Remixes are made for the 2% music set: the nerd crowd who is half fan and half musician. A remix of any song is a techno tribute, after all. In this case, Interpretations de Oso is remixed math-rock—as you’d expect—just a bit more technically fidgety than Minus the Bear already was.
While certain purists cry, “Bloody murder!” at the sensory recognition of a re-edit, others just experience a minor revival of appreciation. In one sense because a classic track is revised enough to revive it; in another sense, it’s impressive that someone digs the band enough to dedicate the time to edit it.
There are relative terms here. If it takes an artist an hour to bust off a killer remix, then power to ‘em. If s/he kicks out an indecipherable turd just to get a credit on an album, well, that turd is your mirror, sweetheart.
With Interpretationes, there is a little of both worlds. POS kicks out a killer funneling of Drilling, while Fog renders Memphis and 53rd and un-interpretable pile of DJ fingering. Tyondai Braxton gives a reasonable instrumental go at “Fulfill the Dream,” but the true first punch is deliverd by IQU, who deliver an analog redux of “This Ain’t a Surfin’ Movie”—complete with their signature Theramin, and the beats that have become unmistakably IQU.
Plan B (re)makes The Fix un-offensive, but also sleep-through-able; while Hooray gets a killer—and “lively”—remix from Dark Baby. Very Röyksopp (and I mean VERY, in the sense that it show’s Röyksopp how to do what they constantly under-deliver.) This track captures both the cheese-ball AND obsessive natures of MTB to a sonic TEE. The record would have no purpose without this track (I’m sure people will hate it.)
Oktpus renders “The Genre Needed Me” to sound like a semblance no one ever expected from Pink Floyd and Phil Collins. Interesting, I guess…
Finally, Pachuca Sunrise kicks off. Into the ears and out the deft hands of Alias, this track is lush and thick. Scratches, echos, delays like foghorns. This is the track your stylist will have on their iPod when you’re getting you mop reduced at Rudy’s—or Floyd’s.
Continuity is a bitch for Michio (AKA Monostereo), who delivers a simple mash of Micheo’s “Death Drive”—seemingly without much discernable editing. This might be great for the purists of previous mention, but seriously unimpressive after the tracks we’ve just heard.
J Clark gives “El Torente” a Nine Inch Nails feel, and “O Hunter” goes Dead Can Dance-meets-Sabbath, but neither of these will be drawing the drunk broads to the dancefloor.
There’re a few tracks here that are keepers, for sure; and as with most albums, that’s enough to make it a keeper on the whole. But Interpretaciones will likely prove most valuable to the Serato generation, who will take these leads and re-edit (and re-edit) them into oblivion.
