alliance Remix)
2. And The Day Turned To Fright (Eat Static Remix)
3. Star Shpongled Banner (Brothomstates Remix)
4. A New Way To Say Hooray (Prometheus Remix)
5. My Head Feels Like A Frisbee (Delusions Of Grandeur Remix)
6. Dorset Perception (Total Eclipse Remix)
7. Around The World In A Tea Daze (Ott Remix)
8. Once Upon The Sea Of Blissful Awareness (Esionjim Remix)
First of all I have to say that the cover art is really nice, with the Shpongle mask over a little lake with forest around it. First out is a remix of the Crystal Skulls track released on The Secret Of The Thirteen Crystal Skulls compilation (TIP.World 2002). Here we get a remix by Western Rebel Alliance who has released several great tracks on Flying Rhino Records. It’s very different from the original, but you easily hear a lot of the Shpongle ingredients in there. This version has some drum ‘n’ bass rhythms and a much more jazzy vibe. Very beautiful all the way. Western Rebel Alliance is absolutely something to check out. Track 2 is a remix of And The Day Turned To Night, originally released on Are You Shpongled? (Twisted Records 1998). This track is remixed by the well known Eat Static group. Eat Static are veterans in psychedelic electronic music. The version they give us here is pretty typical Eat Static (if you look at their latest albums). Industrial hard banging drum ‘n’ bass rhythms, with all the Shpongled sounds and melodies twisted inside. Sounds great, if you like Eat Static.
Then comes the weirdest track on this album. It is Star Shpongled Banner originally released on Tales Of The Inexpressible (Twisted Records 2001). Those who have got the honour to remix this are Brothomstates from Finland. They are probably not very known in the psytrance scene, but they have released an album on Warp Records. They give us an electro (!) version of this track. Very different from the original. Probably the most remixed track on this album. I have always enjoyed Warp releases, but this might sound too strange for many in the psy scene. I think it sounds cool. Then comes one of my favourite Shpongle tracks, A New Way To Say Hooray (first released on Tales Of The Inexpressible). Prometheus (Benji Vaughan) has remixed it, and he sure knows how to make a remix interesting. He will be releasing his debut Prometheus album on Twisted Records soon. After the fantastic Younger Brother album he released with Simon Posford earlier this year, he sure has proved to be a big talent. The remix he gives us is much more trancey than the original, with stumpy rhythms, going in a danceable way, but not very fast. Great remix! My Head Feels Like A Frisbee (from Tales Of The Inexpressible) made people go latino dancing on the chill out floors when it was released. Here we get a remix by Delusions Of Grandeur. It still has the latino vibe, but it goes in a housy tempo. I prefer the original… Then comes the Dorset Perception track remixed by Total Eclipse. This remix is actually already released on another Twisted compilation (Unusual Suspects, Twisted 2002) It’s a great track. Typical Total Eclipse going in a down tempo way, with Total Eclipse melodies mixed with Shpongle… Great track! Ott is probably the most spoken about artist in the chill out/dub genre the last year, after releasing Hallucinogen In Dub (Hallucinogen tracks remixed by Ott) last year and his debut album Blumenkraft on Twisted Records earlier this year. Here he has remixed Around The World In A Tea Daze. Typical Ott, with floating melodies and sounds above deep dub rhythms. Totally relaxing and very beautiful. The last track on this remix album is Once Upon The Sea Of Blissful Awareness. This is remixed by Esionjim (Jim Wood) who has released several tracks on the Backroom Beats label (Twisted chilled side label). He has added some organic instruments and floating sounds, which makes it very beautiful. A relaxing finish.
Shpongle sure has had some great artists to remix their tracks. Very interesting to hear remixes by groups like that who usually makes very different music from Shpongle. I think I had expected some trance versions in this album, but I really enjoyed the way they have gotten electro, dub, drum ‘n’ bass and down tempo trance into one album. Recommended! (As always when it comes to Twisted releases)
PK
