Most Of The Remixes...(EU)

ベルギー人ユニット、Soulwaxのリミックス集。Klaxons、Justice、LCD Soundsystem、The Gossip、Kylie Minogue、Daft Punkなどなど、話題のアーティストの楽曲をロック、ポップ、ディスコ、テクノ、ヘヴィーロックに至るまで、彼ら流に大胆に料理。

With a 552-character title that dwarfs Fiona Apple's random stream of consciousness, When the Pawn..., Most of the Remixes... is the first official compilation of the various mash-ups and mixes from the Dewaele brothers produced under their more familiar guise of Soulwax. Like their 2 Many DJ's alias' series, As Heard on Radio Soulwax, the two-CD collection showcases their bootlegging sensibilities on 14 tracks which tackle artists as diverse as operatic prog rockers Muse (on the buzzing synths and crashing cymbals of "Muscle Museum"), Belgian-American, post-industrial outfit Lords of Acid (on a doom-laden techno re-working of "I Sit on Acid"), and Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue (on a scuzzy garage rock retooling of "Can't Get You Out of My Head"). Like most mixtapes, the standards vary. Their sampling of various Daft Punk tracks ("Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," "Burnin'," "Aerodynamic"), on LCD Soundsystem's "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" is almost glaringly predictable but still works wonders, as does their fusion of two old-school rave classics, 808 State's "Kubik" and Human Resources' "Dominator"; their epic, seven-minute adaptation of the Gossip's "Standing in the Way of Control," which blends snatches of Beth Ditto's wailing vocals with clattering rhythms and a huge slab of industrial electro, and their acid house take on Klaxons' "Gravity's Rainbow." Less successful are their treatments of Daft Punk's "Robot Rock," which removes the infectious, squelchy electro from the Breakwater sample, Sugababes' "Round Round," which turns the joyous Xenomania pop classic into a turgid slice of gothic synth rock, and Robbie Williams' "Lovelight," which apart from flashes of the original backing vocals, and is rendered completely unrecognizable thanks to its discordant bleeps and unsettling grunts. While their extended 12" offerings sometimes run out of steam, the second disc avoids this problem by selecting the best bits of each song alongside six other remixes of tracks by Hot Chip ("Ready for the Floor"), Tiga ("Move My Body") and Felix da Housecat ("Rocket Ride"), on one well-crafted, hour-long, continuous mix. Soulwax's haphazard spirit means that Most of the Remixes... is as inconsistent as you'd expect, occasionally improving on some of its source material, while also ruining others, but it's always an intriguing listen, and justifies their position as the dance scene's premier cut-and-paste merchants. ~ Jon O'Brien|