Electronic Ambient Remixes Volume 1

Originally released in 2000, the first volume of CTIs Electronic Ambient Remixes series was based on material from Chris Carters first solo release, the 1980 Industrial Records cassette The Space Between. While the original tracks on the tape were filled with glistening arpeggios and primitive, puttering drum machines, occupying a space somewhere in between synthetic horror soundtracks and electro-disco without really functioning as either, these interpretations are much sparser, and sound like the musical equivalent of lying down deep inside a cavern and listening for vibrations coming from the earth. Vast, yet enclosed. Only faint traces of the source material are audible, and only if you A/B them with the originals. It can seem empty and hollowed-out at first, but theres a lot to discover once you pay attention. The icy ambient dub of Interloop is especially hypnotic, with speckled melodies gradually emerging from the frigid pulsations. Throughout Outreach, a Krautrock-ish drum beat flickers in and out of the mix, distant and mirage-like enough so that you question whether its really there. Walkabout takes the familiar upbeat synth sequence from the 20 Jazz Funk Greats highlight (a longer version also appeared on The Space Between), slows it down, and stretches it out, so that it ends up resembling a sheet pinned to a clothes line, floating in the breeze. Slomo is more of a cold, wet trickle that continually rings out, gradually adjusting and expanding. Solidit focuses on the balmy textures of the original rather than the beats, reversing them into a cool, crystalline shimmer. Poptone is a little richer and more active, and bears more of a resemblance to 90s ambient techno at its greenest and most relaxing. With Electronic Ambient Remixes, Vol. 1, Carter transforms the music of his past into vaporous memories, distancing it as far as possible from its original state until it nearly disintegrates. ~ Paul Simpson