(05.12.08) MinimalRome introduces its second electro fuelled outing of 2008, this time by C-34. The Italian imprint gives a four tracker of remixes entitled Watch Yourself. The original version of “Watch Yourself” featured on Broken Hills Vol. 2; now the track is being tackled by Andreaz Herz (aka Kobol Electronics) and C-34, Feedback, Mick Wills and Heinrich Dressel. So does this latest EP manage to maintain MinimalRome’s gritty electro style, or has this been a remix too far?
MinimalRome09 erupts with Andreaz Herz and C-34 take on “Watch Yourself.” The track opens with high pitch strung out electro lines before a full barrage beat turns the piece into an underworld dancefloor monster. A strong tempo and addictive squalid melody, reminiscent of the Bunker Records’ sound, lend power to the track as vocoders fall in to give the record a serious start. Feedback lowers the tempo for A2 and his take on “Watch Yourself.” Crisp drums gel with sinister analogue lines to produce a piece that adheres to that clinical Drexiyan sound whilst holding onto a warmer tone.
The B-Side opens with bigger beats as the world of techno eclipses that of electro with Mick Wills offering up his interpretation of “Watch Yourself.” The complexity of the A-side is reduced to beat and bass, which can get a little bit tiresome. Nevertheless, as the piece develops some interesting elements do arise. Heinrich Dressel, fresh from his recent excursion on Strange Life Records, finishes off the 12″. Things are slowed down for the climax of Watch Yourself. Dressel introduces his resonating analogue sound, on which reflects the soundtrack works of John Carpenter and Claudio Simonetti, adding an ambient and atmospheric tone to round off the EP beautifully.
Watch Yourself is a remix project that investigates and experiments with various avenues of electronic music, from electro to downtempo electronix, from techno back to analogue ambience. These artists have taken an original piece and melded their styles, their sounds and their interpretations to produce four tracks of varying intensity and success. Watch Yourself is what remix EPs should be, not just the same methods rehashed but different and disparate styles applied to a template to create something that is not only new but pushes the boundaries and conceptions of the original.
Watch Yourself is out now on MinimalRome.
