Originally
published on isnotwas.com
Kruder and Dorfmeister don't so
much remix sings as masticate them, swallow them, then regurgitate
them up as their own. On the K&D Sessions, an already reasonably
good song like Rockers Hi-Fi's "Going Under" becomes
even more ominous, more sinuous--and a helluva lot more funky
than it used to be. (And man, Rockers Hi-Fi's vocalist on that
song--his voice, so threatening, so loaded with grit and gravel--he
makes Massive Attack's Daddy G sound like a soprano. OK, maybe
an alto.)
These songs meld effortlessly,
elegantly into one another, so that the overall effect of the
two CDs is to create more of a symphony than a simple collection
of remixes. Maybe we should be comparing these guys--these casual
arbiters of cool--to bloomin' Gustav Mahler, not just to Smith
& Mighty or Thievery Corp or some such other DJ Duo.
Of course, that's the complaint
of some: "It all sounds the same." Well, first off,
it doesn't. It's just that these guys are a lot more subtle, more
nuanced than your Liam Howletts or Marilyn Mansuns (choose your
poison) of the musical world. They're to be savored, not gulped.
Secondly, if, at a certain level, the music does have a consistent
sound--well, it's supposed to: it's all about sustaining a vibe.
If you're looking for an hour of discordant, musical rambling,
then stick with the Lo-Fidelity Allstars (whom I also have and
admittedly enjoy), but K&D are all about staying in the groove.
I mean, I've got the attention
span of a gnat on acid myself, so maybe that's why I need music
to get lost in. Some of us though are such products of MTV's flashing
'n fluttering assault on the senses that a two-hour album with
a consistent tone just ain't gonna maintain our interest. Well,
blame that on commercials and mainstream radio and the 125 page
book, but don't chalk it up to any lack of creative skills on
the part of K&D.
Part One of Sessions is a seamless
and sultry sonic stream from the opening of Roni Size's "Heroes"
(who knew drum 'n bass could get gussied up so gorgeously), through
the threatening "Going Under," the indelibly infectious
"Bug Powder Dust" (Bomb the Bass), Depeche Mode's soupy
yearning in "Useless" and finally Lamb's lovely "Trans
Fatty Acid."
Part Two does indeed continue with a couple of remixes of songs
already covered in Part One, just as (to return to the symphony
metaphor) lengthy pieces of music also repeat themes and refrains.
But Part Two also opens with a remix of David Holmes' "Gone"
which, like some of the other remixes, significantly improves
upon the original: this is "Gone" the way Holmes should
have written it--and David Holmes is no slouch.
There are 20 songs on this 2 CD
set, so I won't bore you by intimately detailing them all. Suffice
it to say, Sessions is one of the finest releases of 1999. If
you're a fan of trip-hop, acid jazz, dance music--or just damn
good, carefully produced music, your collection ain't complete
without it.
Robert Stribley
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