Bjarki's music playfully dissects a corpus of '90s dance styles, among them breakbeat hardcore. The style is often present in his tracks, whether in an implied way—giving them a manic, giddy energy—or directly, as on the breakbeat-heavy "Fresh Jive." The debut release on BBBBBB, the label Bjarki co-runs, goes back to the source, picking out a hardcore gem from 1992. You can see why X-Static's "My Inspiration" appeals to the Icelander—like his own music, it's hooky and bold enough to work in a range of contexts, without skimping on weirdness. There's a devilish glint in its eye thanks to the frantic gumdrop bassline and the way spooky melodies cast the loved-up diva vocal in a sinister light. Nobody was clamouring for the track to be reissued, but it's now bound to find an admiring new audience.
Surprisingly, Bjarki's "Sweetest Thing Version" is less of a crowd-pleaser. He reduces the track's cascade of sonic novelty to a measured trickle of vocals and spooky chords, while the breakbeats sound more desultory and the arrangement emptier. The whole thing loops irregularly, as if we're trapped in a bleary bad dream of the original, with no escape in sight.
Surprisingly, Bjarki's "Sweetest Thing Version" is less of a crowd-pleaser. He reduces the track's cascade of sonic novelty to a measured trickle of vocals and spooky chords, while the breakbeats sound more desultory and the arrangement emptier. The whole thing loops irregularly, as if we're trapped in a bleary bad dream of the original, with no escape in sight.
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Published /
Thu / 2 Feb 2017 -
Words /
Angus Finlayson -
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Tracklist /
A My Inspiration
B My Inspiration (Bjarki Sweetest Thing Version)
Bergen
London
East
South
Melbourne
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