Yesterday and Today Remixe 12"
In May of this year, The Field laid down ‘Yesterday and Today’, an awe-inspiring crossover album that set a benchmark for other indie-tinged dance outfits to aspire to. Six months on, remix wonderkid Gold Panda, Walls (aka Sam Willis from Allez Allez and Alessio Natalizia of Banjo, Freakout) and LA husband and wife Rainbow Arabia have all paid their respects.
This is how it sounds:
A: Sequenced
ORIGINAL: Analogue synths bubble heavily under cosmic synths. If there is such a thing as Cosmic Techno, this is it. Ah nice, a drum kit has appeared from somewhere. Perfect for midnight stoner walking, especially if your journey home takes exactly 15 minutes and 41 seconds.
REMIX: Rainbow Arabia (Dark and Dumb Version)
Not quite as epic. The 4X4 could to do with some warmth, its a bit flat. The synths are very 80s and it rumbles like Donna Summer or I Feel Space. Tiffany Preston’s vocals plus the heavy breathing give it that haunted disco finish. Really reminds of The Knife.
B1: I Have the Moon You Have The Internet
ORIGINAL: A shoegazing journey though the electroni-sphere… fluffy clouds, synths rain down and a heartbeat that gradually speeds up. It takes about one minute until your ears actually realise something is happening. Nicely layered, music for late night train journeys.
REMIX: Gold Panda
OK the heartbeat is here; this time from the outset but it is more rampant, a steady jog. The harp-like synths are also here but cut up, fragmented – there is an assertiveness to this. Flirtatious percussion “pops” in and out until… wait for it… here comes the step. Think, the synesthesia of Four Tet, the scratchiness of Burial with a slightly watered-down Skream bassline thrown in for good measure. Clever. A head-nodding, chopped up take on the linear original but still dainty – really carefully crafted.
B2: Leave It
ORIGINAL: Progressive, with an undeniable driving 4X4. Airy windchimes flicker and a smooth, ambient-disco bassline keeps you interested. Really smart techno, definitely not for dancefloor.
REMIX: Walls
The windchimes are more pronounced, bigger sounding. A dampened bass drum plays every four beats. The smooth disco bassline has been replaced by a moody cello… and its getting loader. Ominous. It is much less breezy, but is brooding – seems to be saying “batten down the hatches!” There is also this really angry synth sound that sort of wails. It sounds cool but where is it going? Oh, and that’s the end. No driving 4X4, just swirling synths on the brink of a storm.
‘Yesterday and Today Remixe’ is out on 7th December
