Bedrockโs second release of the year pays an untimely but welcome visit to Stelios Vassiloudisโs fantastic โIt Is What It Isโ album from late 2011, with the second installment of their โIt Was What It Wasโ series offering new remixes of tracks from the album. This release offers a diverse package of remixes spanning a number of different genres, with Satoshi Tomiie, Russ Gabriel, One of Them, John Dalagelis, Guy J, and Wiretappeur taking on tracks from the album, and Arjun Vagale and Ramiro Lopez teaming up for a remix of โWhatโs That?โ from the Bedrock 14 album.
This is only legendary producer and DJ Satoshi Tomiieโs first appearance on Bedrock, and he offers a tough deep house version of โGreen in Blueโ, which was a low-key slice of hypno-house boasting the compellingly tripped-out vocals of Tomomi Ukumori. Tomiie ups the energy levels with a filthy bassline, handclaps galore, a heavy kickdrum, and shimmering synths, all the while working the vocal superbly. A surprisingly touching outro will doubtless see this one close out many a mix over the months to come. Weโve come to expect nothing but the highest quality from Satoshi Tomiie; he doesnโt disappoint that expectation here, thatโs for sure.
A few years ago One of Them turned in a really fantastic, stripped back remix of whatโs still my favourite Stelios Vassiloudis track, โBite Downโ, and here he also takes on โGreen in Blueโ. One of Themโs version initially sticks slightly more closely to the original, though the main innovations, the twangy acidic bassline and the subtle chiming melodies introduced after a few minutes both work extremely well. The remix starts to feel like it should think about winding down with around a third of its running time left, but in a surprising and very pleasing twist One of Them suddenly brightens and freshens the track with splashes of piano, which carry the listenerโs interest comfortably over the finish line. This is great work from One of Them once again.
โFeedโ was one of my personal favourites from โIt Is What It Isโ, and here itโs turned over to British producer Russ Gabriel. I had slightly mixed feelings about his version. The originalโs wonderfully minimalist bassline is replaced with a propulsive growl, which gives the track much more forward momentum, but I wasnโt sure that the key changes worked quite as well with the vocal. More importantly, all of the harmonies on Astrid Suryantoโs lovely vocals are stripped out, and to a large extent those are what made the original so appealing. On the other hand, Gabriel supplements the vocals with some really fantastic moody strings at various junctures, and those work an absolute treat. In the end, Iโm inclined to say Russ Gabriel strikes a fair balance between giving the track his own stamp and lending it a bit more bite, and preserving the elements of the original that made it stand out.
John Dalagelis remixes โRepetitionโ, which layered warm, jazzy pads over acid techno. It definitely wasnโt one of my favourite tracks on the album, since that style of melody really doesnโt appeal to me, and so Dalagelisโs remix was always going to be a tough sell. He strips out the acid bassline in favour of something more restrained, and instead lets the track be powered primarily by busy breakbeatish percussion and intricate hi-hat work. I liked the build to the breakdown well enough, but predictably once Stelios Vassiloudisโs melody is introduced, I wasnโt keen on the result. Donโt get me wrong, this is a well-conceived and produced piece of Detriot-flavoured techno; it just builds a sound that doesnโt speak to me all that much.
Arjun Vagale and Ramiro Lopez take on another of Stelios Vassiloudisโs more acid numbers, โWhatโs That?โ from the Bedrock 14 compilation. The duo maintain the sinister bleeps and atmospherics from the original, but where the original was taunt and held-back, this new version gives the track some serious welly, with a massive bassline and armour-piercing percussion. They wisely keep the 303 at the heart of the action, though itโs held back until the breakdown halfway through, leading to absolute mayhem when itโs let off the leash. This is wicked stuff from Arjun Vagale and Ramiro Lopez.
โI Burn Likeโ was probably my favourite track on the album (though the โambientโ version on Bedrockโs โStructures Two album was even nicer), with its combination of low-tempo breaks, gorgeous chimes and plucked motifs, Darren Murrayโs vocals, and of course those stunning cello lines evoking the soundtrack of โCrouching Tiger Hidden Dragonโ. Wiretappeur is Stelios Vassiloudisโs partnership with veteran producers Florian Kruse and Nils Nurnberg, and the trio have been responsible for some of the finest examples of Bedrockโs housier output over the past few years. Here they wisely donโt mess too much with the original, taking its core elements and fashioning them into a 100bpm deep house number, adding in a subtle disco flavour for good measure. For most of us, this is going to be a headphones moment rather than a club track, but itโs pretty exquisite.
Guy J raises the tempo back to peak time levels for his version of โI Burn Likeโ, which loops splinters of the originalโs chimes over a sparse bassline. Guyโs probably wisely decided to lose the vocal for his interpretation, using it very sparingly to add atmosphere, and in general this is a really restrained take on the track, with a drawn out, teasing build up. However, after the main breakdown Guy brings in the cello line, and the contrast with the build up only makes this all the sweeter. Itโs a spectacular moment, and it reminds me of the highpoint of his remix of Roger Martinez and Secret Cinemaโs โMethol Ragaโ, which for my money was the best moment of his Balance mix album last year. The cello gradually crystalizes into the instantly recognizable theme from Stelios Vassiloudisโs original for the finale, before the remix winds down.
There are some really stunning moments throughout โIt Was What It Wasโ, with Guy Jโs take on โI Burn Likeโ providing the highlight for me. Hopefully weโll hear Stelios Vassiloudis appearing on Bedrock with some brand new material soon. 8.5/10
