Artistically completing the Animals journey from Ladonna Rama, this brand new album of remixes sees the original tracks reimagined under a variety of creatively intriguing, dedicative lights.
An ordinarily unmistakable Zentai Suit starts things off, admittedly unfamiliar in its bass-heavy, retro and rhythmic, multi-layered new attire. Sydney’s MaxxxyT remixes the track in a spacious, sci-disco style, the bass-notes and distorted synths flickering in and out of view, pulsating and redirecting your focus to these other-worldly intricacies as they stab through the mix.
Additional vocals from Joe Pol inject further sci-fi story vibes, unsettling and quirky, robotic and ever-evolving as the post-five-minute remix tootles along. It’s an unusual format, a little jarring in its extensive journey, but interesting nonetheless.
An easy highlight from the new fifteen-track collection is the Jamie Principle / Frankie Knuckles re-working of Dirty Mirror. This Trashy Disco Mix has a certain emotive drama about it, the deep-house energy, the compression of the drum and the crisply presented, whispering vocal. All of this, alongside the synths and strings that descend and rise hypnotically, creates a beautifully euphoric hit of escapism.
The creative differences between the tracks on this remix project is impressive, and endlessly engaging. Consider now the Vocaloid Disco Mix of Bona Fide. Miku Hatsune features as a guiding voice, offering haunting dashes of thought amidst the futuristic, cinematic breath of sound-design that slowly but surely envelops its audience. Unsettling, yet strangely mesmerising.
In stark contrast once again is the hard-hitting and fast-paced Multicore Mix of Fragile during the album’s latter half. Industrial tech house pounds through, energising and seductively dark, impossible to ignore, with no space between layers and only the fullness of the soundscape to submit to.
Featuring an underlying theme, that of approaching adulthood as a sensitive, queer and emotionally fragile male, this track has a vastly engaging weight to it – that inescapable presence is poignant, and brilliantly relevant to the emotions and experiences of the implied protagonist.
Almost eight minutes of this journey manage to hold tight to the listener’s attention – the mind may wander, but it’s always led along by the striking power of the music and these intriguing whispers of voice; even the subtle changes, the unexpected intensity and darkness that grows and grows.
This album is Animals re-crafted with a completely new air of intention. It’s also, quite cleverly, a fine celebration of the uninhibited possibilities that lie within creative dance music. An ode to the disco, tech house, dub and electro worlds of sound-play, making for an easy go-to as the long summer nights take hold.
Album out June 25th. Check out Ladonna Rama on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Instagram or visit their Website.
