gullbuy music review

Soulwax

title

Nite Versions

label

PIAS

format
CD

Can't Stop It CD coverNite Versions is a remix album inspired by Human Leagues' Love and Dancing album which was credited to the League Unlimited Orchestra with Martin Rushent remixes of songs from the Dare album, and Duran Duran's Night Versions which had re-recorded extended versions of their singles for night clubs. But Soulwax's Nite Versions is not in the same league as either of those two groups. Mostly re-recorded tracks from Soulwax's uninspiring 'Any Minute Now' album, Nite Versions is an extended mix cd that strips the hard rock guitars from its source and replaces them with electronics, but the results are nearly as uninspiring as the source material.

Nite Versions starts out with a cover of Daft Punk's Teachers, where they name drop a slew of influences. It's one of the few tracks with any vocal. Most of the tracks after this blend together, stripped of guitars, with a snippet of vocal from the original in the mix dub style, or with a female vocal laid over top while the band pumps away in that Soulwax distorto sound.

Miserable Girl retains some of the original guitar and some vocal for the most rocking pop sound here. E Talking was used on their 2 cd mix compilation 50,000,000 Soulwax Fans Can't Be Wrong which was really just another mix disc compilation of the latest electronic music (with only a few older tracks thrown in every so often). E Talking has a great bassline but not much else going for it.

There aren't many samples used in this mix except for the track NY Lipps which samples the classic disco track Funky Town by Lipps Inc. This sample does improve on the lackluster album track NY Excuse which features Nancy from LCD Soundsystem on vocal. But NY Lipps also has the most annoying use of cowbell ever. This track mixes straight into Another Excuse which is another mix of NY Excuse by DFA that extends NY Excuse for far too long (even the name of it makes you wonder if they like it themselves).

The Soulwax brothers are best known for their 2 many djs and hang all djs radio shows where they plunder the history of music for a creative hybrid mix of the best in old and new music moments. Since the Nite Versions source material was an uninspired album to begin with, it's not surprising that the end result is still uninspiring. Too often the mix treads water while the electronics and rhythms pump away searching for that great musical moment that just never comes.

---Patrick, December 12, 2005