The remix album holds an odd place in today’s musical landscape. A long tradition in DJ and dance culture, the notion of reworking existing material has recently spilled into our “experimental underground” in a major way. The Cyclist’s Bending Brass, an album that sounded like a bunch of remixes in the first place, is a prime example. It’s been further reworked as Rending Brass, out now on the Oakland, CA label Crash Symbols, and the results are pretty interesting. Most of the tracks strip away the source’s sonic murk to reveal a joyful, throbbing slice of late-80s/early-90s dance music, a core that to my ears feels hidden in a lot of recently happening shit. Stream the record below or snatch it for free on the label’s Bandcamp.
[Visit full site to view media]Rending Brass by Crash Symbols
• The Cyclist: http://soundcloud.com/the-cyclist
• Crash Symbols: http://crashsymbols.tumblr.com