- Remixing a classic is risky. When done poorly, the feedback is doubly negative. And even when it's done well, comments like, "Yeah, but it's not as good as the original…" are inevitable. But many producers still try. Solomun is the latest artist to give a classic tune a high-profile touch-up. He's been a gifted remixer—his rework of Noir & Haze's "Around" will go down as one of this decade's defining tracks—in the past, but his latest strips away the ethereal charm of the 1990 trance bomb "The Age Of Love."
The original's shifting mood was a big part of its success. Famously remixed by Jam & Spoon in 1992, its opening minutes are deep and heady, after which the intensity increases with the introduction of a whistling melody, atonal bleeps and a series of mini-breakdowns. These shifts, if you're unfamiliar with the track, feel unexpected and steadily boost the energy until the famous vocal climax two-thirds through.
On his version, Solomun replaces the groove and beefs up the intro's bassline, which is joined by bursts of white noise and the original's bleeps and atmospheric melody. Where the original's drum rolls are subtle flourishes, Solomun's are intense and usually signal a change. This removes the original's spontaneity, which, when coupled with Solomun's own blaring synth melody, makes the whole thing feel like "Ibiza Peak-Time Track 101." Even with the clumsy final breakdown, there's no doubt it would keep a packed dance floor happy. But by jamming a 27 year-old track into a contemporary tech house framework, Solomun removes the anything-goes energy that made so much '90s dance music timeless.
Tracklist01. The Age Of Love (Solomun Renaissance Remix)