Federico Aubele La Esquina/Corazon 12-Inch

Another ESL 12-inch hits our mailbox, but this one is probably the most unremarkable of the lot to date. Federico Aubele’s songwriting and presentation are top notch, but it’s a little bit too much in the background music department for my taste. Plusses: It’s very latin, and on both sides the acoustic guitar playing is tops, and those vocals are gorgeous…but best reserved for a post-club chillout mix or a pre-show warmup. Minuses: the remixes try very hard to spice this 12-inch up, but even Ursula 1000’s spirited dancehall take on Corazon can’t pull this out of the middle of the road.

Thunderball: Elevated States/Get Up With The Down 12-Inch

Thunderball’s 12-inch single featuring the Nicola Conte remix of Elevated States features a massive sax jazz group that wouldn’t feel out of place on an extended megamix of the Blow Up soundtrack, Coltrane, mix-n-match Blue Note artists and the occasional John Zorn freakout tossed in just to make sure you’re paying attention. Elevated States is top notch. Smooth as polished mahogany.

This 12-inch shifts into 3rd gear on the B-side with the Ursula 1000 remix of Get Up With The Get Down. This one’s squarely in Paisley Park territory with the synth squiggles, which isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, the “get down” chanting is more reminiscent of Sheila E with every new listen. Don’t let that scare you, now, son.

I was braced for the instrumental mix to leave me high and dry, but those horns are pretty tasty. A nice party piece to play mashup with if you’re behind the decks…get a groove on with this vs. Chris Joss and see where it goes. I’ll be playing with that one myself. Thunderball’s got a winner here, don’t pass this by. Have a listen to all three tracks at ESL. Snag the 12-inch after it snags you.

Chris Joss: I Want Freedom 12-Inch Remixes

There are groups that are vastly improved by remixes, artists who are turned to complete slurry, and then there are the ones like Chris Joss who get their original works of deliciousness garnished with all sorts of new flavors and spices. The four track 12-inch remix vinyl for I Want Freedom is a worthy investment even in a crap economy. Do without that gallon of gas, buy this instead.

The I Want Freedom Myagi remix throws in a deep analog synth riff underneath making this a track you really ought to hear at “call the cops” volume in order to get the full benefit of the mix. Side A also features an extended mix of the original, but sounds fairly unmolested and sort of anti-climatic on the heels of the Myagi mix.

The B-side Smokey Bandits remix takes a while to find its legs, but once the extra vox and horns kick in, it’s smooth sailing on this Basement Freaks/Quasamodo version. The Atfunk remix kicks this track into funkier heights, I love this version. Myagi and Atfunk win the battle of the remixers, two badass reworkings of one of the standout tracks from Chris Joss’s latest, Teraphonic Overdubs. Hear all this stuff at the ESL site, click the links and you’ll get a nice sampling of all this and more. RECOMMENDED.

Thievery Corporation Supreme Illusion 12-Inch Single

I’ve been digging this Thievery Corporation track since hearing it on the ESL Remixed CD. That’s a disc I strongly recommend, but for the vinyl 12-inch single junkie, here’s a must-own. Thievery Corporation’s Supreme Illusion is remixed by Nickodemus in a great Near-East vibe that mercifully sidesteps all the groan-inducing cliches lesser remixers resort to when trying to impart some of those “mystic East” touches.

This is some flawless, ultra-polished post-club listening. The ESL Remixed version was non-stop on the player for two solid months–quite a feat given all the music I consume on a daily basis. If these releases were cigarettes, I’d be dead by now.

Supreme Illusion is a great track and the B-side, Thievery Corporation’s remix of Crazy Stranger by Nickdemus is no slouch, either–but I prefer the A side, hands down. For those who don’t dig singles, pick up the ESL Remixed CD instead, there’s a glorious load of tasty sounds there.