Greie Gut Fraktion – reKonstruKtion (Baustelle)

This is a truly great record. Up there with anything by Kraftwerk, no doubting that.

This is a truly great record. Up there with anything by Kraftwerk, no doubting that.

http://www.dense.de http://www.monika-enterprise.de  http://greiegutfraktion.com/

Wow, what a record. Baustelle was one of our favourites last year and this set of remixes (done by allies like Barbara Morgenstern) just cements the original LPs reputation as a multidimensional and forward-thinking piece of work. 

Remixes are funny things, they can work brilliantly but they can also serve to grievously undermine the spirit of an original recording. Maybe it’s just me but I think that a track can be made rudderless if a remixer doesn’t keep the original spirit and soul of a track intact.  What is most impressive is the way that the original cheeky sensuality of the record remains intact. Mika Vaino’s mix of Drilling an Ocean is a post-coital dream if ever there was one. And Betongiessen Rubberboots remix (by Gudrun Gut herself) could be a lost DAF classic. It’s almost rude.  Baustein: He’s A Man mix by Donna Neda is pretty suggestive too…

The remixes on reKonstruKtion are great at unearthing and promoting hidden melodies, or finding a way to highlight a melody that slots in perfectly to the original work. The beautiful minor chord change in Natalie Beridze’s take on We Matter, or Vinilette’s breathy mix of China Memories are cases in point. There are less angular constructs to negotiate, fewer sharp or abrasive sounds and beast “jutting out”: you are less likely to cut yourself on this remix LP than the original work, that’s for sure. And there are tremendous club moments: as well as Jennifer Cardini’s stentorian thump of Make it Work, and check out the soul-boy lounge workout on Soulphiction’s mix of Mischmachine.

This is a truly great record. Up there with anything by Kraftwerk, no doubting that.