Rockwell - Childhood Memories

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  • When I interviewed Londoner Rockwell earlier this year, he claimed that he "didn't really like to re-use beat structures or revisit themes," and I'll be damned if his latest single isn't a radical fulfillment of that promise. "Childhood Memories" sounds absolutely nothing like what Tom Green has done before. Something about the clattering, momentous funk of "Childhood Memories" recalls older Jamie Vex'd and Eskmo. It sees Rockwell incorporating a vocalist for the first time as well. A frequent Skream collaborator, Sam Frank's heavily filtered, chrome-plated vocals mirror Owl City in their sickly sweet cadence—that is, until the Rudi Zygadlo-esque chorus where the vocals undulate and stretch like taffy. Once you're done scratching your head through that tune's brief four minutes, things return to more familiar territory with flipside "Fluf." It's got all the nervously fluttering Rockwell bits and bobs and high-octane shenanigans, only it's at a slower tempo, more like high speed house or techno (your call) than drum & bass. The vinyl single consists solely of two remixes. First up is Neosignal, the German drum & bass scientists responsible for some of the most exciting drum & bass that isn't made by Rockwell, who choose the same halftime shudder as the original. Something about their heavily compressed thrash turns limp and unpleasant when meted out in stagger rather than speed demon style. On the flip, techstep tear-out producer Metrik brings straightforward drum & bass in what might be the worst thing ever released on Shogun Audio, as every bar is assaulted by obnoxious waves of blaring synth. Finnish producer Teeth steps in for a final remix for the digital package. He attempts to contain the original's uneven stomp in a wireflame blotted out by low-end largesse, and ends up entirely generic in the process.
  • Tracklist
      A Childhood Memories feat. Kito & Sam Frank (Neosignal Remix) B Childhood Memories feat. Kito & Sam Frank (Metrik Remix) Digital: Childhood Memories feat. Kito & Sam Frank Digital: Childhood Memories feat. Kito & Sam Frank (Teeth Remix) Digital: Fluf
RA