Beyond The Wizards Sleeve - Re-Animations Vol. 1

  • Share
  • It might be easy to dismiss Erol Alkan's latest adventures in Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve as a temporary distraction from his better-known musical personas: the purveyor of London's legendary Trash parties (RIP), Mixmag's 2006 "DJ of the Year," emerging dance rock producer du jour and remixer of electro (g)littered anthems from Klaxons, Justice and Digitalism. But the new psychedelic direction in Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve has Alkan partnered with electro-psychonaut-turned-music-journalist Richard Norris (The Grid, The Droyds), whose collective efforts (mostly from 2007) have recently been compiled into Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Reanimations, 12 tracks that meld Alkan's studio proficiency with Norris' oddball psychedelic tendencies for a distinctively retro finish. Look no further than the first track to prove the duo's skill at leaning both forwards and backwards (chronologically) with their re-imagining of The Chemical Brothers "Battle Scars," which they've somehow transformed into a nod to Kenny Rogers & The First Edition's psychedelic anthem "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)," right down to the reverb and reversed riffing which confounds the relatively minimal synth bounce of the original. (Additional audio blotter comes courtesy of Afro-Cuban congos, subtle drum breaks and the warmth of an organ.) The rest of the tracks might seem formulaic in the way they depend on an extended intro to set the psychedelic mood. But there ain't nothing wrong with a formula that works. For Tracey Thorn's "Raise the Roof," the duo initiate with flutes and plenty of echoes and effects on Thorn's pleading voice, then add in a deft, stuttered rhythm before dramatically removing everything but the girl for a breathtaking pause as her empty voice inquires achingly "Why did I wait?" For Goldfrapp's "Happiness," a full minute of woodwind and strings tango with bleeps and electronic flourishes before BTWS eventually coax a syncopated rhythm from handclaps. Granted, Alison Goldfrapp's otherworldly voice is enough to induce chemical reactions, but the boys manage to play sleight of hand by replacing the Britpop snare bounce of the original track with a clearer beat, giving themselves more aural canvas to play with swirls of color. Putting those two iconic songbirds of electronica aside, BTWS really hit their stride using their subtle hands to craft strangely Balearic undertones into Midlake's gorgeous Gram Parsons-aping "Roscoe," resulting in a pure masterpiece. As a whole, Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve Reanimations is an anachronistically beautiful and mysterious treasure for the bleary-eyed clubber. In fact, it might even leave some wishing for Alkan to leave his former agit-electro self behind permanently.
  • Tracklist
      01. The Chemical Brothers - Battle Scars (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 02. Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 03. Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 04. Peter, Bjorn And John (Featuring Victoria Bergsman) - Young Folks (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 05. Tracey Thorn - Raise The Roof (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 06. Badly Drawn Boy - Promises (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 07. Goldfrapp - Happiness (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 08. Midlake - Roscoe (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 09. Dust Galaxy - Come Hear The Trumpets (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 10. Real Ones - Outlaw (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 11. Simian Mobile Disco - Love (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation) 12. Findlay Brown - Losing The Will To Survive (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Re-Animation)
RA