Search - Atjazz :: Labresults

A mixed bag of results

Henri Edward Dongieux | 09/12/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When working with material as strong and idiosyncratic as that of Atjazz, remixing can sometimes weaken rather than strengthen. Such is the case, for the most part, with "Labresults," which surprises here and there but doesn't satisfy like its predecessor.The high points are Dzihan and Kamien's remix of "Touch the Sun," an almost unrecognizable cut-up dNb rendition with dramatic filtered strings and the expected analog bass on top of some tricky percussion. A pleasant surprise is Atjazz's own "Rain Angel," a Tron-lightcycle disco moment of sequenced early-80s analog heaven. "The Walk Home," another native piece, is a TO-KA/Cheek/Herbert-esque house number with a floor-pounding kick and bassline and a wistful mono lead. The only other remix really worthy of mention is Phil Parnell's version of "It's Complete," an acid melt of the original that will have your head spinning forwards and backwards at 33rpm. Atjazz's "Another Type of Day" is an instrumental that brings the disc out with filtered chords and a happy-sad vibe.The uniqueness of Atjazz's style is what makes their music so hard to re-interpret. The broken beats, transitions, and crazy nanotech effects are what made "Labfunk" so good - and that musical sensibility is missing from the remixes. This might have been a useful exercise for the remixers, but ultimately it should be a statement to Atjazz and their fans that the original can't be beat."

Not the original, but still very good stuff

Scott Woods | Columbus, Ohio United States | 04/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Atjazz's "Lab Funk" is a seminal electronic music album. Marrying live jazz musicians in tricky arrangements and rhythms almost as undanceable as dance music can be and still make you move your feet, the record has a special place in the hearts of discerning listeners' everywhere, always falling squarely outside of the camp of dance music and jazz, yet being both at the same time admirably. This album of remixes seeks to do what clearly cannot be done: improve upon the ideas of the original.Sure, every remix isn't out to out-do the original. Much of the art of remixing is about sharing new takes on the original ideas. This record, however, while still weilding fascinating takes on the source material, seems to want to make the Atjazz way more accessible to people who may not buy their material outside of a compilation because of its heady nature. So we get lots (though not completely, thank God) of near-house-like ditties, though none of them veering clearly into wack territory. The remixes still rock, still give great fodder for the listener's or dancer's imagination...just doesn't weigh-in with the "oomph" of the original. Even the new tracks presented here by Atjazz direct, while very cool songs, seem more in line with whatever the moission of the remix album was and not with the material we're used to hearing from them. Still a very solid dance record, with brave, larger-than-audience renditions of some really classic stuff (Dzihan & Kamien's "Touch the Sun" and Phil Parnell's "It's Complete" most notably). Fans of the original record won't be able to sleep unless they have this album and I'm here to tell you it's okay to get it, even if the mood is somewhat more urbane than the source material."