(May 2010) Was George Orwell a fan of electronic music? Orwell wrote on a plethora of subjects, from his days in boarding school to issues such as how tea should be taken. He was quite a staunch socialist, fighting in the Spanish civil war. Yet he strangely had some uncharacteristic traditionalist leanings, such as being a serious proponent of good old fashioned English cooking. This isn’t really getting us any closer to whether or not the author and essayist would have been into electronic music. Whether or not he was may never be known (I think he might have had more of an acoustic ear), but his writings have sparked some very interesting pieces of electronics, such as the controversial Eurythmics soundtrack to the film adaptation of 1984. Orwell’s dystopian world is now the inspiration for a new 12″. The ultra Stalinist tale has been propelled one hundred years into the future as ArD2 uses the novel as a base for the 2084 The Mixes EP on Spain’s Frigio Records.
The record opens with a mix by Heinrich Mueller aka Gerald Donald, part Der Zyklus and half of Dopplereffekt. Mueller, whose appearance and demeanour often reflects a member of Ingsoc’s inner party, offers up his terse take on electronics with his Anti De Sitter Space Mix of “Inside the Rock.” The track is cold and clinical electro, bolstered by a dancefloor tempo and sinister samples. Mueller’s remix has a sci-fi undertone, drove by mechanical snare and bass. Label boss JuanPablo is up next with his Staying Human mix of “Awakening.” Running along similar lines to Mueller’s mix, JuanPablo splits beats as dark lines develop and samples fold. It is not until the B-side that ArD2’s tracks surface. “Inside the Rock” continues with samples, dry and dissolute male vocals layered over growing electro movements. “2085” sees the 12″ taking on a cleaner aspect. The distortion of previous tracks is dusted off as sharp electro pangs and slides run alongside crisp beats that have an Urban Tribe feel. The ‘1984’ samples come to the close with “Awakening.” O Brien and Smith discuss the language and social constraints of Ingsoc’s totalitarian state while ArD2 sends pulses of chord through the dialogue to close the record.
WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. Orwell’s 1984 is an extreme depiction of extreme totalitarianism, the stifling atmosphere of a surveillance state is inescapable for the novel’s anti-hero. 2084 The Mixes does not mirror Orwell’s grime social claustrophobia, it depicts a number of possible states. The tracks shift from Mueller’s cold floor sound and JuanPablo’s dissected snares to ArD2’s diverse tracks. There is no aural autocrat on this 12″ but a triumvirate of electro despots leading the listener through a number of possible regimes for the future of Airstripe One.
2084 The Mixes is out now on Frigio.
