Traversable Wormhole - The Remixes Pt. 02

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  • The Traversable Wormhole reissue series on CLR may just be one of the most exciting things in techno in 2010. With a self-consciously zeitgeist slew of new remixes mixed in with the steampunk antiquity of the originals, it's a package that appears impossibly flawless in execution. The second in the series focuses on one track, "Superliminal"—a somewhat more straightforward tune that deals with familiar spindly electric charges and forward-driving basslines. The track deals in pure black hole atmospheres, playing reverb tricks in an air-deprived oxygen chamber, audibly-diffusing mists of frequencies sucked into the invisible swirling vortex. In its sparse, subtly macabre horror, it recalls recent work by dark techno producers like Dino Sabatini and Cio D'or. Fitting comfortably into that lineage, German techno shaman Sleeparchive is a prescient pick for the remix, and he expertly takes in the song's spiky riffs and stretches and moulds them into and over each other like fondant. The effect becomes fascinatingly psychedelic as the riff stumbles over its own toes in the final minutes of the track, disregarding time signatures as its synths swell obnoxiously to nearly grating levels of abrasion. CLR head Chris Liebing dresses "Superliminal" up in more accessible clothing, turning the track's gliding motion into a triumphant stomp and enhancing its scrawny wireframe with a rather flattering new set of low-end frequencies. While the impressive list of attention-grabbing names brought on for this reissue package might smell a little of opportunism and self-congratulation, the music here is clearly created out of love and reverence for the source material. That the uncompromisingly individual remixes manage to be every bit as creative and inspiring as the originals is a miracle, or at least just proof that Adam X is more relevant than he ever has been; that it just took an anonymity exercise for everyone to realize this is a little humbling.
  • Tracklist
      01. Superluminal 02. Superluminal (Sleeparchive Remix) 03. Superluminal (Chris Liebing Remix)
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