Sigur Rós - Gobbledigook: Remixes

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  • There's really no use tracking Kompakt these days for "ups" and "downs." It's a label that long ago broadened its stable to include a variety of artists outside of the tight cabal of predominantly Cologne-based artists, and thus transcended conversations about whether it was a good or bad 12 months for the brand of minimal techno that they so famously developed in their earliest years. One sub-label that seems to continue to lend itself to such scrutiny, however, is Kompakt Pop—an imprint that never really seemed to be locally focused in its aims or reach. The crew at Kompakt towers have always reserved special one-offs for Pop, and it's accordingly kept an extraordinary high level of quality over the years. That trend continues with its latest entry, a remix EP of Icelandic New Age pop nerds Sigur Rós. Both President Bongo & Jack Schidt and Thomas Fehlmann tear into the first track on their newest album, "Gobbldigook" and come up with wildly different, but equally as satisfying remakes. Gus Gus's Bongo and Icelandic club gadfly Shidt start slowly, taking advantage of the original's hymnal state, and build it into a club banger that roils with handclaps and skittering percussion underneath a resolutely normal tech house beat. Things eventually coalesce, but they do so slowly that you almost don't realize it. Typically untypical work. Schaffel is the name of the game on the flip, with Thomas Fehlmann popping in to remind us of the long, hot love affair we had with the beat in the early half of the '00s. Fehlmann never gave up the rhythm—seeing a group of dancers go off to it when he deftly shifted into the glam-inspired beat at Mutek was a sight to behold—and it's a good thing he didn't. His take is phenomenal, sounding a bit like Animal Collective, a bit like DJ Koze and a lot like Fehlmann. Which is just a long way of say, if we're still keeping score, Kompakt Pop is most definitely "up."
  • Tracklist
      A Gobbledigook (Gluteus Maximus mix) B Gobbledigook (Flowing remix raw & bare)
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