The second in a trilogy of remix projects inspired by
Lee Norris aliases (
Metamatics and
Nacht Plank were the others),
Norken's
Blue Divide: Remodelled showcases the work of 11 producers with close ties to the electronic community, but without a lot of releases to go around between them. Ranking halfway between amateur and professional, but with plenty of taste to compensate for their lack of drawing power, they came up with a surprisingly analogous set of understated downtempo harking back to the glory days of ambient techno and evoking bygone producers from
B12 to
Balil to
Stasis. First off is DJ, producer, and Emoticon label-head
Tom Churchill, with a great track reminiscent of the softened dub-techno of Berlin's Kompakt label. A fabulous transition eases the way into Swamay's "Motor Breeze," a track superficially in tribute to
Kraftwerk but boasting an assortment of great production tricks like the grinding electro bassline. Simex's remix of "Static" and Alex Johnson's redo "Just a Phase" are the other highlights, heavily chilled downtempo house that illustrate the influence of early
Metamatics on another generation of producers.