The Sabres Of Paradise - Lick Wid Nit Wit

  • Share
  • The Sabres Of Paradise—AKA Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns—released "Lick Wid Nit Wit" on a CD-only Volume compilation in 1993. A Sagittariun, who's reissued the track on vinyl for the first time, describes it as a "holy grail" in the Warp trio's catalogue. (About a year ago, one annoyed YouTube commenter said, "Devastated this track was never released on vinyl, what were they thinking!") Unlike some of the group's best-known material, like the comedown ambient of "Smokebelch II" (a poorly credited cover of L.B. Bad's "New Age Of Faith") or the dog-eared trip-hop of "Theme," "Lick Wid Nit Wit" still sounds remarkably fresh, and stands slightly apart from The Sabres Of Paradise's versatile yet dubwise '90s sound. That's partly down to the insane melodica spirals, but other great touches—bubbling hand drums, echo-washed 808 rimshots, the melodica solo in the breakdown—share the load. Unfortunately, A Sagittariun's remixes are less inspired. One, "A Sagittariun Sabresonic Re-Dream," gives the original an electro spin, dimming the rimshots and introducing a slightly pensive melody. It's a decent stab at switching things up, but somehow it doesn't quite come together. (The lumpy, kick-heavy groove is mostly to blame.) The other remix is a plain techno version that retains little of the original's charisma, and is about as forgettable a track as A Sagittariun has put out. Releasing "Lick Wid Nit Wit" as a single-sided vinyl would have been enough.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Lick Wid Nit Wit B1 Lick Wid Nit Wit (A Sagittariun's Sabresonic Re-Dream) B2 Lick Wid Nit Wit (A Sagittariun's Friday Night At Happy Jacks Remix)
RA