The Free Design Remixed
Just got this absolutely fantastic remix compilation in the mail and was so impressed by both the roster of remixers and the end products of their individual endeavors that I had to post two distinctly different tracks. For those of you who haven't been exposed to The Free Design, a quick synopsis of their history would be this: soft-rock pioneers in the style of The Beach Boys or The Association who for some inexplicable reason were brushed under the mainstream carpet, never achieving the Billboard success they surely would have otherwise obtained if success were rated by musical ingenuity. After the re-release a while back of their 1967 debut Kites are Fun the band finally got some richly deserved praise, albeit nearly 3 decades later, and have been ressurected by fans long enough to warrant a new compilation of remixes and redesigns. The Now Sound Redesigned however is not your typical rehashing of classic material (see the Verve and Blue Note remix series). Almost every track on this record is a winner with not only a handful of potential DJ tracks, but also plenty of creative reconfigurations by artists whose sounds owe alot to The Free Design's layered, psychedelic easy listening vibe. Artists like Stereloab, The High Llamas, Koushik, Belle & Sebastian and Nobody are all heavily indebted to the band and give a little back with superb remixes. But the record transcends the usual crop of comps with its balance of rock and downtempo artists, with Madlib and PB Wolf rubbing shoulders with Styrofoam, Super Furry Animals, Kid Koala and Caribou. Both tracks posted today represent the spectrum and quality of the remixes on this record, one of the best of its kind in years. And it's great to hear the familiar voice of Velocity Girl's Sarah Shannon again perfectly teamed up with Styrofoam's Arne Van Petegem, the new king of rainy day electronica. Time to break out the old Sub Pop gems and reminisce a bit. Enjoy. Both of these tracks are fantastic. Resources
The Free Design :: "Umbrellas" (Peanut Butter Wolf Mix)
The Free Design :: "I Found Love" (Styrofoam & Sarah Shannon Mix)
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