My Favorite Robot - Birthday Song

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  • Canadian duo Jared Simms and Voytek Korab, AKA My Favorite Robot, and their eponymous label have only been around for a couple of years, although they've got their DJ and party wings from as far back as the '90s. They've also, apparently, got something of a different taste individually. All of which points to the kind of freshness that comes out in "Birthday Song," but on the other hand, a lack of finesse which isn't particularly prominent on the original, yet shows itself more when it permeates through to a few of the remixes. Let's not be too hasty: "Birthday Song" is pretty good retro electro-styled stuff. It's got a dark electroclash vibe: tight drums with zappy FX, drawling, too-cool-for-school vocals and '80s bass. Yes, we've moved on since Fischerspooner, but MFR do a decent job of bringing it up to date. For those of you with an addiction to acid, Mike Mind's remix should satisfy for a while, with a line that squelches, squawks and twists with the best of 'em. Sharma and Krause build a moody loop which growls menacingly, but before long you realise it's actually harmless: it doesn't do much, apart from upping pace from a plod to a march near the end. Good work, that bit, but it carries on for too long beforehand. Fellow Canadian Maher Daniel's mix similarly starts off promisingly, but the inclusion of brash drums over the top of the ones that were good enough already kind of kills the slinky mood set by the quiet monobass. It's a shame, because without them it'd be idiosyncratic and tasteful, what with all the little bits stuttering about. Parisians Nomenklatur get the candles out in the cathedral for a gothic, sombre affair that's powerful, but a shade off being really good. Maybe it could do with more variation in its billowing synths, or maybe just more billowing synths. There's good stuff there, but production standards these days being what they are, these last three need the ideas to be developed well, too. Having said that, there's plenty to like in MFR's and Mike Mind's versions.
  • Tracklist
      01. Birthday Song 02. Birthday Song (Deepak Sharma & Dieter Krause Remix) 03. Birthday Song (Maher Daniel Remix) 04. Birthday Song (Mike Mind Remix) 05. Birthday Song (Nomenklatur Remix)
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