From Andy Clayton Sent Mon, Jan 11th 1999, 21:01
From Andy Clayton Sent Mon, Jan 11th 1999, 21:01
Below is a preview of the Steve Reich remixes album on Tower Records' epulse newsletter.. Thought it was interesting because of the Wink/"Different Trains" quote, which came from this list, I believe.. ***** 3. FIRST GLANCE OF THE WEEK: When word got out on the web about a forthcoming collection of remixes of STEVE REICH's minimalist classical music, at least one response on an Internet discussion group was fairly quick and concise: "yuck," the post read, "why didn't they get Josh Wink to remix Different Trains while they were at it." To translate: Josh Wink is one of the less theoretical pop-electronic musicians around, and "Different Trains" is one of Reich's most serious works, in large part due to the fact that it takes as its subject the systematic genocide of the Holocaust. Apparently, the list of contributors didn't impress; the participants include, for the record: Coldcut, Howie B, Andrea Parker, Tranquility Bass, Mantronik, DJ Takemura, D'Note, DJ Spooky and Ken Ishii. A more sympathetic response might have been: "Cool, why don't they get Chessie to remix Different Trains," given the San Francisco Bay area musician's penchant for locomotives, but the skepticism was understandable; albums such as this one, 'REMIXES' (Nonseuch/Atlantic, 2/16), raise concerns about opportunism on the part of the record label, as did Bill Laswell's album-length remix of Miles Davis' electric-era jazz for Columbia last summer. But an advance copy of the Reich-remix CD raises expectations for the impact the album might have. While Mantronik's take on "Drumming" and D'Note's take on "Piano Phase" sound fairly surface-oriented, other tracks reveal quite a bit of depth. Howie B's take on "Eight Lines" goes to lengths to build on what was, to begin with, a pulsing experience -- he offers a light interplay of parts that simplifies the original's counterpoint and edits its breadth but, in the end, sounds more like a respectful re-orchestration than a remix; furthermore, the sound quality seems to be even brighter than the original Bang on a Can rendition, from which Howie's is assumedly drawn. Likewise, Tranquility Bass contributes an extended "Megamix," working together material from a number of Reich pieces, and its opening overlay of pointillism seems, again, deeply considered. Reich has always depended on highly repetitive, near-automated rhythmic patterns, a modus operandi which has earned him frequent name-drops from DJs and other electronic musicians, especially Coldcut and Spooky. 'Remixes' is an opportunity for them to put their technology where their mouths are. (Weidenbaum) *****