Arrivals is a wonderful album that fuses post-rock with a love of techno an idea that was always going to lend its self to remixes, so after grabbing the special addition and finding an extra disc full of them (see here) was a real treat, but they weren’t done there... They gave out files and challenged people to turn in their interpretations, plus the usual commissioning and put together an epic two disc Arrivals remixed package. Worriedaboutsatan get their creations twisted into many different shapes over the twenty-five tracks from post-rock ambiance through glitchy electronica, many strains of techno, drum & bass and beyond by an array of artists and even have a re-tweak themselves.Ithaca Trio open the two disc epic with a swirling almost SAWII like Aphex Twin classical soundscape rendition of ‘You’re In My Thoughts’ it’s a super chilled effort and gets things off to a good start. Fieldhead takes things deeper but on a similar tip, it’s a subtle dark rendition of ‘Arrivals’ with sinister atmosphere and a splattering of percussive elements and bass that picks the pace up a little. It’s the techno renditions that get things really rolling though; Worriedaboutsatan’s post-rock meets minimal experiments really lend themselves to a dance floor kick. So the reappearance of Marco Zenker from the special addition disc is more than welcome, it rolls with minimal bongo grooves techno drums at a nice spaced out hypnotic dance floor pace. It’s just the start of a minimal/techno section to this compilation too as Apparatus shows with his deep and bleepy number, which sits somewhere between Villalobos and the Leeds Warehouse sounds of LFO but with added post-rock. And Josh Tweek pumps up the bass and seduces you with it as it shines through his micro edits.
The tempo is upped again when Toby Dixon, Saapsss and P45 turn in glitchy d’n’b refixes the former showing a melancholic yet hopeful vision of ‘You’re in my thoughts’, a track that pops up a lot which just goes to show how very good the original is on Arrivals. Saapsss gets a broken beat bump going under the sweeping melodies and quick edits. Then P45 makes the soundsystem’s rattle with big dub bass and a fizzing minimal dancehall like beats, it’s when the deep driving bass kicks in along with an energising loop that this remix really takes on a life of its own.
It’s Golau Glau who pull out a very unexpected re-shuffle of one of my album favourites ‘Pissing About’ the Silver Pop duo take things dark and bassy with sub a plenty and a spaced out atmosphere where they twist and tweak new grooves and edits out like its child’s play. It’s an undoubted highlight and doesn’t sound quite like anything else here let alone much else I’ve heard from them.
The disc is finished off with an eerie offering by Genoud which fuses Worriedaboutsatan’s atmosphere with subtle electro shuffles and a beautifully restrained mellow re-jig by Her Eyes Like Static that just builds into a fuzzy M83-like number that came with the special addition remix disc.
Disc two just keeps the good things rolling out: Dr. Birch’s remixe take a more laid back approach and give off a really zoned out blissful atmosphere that’s more than welcome as does the wonderfully deep layers and techno pulse of Khixxbrrr’s edit that sound like somewhere between the autumnal sounds of GAS and a space station docking procedure. Template, go both electro and glitchy and really organic all at once, utilising voice and brining out the instruments more from the electronic haze. Galissando build a sweeping variant on ‘One Down’ using that pulsing bass line to great effect, they have a really good sense of atmosphere too.
Casstro turns in a slamming d’n’b meets melodic post-rock effort, that works loads better than I could have expected and is the most beat driven of the second discs first half. Enkidu get all uplifting with a melancholic twist giving ‘One Down’ a shake up, that makes the melodies sing and just comes across beautifully. The glitchy atmosphere of Weikie’s Jar remix is a super minimal at times, deranged and spooky at others take on ‘Evil Dogs’ like a stripped back Squarpusher interlude that breaks out into a ghostly breakdown and bass addled finale.
Her Name Is Calla crank up the tension fuelled horror soundscapes on their remix and give a wide screen beauty to the back half of the album. Worriedaboutsatan finish off the package with two remixes of their own, one gagged and one cracked: the first being an ambient relaxing affair with hushed conversations in the background that make you feel like your eves dropping in a Gus Van Sant film about death. The dubbed out electronics act as a bed for the ringing guitar tones and it lulls you into a hypnotic state with ease. The ambiance is soon broken when they breakout into cracked mode on the final track with electronic pulses and percussion underlying those melancholic tones of ‘I Am A Crooked Man’ and builds into techy soundscapes.
Arrivals Remixed is one heck of a package; with some really diverse takes on Worriedaboutsatan’s music, there is so much to explore and get lost in. It’s a remix album that steers well away from the usual remix album pit falls of faddy electro throwaways and the like. Instead you get loads of artists taking the wonderful sound pallet of Worriedaboutsatan and twisting it into new and interesting shapes.
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Words: Worriedaboutsatan on Sonic Minefield
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