|
|
|
LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 Remixes
| Pitchfork |
|
What a bizarrely tardy project, this remix comp. The original 45:33, James Murphy's contribution to Nike's intermittent series of one-artist mixes designed for exercise, is edging up on being three years old. In Internet-era time, the DFA might as well have let these producers loose on original Giorgio Moroder demos. Not that 45:33 itself sounds dated, already owing so much to classic disco and techno. Like all LCD releases, 45:33 was Murphy acting as curator of his local dance music historical society, while thrillingly (at its best) filtering it through his own mix of mordancy and guarded euphoria. Lest we forget, it contained an embryonic version of LCD's "Someone Great", sans vocals, making it more or less the debut of Murphy's more tender side, something that bloomed gorgeously on the following year's Sound of Silver. But remix comps are generally rush-to-market affairs crassly designed to capitalize on a hot release by extending its commercial value for a few more months. The presumably long gestation time of 45:33 Remixes might make you think we're getting something really special, something that took time to get just right. In reality, not so much. 45:33 Remixes is more-or-less superfluous, the depressingly common fate of the bulk of remix comps. Of the eight remixers, no less than five fix on the exact same section of the original 45:33, which starts around 18 minutes in and dissolves into brass gurgles 10 minutes later. Given that the remixers had 45 minutes worth of music to rebuild from the ground up, leaning on the most traditionally "disco" section of 45:33, complete with horns and diva, and leaving it mostly intact feels like a failure of nerve and/or imagination....full text |
|
|
| Residentadvisor |
|
Four years ago, when the original 45:33 appeared at the behest of the most important shoe company in the universe, it worked not only as a great hipster jock-jams workout soundtrack, but also as a kind of rap-style pre-album mixtape that foreshadowed 2007's Sound of Silver. What the mix lacked in polish and finality it more than made up for in the freshness of its ideas, several of which found themselves transfigured into Silver standouts. To this day 45:33 still holds up as one of the coolest entries in the LCD catalog. So, why dish out a set of remixes four years later? Well, if you're James Murphy and you've got a host of A-list remixers on your speed dial, why not? The result, compiled here on CD after a summer of separate 12-inch releases, sees a mini all-star team of heavy disco-house hitters at work, with each member carving out his own little space to play within the original's epic expanse. Although a handful of the tracks here are content with tweaks and the addition of mild spices, rather than radical reworks, it's kind of nice just to have different movements from the original 45:33 mix distilled down to individual units. This is especially true for the standout "Shame on you!" part of the mix, which saw Murphy belting out a great soul vocal, evoking flamboyant pathos over chunky piano....full text |
|
|
| Drownedinsound |
|
There was instantly something special about LCD Soundsystem's 45:33 when it first found its way into existence. For some, it was the changes in pace and style that ran through its never-pausing entirety, echoing genres of the past; for others, it was the excitement of hearing hints of what was to follow on Sound of Silver six months later. Indeed, some maintain that it is the most cohesive, complete and interesting album/track the band have produced. I’m very much one of those people. Now almost three years on, we find ourselves being reminded of what made it so great via a series of remixes undertaken by the current cream of the crop. The entire 46 minutes have been carved up into sections, remixed accordingly and reassembled in an order that vaguely resembles the original piece (across a CD or four separate 12-inch singles) – it’s the Joan Rivers of electro if you will. So does the new format work as well as it’s forebear? Well, not really… no....full text |
|
|
Go to "LCD Soundsystem " lyrics