Mancunian band
GoGo Penguin have always stuck to a jazz trio format, but their adventurous compositions embrace the propulsive basslines and mutating drum breaks of electronic producers like
Squarepusher and
Amon Tobin. Their first official remix collection arrives nearly a decade into their career, and it lets some of their influences expand on their ideas, sometimes taking them much further than they could've expected.
Cornelius' take on "Kora" is one of the more straightforward interpretations here, adding some vibrant synth layers to an already busy rhythm.
Machinedrum's "Atomised" is pretty faithful to the structure of the original at first, but he gives it a more hyped-up, club-friendly sheen, setting free with racing kick drums during the mix's second half.
Squarepusher's "F Maj Pixie" translates the original into a complex web of knotty beats, delicate guitars, and thwacking bass, then unleashes an array of beautifully broken, aggressive breakbeats during the manic second half.
Nathan Fake combines muscular drumming with arpeggio-heavy analog techno, and
808 State drop pieces of the original instrumentation into a whirlpool of sparkling melodies and skittering drum machines.
James Holden's mix of "Totem" seems far removed from the frenetic original, transforming it into more of a starry ambient swirl, and Shunya similarly stretches "To the Nth" out, applying tense strings and melancholy vocals, then forming a nervously jumping rhythm before building up to a glitchy conclusion. After a menacing Clark interpretation of "Petit_a,"
Portico Quartet smooth things out with the forlorn neo-classical techno of "Don't Go." ~ Paul Simpson