(04.11.09) Aube are not afraid of remix EP’s. Starcluster’s debut 12″ was closely followed by a dub and remix EP by the original artists and the Fascination Movement. Now it is the Fascination Movement’s turn to find themselves on the reworking end as Starcluster, Elitechnique and Alba take their own spin on tracks from the recent 0.5 EP.
The interpretations start with Starcluster taking on “Radio.” Synthesizers take over after the initial vocoders of the original. A new analogue energy enters in the remix, with vintage electro-pop sounds lovingly wrapped around vocals to produce a new level of heartache for the Fascination Movement’s style. A wonderful synth consortium grips the track’s centre, before the Seattle lyrics take hold once again. A Clone Records favourite, Elitechnique, comes next for an intriguing take on “Just Pretend.” Slowness brings the piece to life, with lulling synthesizers propping up the powerful pop vocals. It is around the midway point that Elitechnique pushes some extra keyboard passion into the piece, but weighs it up beautifully with the original. Chord taps melt and vocals spiral to create an amazingly symbiotic and empathetic remix.
The B-Side is donated to Alba’s rework of “Down Again.” Alba (not of 1985 Only Music Survives italo fame) are a new Aube incarnation, the team of Roland Sebastian Faber and Michael Black of Unit 4/Jupiter Black. The only track described as a “rework” on the 12″ takes on perhaps the most melancholic piece of the 0.5 EP. The track keeps the rock, the tone, and the uncertainty, but blends it with uplifted unease. Faber and Black lift the veil on the original, building on whilst illuminating new elements of the Fascination Movement’s “Down Again.” The sensitivity and emotion of the original is continued, reworked and given a new angle in this impressive and sympathetic take.
Remix EP’s can be real demons in a record label’s back catalogue, simply because too often they do not work. Remix records can be an inspiration, giving existing music a new flare whilst shedding light on fresh aural aspects. Yet, many are just lazy attempts of transplanting structures to opaque styles; this 12″ does not belong to this category. This is a remix 12″ that has utilized the original palette, adding to its sounds and style without disrupting it. Aube are not afraid of remix EP’s for one central reason, they have the courage and talent to pull them off in exemplary fashion; does Volume 1 mean another is on the horizon?
Remix Vol. 1 is out now on Aube. [Purchase]
