In its original form, GABI’s “Fleece” is a molasses-paced reverie that implies song form more than it actually adheres to it. In many ways, the original work seems like the organically screwed remnant of a pop song with its very real orchestration and vocals intermingling with the digital artifacts of time-stretched vocals and a piano part that jumps between acoustic realism and electronic abstraction. Although “Fleece’s” initial form is clear, it still feels like a deconstruction of sorts, due to the nebulous haze it creates through arrangement and tempo.
This puts the song in an interesting position in terms of remix possibilities. Often, remixes are used to deconstruct just as much as they are to re-contextualize, but to further warp “Fleece” threatens to destroy the already vaporous nature of the track. Instead, Autre Ne Veut’s remix condenses all of the elements of “Fleece” into a three-minute pop track that illuminates the sometimes hidden hooks of the original. Interestingly, this is often accomplished through the further manipulation of the song’s already warped elements, such as the stretched vocals. Autre Ne Veut’s decision to shorten these initially elongated sounds implicitly raises an interesting point about the roles that speed and articulation play in our perception of form. What’s clear in both versions is that GABI is excelling at creating beautiful works that often re-contextualize themselves while simultaneously being deconstructed.
GABI’s Sympathy is out April 7 via Software.
• GABI: http://www.gabi-music.com
• Software: http://www.softwarelabel.net
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