Trentemoller - Reworked / Remixed

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  • The last time Anders Trentemøller's own music got compiled, it was on 2007's The Trentemøller Chronicles, a double album which charted the Danish producer's unhurried but steady metamorphosis from pristine minimalistic techno to something more akin to maximalist electro (a tendency his over-the-top crossover hit remix of Röyksøpp's "What Else Is There" perfectly embodied). The Chronicles ended, however, with his subdued, mercurial take on Djuma Soundsystem's "Les Djinns," and you felt this is where Trentemøller's real allegiances lay. In retrospect, it even seems weird that this compilation and his first studio album—2006's still stellar The Last Resort—actually got a release on Poker Flat and its affiliated Audiomatique imprint, as both labels came instead to epitomize a certain brand of sharp tech house over the last decade, a sound Trentemøller quickly ended up leaving behind. Reworked/Remixes, a new two CD compilation presenting an intertwining of Trentemøller's best reworks of the last five years and other people's remixes of tracks from 2010's Into the Great Wide Yonder, is presented by In My Room—his own label—which now appears to be the most appropriate vehicle for his specific vision of indie-bound EDM. Based on the selection at hand, it's obvious how he is skilled at turning your average alternative song (either from The Dø, Franz Ferdinand, or Mew) into trippy dark house numbers; moreover, Chimes And Bells' gothic shoegaze and Sleep Party People's leftfield folk both come across as perfect matches to the remixer's sound, which always had a foot in the guitar-based end of that indie spectrum anyway. That isn't to say he doesn't know how to dance properly: Anders' own re-reading of Modeselektor's "White Flash" is proof—even a few years after its initial release—that he still has a knack for frenetic atmospheres. Alas, there are moments where it doesn't work as well. "Wrong" probably remains Depeche Mode's worst comeback single ever, and Trentemøller's remix only further enhances the original's stomping self-consciousness. The limitations imposed by the source material shine just as bright on "Me Me Me," the sole 2010 release from Copenhagen musician Lars and the Hands of Light, a piece of vaguely '60s-inspired indie pop. The compilation might showcase "new, exclusive and unreleased songs" as a selling point, but half of them simply constitute instrumental versions of already known productions. Sadly, both "Neverglade" and "Tide," which formed the last studio album's epic coda, turn into unnecessary and pale send-ups compared to their original versions. Thankfully, there are some true surprises—well, one—to be had: I Blame Coco (Britain's humorless version of Robyn, if you'd like) offers a quirky synth-pop cover version of "...Even Though You're With Another Girl," her affected vocals only adding to the song's original sense of piteous despair while proposing a rereading that is both contrasting and faithful. Like most compilations of this sort, Reworded/Remixed is a hit-and-miss affair. Trentemøller's music, at least when it is produced with the long player format in mind, suggests escapism. When it works—and it often does—he sounds like the improbable coalition of Steve Bug and Mazzy Star. But on Reworded/Remixed, you just don't hear it that much.
  • Tracklist
      CD1 01. Trentemoller - Sycamore Feeling (Marie Fisker Version) 02. UNKLE - The Answer feat. Big in Japan (Baltimore) (Trentemoller Remix) 03. The Do - Too Insistent (Trentemoller Remix) 04. Trentemoller - Tide (Efterklang Remix) 05. Trentemoller - Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go !!! (Andrew Weatherall Prinz Mix) 06. Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls (Trentemoller Remix) 07. Trentemoller - Tide (Modeselektor's Last Remix Ever) 08. Modeselektor feat. Thom Yorke - White Flash (Trentemoller Remix) 09. Lars and The Hands Of Light - Me Me Me (Trentemoller Remix) 10. Kasper Bjorke - Does Not Matter feat. The Pierces (Trentemoller Remix) 11. Trentemoller - Tide (Alternative Instrumental Version) CD2 01. Trentemoller - Neverglade (Trentemoller Remix) 02. Chimes And Bells - The Mole (Trentemoller Remix) 03. Trentemoller - ...Even Though You're With Another Girl (I Blame Coco Version) 04. Efterklang - Raincoats (Trentemoller Remix) 05. Trentemoller - Neverglade (UNKLE Surrender Sounds Session #16) 06. Depeche Mode - Wrong (Trentemoller Club Remix) 07. Sleep Party People - The Dwarf And The Horse (Trentemoller Remix) 08. Mew - Beach (Trentemoller Remix) 09. Trentemoller - ...Even Though You're With Another Girl (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Remix) 10. Giana Factory - Dirty Snow (Trentemoller Remix) 11. Trentemoller - Neverglade (Instrumental Version)
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