Music: Response

Remix EPs are redundant for remix artists, and that's ostensibly what the Chemical Brothers are. As they've said themselves, they're not musicians, and in the traditional sense, it's true. They are, however, incredible fabricators and synthesizers of sound and rhythm, and this EP spells out in longhand what most listeners can appreciate from a four-minute track by the Chemical Brothers. The seven cuts on Music: Response focus tightly on two of the best tracks from Surrender: "Music: Response" and "Out of Control." The former is a wonderfully mutated Kraftwerk-style piece of old-school blip-and-beep techno. The latter, featuring spot-on vocals by Bernard Sumner, signals where New Order would have gone had they kept their fire. From track to track, the remixes cover pretty much the same ground from only slightly different angles, and they do drag a bit, losing some of their punch in the process. Also, the new tracks are really just scraps from the aforementioned songs cobbled together into new shapes. Surprisingly, the two live cuts don't sound too different from the rest of the EP in terms of production quality and execution. Perhaps that's a testament to the skill and professionalism of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons as DJs. Ultimately, Music: Response, for all its cutting-room floor scavenging, comes off interesting but inessential. Big kudos, meanwhile, for including such insightful liner notes on the disc, accessible on a PC or Mac, not to mention the incredible video for "Let Forever Be." ~ Christian Huey