Soulwax lets you know right off the bat with Nite Versions what its music is about. The CD is a collection of remixed, mashed-up and remade tracks, mixed as a DJ mix, that explore the space between classic rock and dance music.
Soulwax kicks of the CD with a cover of Daft Punk’s Teachers. In the original version, DP name checks artists that they presumably like or that have influenced them, ranging from George Clinton and Bryan Wilson to Dr. Dre and Van Helden. Soulwax’s take on Teachers trades Daft Punks electro beat for more of an electro-glam sound, and trades DP’s list of mostly dance artists with rockers, from Thin Lizzy to Monster Magnet.
The rest of Nite Versions builds on these inspirations. The beats throughout have a glam-disco-electro feel. Tortured guitars and rock bass are joined by vintage synth sounds and sample effects, giving the CD a dance-friendly retro rock sound.
If you’re familiar with Soulwax’s CD Any Minute Now, you’ll recognize bits and pieces from it on Nite Versions. But Soulwax takes the originals and extends them into 12″ mixes or treats them like mashups, so that many of the tracks are barely recognizable.
Highlights of the CD include Miserable Girl, which mixes glam rock with twisted sample-bass and I Love Techno, which combines 8-bits with dance-rock beats.
The CD is a continuous mix, but sounds complete different than most mix CDs you are likely to hear this year. On Nite Versions, Soulwax doesn’t just remix their tracks for the dance floor, but reimagines them.
Track Listings
- Teachers
- Miserable Girl
- E Talking
- Accidents and Compliments
- Compute
- Slowdance
- I Love Techno
- KracK
- NY Lipps
- Another Excuse
