There are normally only two reasons to release a remix album. Either to appeal to a different audience who (hopefully) learn to love you for yourself and finally buy your maudlin un-dance friendly release, or, so you can show off how many cool people you have at hand just chomping at the bit to remix your shitty track. In this case, Glasgow 4-piece Errors seem keener to showcase the talents of their friends, and also possibilities that lie with both the band and their songs. Perhaps they are living vicariously through the dance acts they have employed here to manipulate their sound, or perhaps this is their warning that the indie to dance ratio of their next release may be shifting. But don’t worry, probably not.
Each song is taken far enough away from the original to be worthy of its inclusion here, but the tracks which really push the boundaries of CDWM are from Gold Panda and Wax Stag. Gold Panda’s version of A Rumour In Africa bleaches out the layers of the original track and what is left is a pleasantly primitive, and at times euphoric, effort. Wax Stag’s more immediate, driven take on Germany rejuvenates the song into something that bursts with all the energy of a classic dance track. The Field, however, stay closer to the original melody of Bridge or Cloud, but drain it of much of its’ easy-listening elements to produce a never-ending monotonous dirge, the likes of which most dance fans should enjoy, but others may find a little self indulgent.
The track most people will be eager to hear is Supertribe. Their label bosses Mogwai have taken the already heavily electronic track and (thankfully) lost the pretentious French intro (when will people stop erroneously mistaking French samples for instant cool?). This softer version plucks the track out of the nightclub and injects some awkward synth to make it actually far more listenable. It’s the small changes here combined with layering of each artists’ own signature sound which make it a varied and engaging release.
One could question whether this album might alienate fans of their guitar-based electro, but, as Errors themselves proved with CDWM, in 2010 the barriers separating mainstream indie and dance are virtually non-existent. Similar to Health/Disco (Health) or Everybody Hertz (Air), this should satiate both loyal Errors fans who have already played CDWM enough to warrant a new copy, or people who are new to the band, but just can’t get enough of that electronic indie crossover (seriously, how much do you need?). Just as enjoyable (if not probably more so) for those who didn’t love CDWM, CCDWM is the perfect post club album for people with eclectic friends. It doesn’t have a shit track you’ll need to get up to skip, the artists are all cool enough to embarrass anyone who dares ask “What the fuck is this?”, and it’ll take at least three plays before you realise it’s been on repeat all night.
Words : Maya-Rose Boustany
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