One thing’s for sure though is that the care, talent and sheer outrageous creativity Plaid applies to each one of their remixes hasn’t changed one bit.
One can’t ignore the downright incredible modern output from Plaid’s shed
I’ve only ever met a few people that don’t like Plaid. I don’t speak with them anymore. As for the rest of the people in the world who aren’t evil there’s always a strong opinion about which era of Plaid’s music they hold most dear, and with a career spanning nearly 30 years it’s to be expected that some songs hit home harder than others across a range of people. One thing they all seem to have in common though is that they love Plaid remixes, always talking of Parts in the Post (Peacefrog, 2003) with great fondness and who can blame them? Already-great artists given the treatment by two of the most creative players in the game? Sign me up.
Well it’s been 18 years and if Discogs is to be believed, the number of remixes they’ve contributed to in that time totals more than the number of brain cells I engage on any given day, all the while having gone through multiple style transitions over the same period. One thing’s for sure though is that the care, talent and sheer outrageous creativity they apply to each one of their remixes hasn’t changed one bit since.
Given the amount of time they’ve been supporting Touched Music as a label and all the good stuff it stands for, it’s both exciting and surreal to finally have a Plaid release on the roster—not only that, it’s a collection of remixes and Stem Sell doesn’t disappoint. I’m always excited by the prospect of a new Plaid release but remixes and reworks so frequently appear on singles and B-sides, hard to find compilations or limited-runs, that it’s hard to get access to them all and those that you do you may have only ever heard at a gig, on a dodgy rip or in otherwise less-than-perfect circumstances.
Take LJ Kruzer’s “Huba,” occasionally heard at Plaid-live sets triggering uncontrollable ‘dancing‘ (at least I think that’s what you call what I attempted) and much lusted after. Until recently this was only available on a subscription-only Signals 7″ on Uncharted Audio, and if you were one of the 250 people lucky enough to own a copy I loathed you with every part of my envious soul. Now it’s here, it’s loud and it’s crystal clear—the same goes for many other tracks on this collection.
For the most part these tracks are pretty recent, having been released in the last few years but there’s a couple of old favourites in here that evoke strong memories—the remix of “Doe” was responsible for bringing Yimino’s existence to my attention, Sun Electric’s “Tee” (shockingly absent from Parts in the Post) is a fine addition taken from their equally-enjoyable 1998 release and Coppé’s Lavender Oil frequently made its way onto mix tapes for drives and romantic intentions back when I thought I was cooler than I was.
One can’t ignore the downright incredible modern output from Plaid’s shed.
The perfect example to showcase what we’ve come to expect from the contemporary reworks
As much as it’s fun remembering times past one can’t ignore the downright incredible modern output from Plaid’s shed. The compilation kicks off with “Remnants,” taken from Max Cooper and Tom Hodge’s 2015 Artefacts Remixes EP and making its debut on vinyl. It’s the perfect example to showcase what we’ve come to expect from the contemporary reworks—telltale rhythms with emboldened kicks, the free space peppered with complementary higher-register percussive choices that tessellate oh so well. These always mate perfectly with signature chord progressions that just don’t let up, more-often than not going right to the beginning of the next phrase without giving in and that take you to unexpected harmonic places. It’s these two points that scream “PLAID REMIX” to me and this collection is full of them.
“Impressions of Footfall” from Origamibiro is a perfect example of the latter trait, a reworking in its true sense so far from the original that one could almost consider it on the border of the term “remix.” A piece in two parts, whose uplifting first half gives way to an ending two minutes that’s nothing short of breathtaking, it’s going to be a hit with those of you that favour Scintilli, displaying the gliding and robotic vocals from that era. Another from the same period—”Morning Blues” by Fear Ratio is a fine inclusion and a full-on attack on the senses.
Now it’s here, it’s loud and it’s crystal clear.
As usual it’s hard to cover everything on a Touched release, there’s just too much awesome to choose from but there’s a couple on here which absolutely deserve to be. “Les Hippocampes” from long-time Plaid collaborator Mason Bee appears, having been pulled from his debut album last year and given the treatment, head-bangingly good. Rone’s “Room With A View” is the perfect final track, with a true neo-classical feel like a hyped-up and frenzied sonata it’s haunting and lingers after the silence, at which point the whole collection naturally gets played again (and again and again…).
True to style, Grid Pattern serves up one of the prettiest sets of designs possible. The vinyl is heavy, colourful and really stands out. The genetic theme continues through to a full-size DVD case housing the CD release. A lot of effort has gone into this and the 12″ is going to look equally beautiful spinning on the platter as the case on the shelf.
The vinyl is limited to the first ten tracks with the remaining 18 also on the CD and digital versions. Released to celebrate World Cancer Day, proceeds flow once again into Macmillan Cancer Support and what a way to help support them—hats off to all that made this happen.
Stem Sell is available on Touched Music. [Bandcamp]
