- Originally released in 2004 on mp3 only as Clever Music 001, and then again last year on Clever Music as a slew of mp3 remixes, of which Mark Henning's was one, 'Magda Had A . . .' makes its vinyl debut on Roman Photo with yet another remix, this time by English up and comers Glimpse.
Mark's remix sounds more than a little like one side of his last release on Trapez, 'Pokerbot', which is no bad thing. This is sophisticated, layered tech-house with an idiosyncratic funk peppered with trademark sharp-edged Henning motifs. The zippiness of the high end is ably complemented by an undulating bass that drives the track on through a maze of vocal snippets only to abruptly change pitch around half-way through. The whole piece is enveloped on a liquid dub scale that amplifies its dark, but strangely bouncy, nature.
Glimpse serve up a metronomic offering that is punctuated by piano stabs and what sounds like filtered rim shots coming on like gunfire. The end product is no less funky than the Henning remix, but it’s an altogether woozier affair, building to sound like a drunken jazz quartet at the controls. Peak time it is not, but it's an extremely interesting and original take on the minimalist aesthetic.
All in all a couple of works that differ sufficiently to offer relative originality in a genre that's constantly in search of reinvention. Henning for prime time, Glimpse for afters.
TracklistA: Mark Henning Remix
B: Glimpse Remix