In the endless search for new beats and grooves, Mod X’ ‘The Quest’ offers us “Afro Broken Beat meets Tribal House and Jazz Salsa”, which in descriptive terms doesn’t exactly run off the tongue and smack you in the chops.
The Afro Beat is so Broken on the original version of the track that I worry the CD is skipping in the drive. After two or three plays I become acclimatised to the effect and settle down to divining just what Mod X is offering. There’s a strong ragga/reggae vibe going on here driven by the vocals, filtered through with electronic washes alongside the corrupted tribal/jazz beats and a pervading atmosphere of dark and deep Parisian urban sprawl by night. By the fifth play it’s become infectious.
The Paul Murphy (Wire Magazine DJ of the Year 1985. Blimey! 1985!? Where’s me bleedin’ Balearic?) remix evens out the beats into more standard dance formation, adds new percussion – including a decidedly 80s percussive bridge – ditches the vocals and plays up the tracks electronic swirls and whooshes. The inclusion of the overlying electronic salsa brass builds nicely and carries the whole thing along in a breezy fashion, making ‘The Quest RMX’ more obvious club-oriented fodder where Mod X’ original version offers a little something for the head.
|
Overall Paul Murphy’s arrangement is lighter of touch with added warmth, shimmies along in a strangely alluring retro kind of way, but is no better or worse than Mod X’ independent efforts.
www.iceandspicerecords.com
|
