Marumari
The Remixes
(Carpark Records)
If you're a fan of Marumari, you may already know that this release has been a long time in the making. Originally scheduled to come out some time last year, it was delayed for unbeknownst reasons at least one time, but now that it's arrived, it more than makes up for things. Making sure to use all the space allowable on a standard CD, The Remixes is like two, two discs in one. Not only do you get 10 remixes by artists such as Greg Davis, Cex, and Electric Company, but there are 10 mp3 remixes contained on the disc (for computer listening) as well as two videos.
One interesting thing about the remixes contained on the disc is that while they are definitely comprised of different bits from Marumari tracks, no specific names are given and it's really inconsequential anyway. As with many remix projects, the new tracks come out sounding like a completely new ballgame anyway, depending on who has a hand in the particular tracks. The aforementioned Electric Company starts off the disc with a remix that lumbers along with a pilfered and distored melody before L'usine offers up a mix from The Wolves Hollow.
New Carpark label artist Casino Vs. Japan turn in one of the most spectacular remixes on the frontside, loping a funky beat behind layers and layers of subtlely shifting hazy electronics, the track practically glows, and makes me even more excited about the next album from the group. Greg Davis takes the happy little melody from "The Hunger" (also off The Wolves Hollow) and adds some nice guitar and texture to it while Cex turns in a minimal track with an oddly haunting rhythm.
The Kracfive gang (the same fellows who brought you last years Original Instrument wackiness) make a couple appearances on the disc, with Octopus Inc dropping a thick, soupy remix with tongue-in-cheek while Colongib goes chop-socky on a track and provides a bit of a wakeup about halfway through the disc. The mp3-only mixes aren't quite up to the quality of the stuff on the regular disc, but there's still a lot of fun to be had. Atomly cranks things up into a twisted garage remix while Buddysystem goes glitch-minimal for a nice reworking.
For a small label, Carpark is once again showing that they're on the cutting edge of things (they also release their first DVD this month). For the price of a regular disc, you essentially get 2CDs worth of music. While the musical styles are a bit different than what you'd usually get from a Marumari disc, nobody goes too overboard (i.e. no gabba mixes) with anything and the tracks all keep a general feel that fans should approve of. If you haven't seen the "Baby M" video (from Supermogadon), it's also included on the disc, and although it's a bit silly, it's a definite testament to what can be done on a small budget. Once again, another fun batch of stuff. What's next for Marumari? A sci-fi novel...
Rating: 7.5
