Various Production are the remix team that put the bomp into Thom Yorke’s ‘Analyse’ and even succeeded in making the dreadful Sugarbabes palatable. Here’s an album full of wonky beats.
Various Production don’t do conventional four-to-the-floor beats. In fact, there’s little that’s conventional in a typical VP mix. They even stick out as a bit extreme in a genre that’s based on tricky rhythms, like Dubstep. ‘Versus’ combines some of their prime remixes with their own material as re-interpreted by hot new producers such as Zomby and Rusty.
The VP remix of the Sugarbabes’ ‘Too Lost In You’ is probably a good starting point. A subtle rework that pulls the carpet from under your feet just as you are making your way to the dancefloor. Ouch.
Working with Ian Brown’s ‘Sister Rose’, VP add massive bass that towers over Brown’s vocals, casting the song into dark, moody shadows. But if you really want to see how the Dubstep approach can add drama to an indie rock tune, check out the VP mix of Foal’s ‘Red Sox’.
My favourite VP compositions on the album are the chanson bizzarre of ‘Limbs’ and the massive re-rubs of ‘Hater’ and ‘In This’. Zomby turns ‘Hater’ into an 8-bit dancehall bomb that sounds like you are on a bumper car joyride through a games arcade. Rusty gives ‘In This’ an equally strong remake, throwing the tune into a quaking, skittering mess of glitchy madness.
To soothe your senses, skip to the ambient ‘Foller’ remix by Zan Lyons. Close the session with the Milanese mix of ‘Deadman’ which sounds positively relaxed with its flicker of Balearic guitars.
Unfortunately, the VP remix of Thom Yorke’s ‘Analyse’ is missing from this album. Otherwise, ‘Versus’ is a sometimes challenging, but never boring, collection of contemporary beats.
Listen Here to ‘Versus’ and download the album from iTunes.
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