Sample And Hold finds in-demand English remix team Simian Mobile Disco handing over tracks from their debut album, Attack Decay Sustain Release, to sundry production wizards for a thorough overhaul. There's a high standard throughout, with each individual remix providing an adventurous and imaginative take on the original.
On his own, Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford produced one of my favourite records of the past few years, Klaxons’ Myths Of The Near Future, and together with James Ford in SMD, has overseen reworkings of tracks by numerous top-class acts, including CSS, Ladytron, The Rapture, Air and The Go! Team (not to mention a cracking take on Klaxons’ own ‘Magick’). As such, it’s pleasing to note that the duo’s own material has been remixed in such accomplished fashion.
The record kicks off with Simon Baker’s superb reconfiguration of ‘Sleep Deprivation’, which merges a thumping dance rhythm with oddball electro effects of the kind you’d expect to accompany the Riddler’s appearance in a Batman movie. I have to confess to being hitherto unaware of the merits of Invisible Conga People, but going by their remix of ‘It’s The Beat’ (an atmospheric slice of blissed-out ambient house), I like the cut of their jib.
The stand-out is the remix of ‘It’s The Beat’ by Dublin producer Marcus Lambkin (who releases records on the DFA label as Shit Robot), which mixes an electrifying groove with organ, burbling electro sounds, guitar samples and vocals imploring the listener to “Get up outta your seat”.
Elsewhere, Joakim transforms ‘Hustler’ into a fantastic dark electro track with hints of The Juan Maclean , ‘Tits And Acid’ is turned into a jerky garage punk number with blasts of no-wave guitar noise courtesy of The Oscillation, and pioneering electronic act Silver Apples offer a wonderful deconstruction of ‘Scott’.