Remix projects
don’t come any better than this. A horde of talented
musicians come together to offer their vision of the
little bomb resulting of the collaboration between Mike
Paradinas and Jochem
Paap, released three years ago under the strange
Slag Boom Van Loon banner. So Soon is one the
most anticipated record of the year, and it delivers…
Boards
Of Canada are first in line, as they soften the
rough edges of Poppy Seed. The radiating warmth
emerging, at the end of a slow build up, is typical
of their unmistakable sound. The original melody, slowed
down slightly, is coated in analogue sounds, faint vocal
samples and laid down on a peaceful beat. Spc-Ch-Pn
gets a radical reworking by Mike
Paradinas himself. There is very little left of
the piano-lead track. Instead, the µ-Ziq remix
is a deep dive into pulsating beat and dub, territory
usually fiercely guarded by Pole, who also contributes
to the project, as he transforms Casual into
a mutating dub, characteristic of his work. Both tracks
are somehow quite similar. Paradinas and Stephan Betke
build on bleeps and glitches, slowly bringing the underlying
melodies to the forefront of their respective pieces.
Paradinas’s label mate Leafcutter
John takes on Broccoli, submitting it to
the electro-acoustic treatment he is familiar with.
John
Burton deconstructs the track to the point when
it seems made-up of countless little vignettes stuck
together. This collage of field recordings is as an
incongruent sonic experience as his own album. Matmos
follow a similar path, although the result is slightly
more conventional. The San Francisco duo do to Moon
Base Alpha what they do best, that is playing up
with diverse sound sources, injecting some funny funky
electro to the only track featured here which was not
present on Slag Boom Van Loon, while Coil’s cinematic
orchestral version of Fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium
is dramatic and threatening. Tipper revive their glitch-generator
on Butch, giving the track an abrasive makeover,
while Horse Opera’s clicks and radio signals invade
Pedals. Kieran Hebden provides here one of
the best moments of So Soon, when Sutedja
gets the Four Tet treatment. The warm, human, laidback
beat, layered keyboards, and melodica, all contribute
to an emotional reworking, as Hebden takes the track
far away from the original. Boards
Of Canada bring So Soon to a close, with
the reprise of their remix of Poppy Seed, bringing
the album full circle.
So Soon
proves to be one of the most exciting albums to come
out this year. The artists involved in this project
have contributed to give a new direction to an already
excellent record, handing Mike
Paradinas and Jochem
Paap with a second masterpiece. |
