Remixes – L’Etranger (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

I have to admit to being a bit out of my depth when it comes to the sort of music found on “Remixes,” but then, that is probably the whole point: to take selected songs by other artists and reimagine them to such a degree that they go beyond the comfort zone of the original target demographic. And anyway, anyone taking their musical moniker from an Albert Camus classic has to be worth checking out, don’t you think?

As the name suggests, this album is a collection of remixes, but it is also a career-spanning compilation of L’Etranger’s many indie dance dub creations and iconic club sounds.

“Bang Up” sees Dubwiser’s (one of the few artists I’m familiar with on the album) 2011 pop-infused reggae grooves into a glitchy dance number. Even though I’m not aware of AaRON’s original work, “Blouson Noir” in the form that it is found here is a scintillating and sophisticated piece of dance, as much about grandeur as the groove, as mellifluous as it is melodic.

Michael Woodruff’s “This Aint Love” becomes wonderfully off-kilter, always leaning forward into its strange beats and liquid bass lines. Ouranos’ “Give It Up” is dense and delicious, ornate, almost claustrophobic, and lysergic in its trippiness. Sebastian Reynolds‘ Crows is an intense wave of cinematic onslaughts…in a good way.

There is something to be said for getting lost in music, moving out of your comfort zone, and experiencing something new. Well, I certainly did that here, and you should, too. If you are fed up with listening to the same old, same old, give this a spin. It’s like nothing you have heard before and will take you to places that you didn’t know existed!