Friday, November 25, 2011

Michael Fakesch's Exchange


Michael Fakesch has been remixing people for ages and now thanks to technology and a his record label, they've put seventeen of the his best remixes on a single disc. Embracing just about everything electronic and even acoustically, Fakesch makes remixes that are far from being bog standard blogosphere fare. Oh no, rather then being boring and stereotypical, Fakesch cranks up the off kilter quotient to ten and lets her rip. The results are a staggering blend of harsh electronics, ambient atmospherics, and hip hop grit and throughout his compilation, Exchange you're tossed around like a basketball in a game of monkey in the middle.

Exchange is a white knuckle ride into the wild world of electronica where each rework is a peak and valley along the way of a longer journey. Some tunes are epic drops and some are subtle turns but all are thrilling in a way that you want to hear them again and again. Tackling a whole host of artists from Mr. Oizo, Booka Shade, Notwist, and even Mark E. Smith, Exchangeis far from being boring. Whether it's bringing out the funk in an 80's revival meets Jody Watley way for Towa Tei or making Mark E. Smith's side project Von Sudenfed sound even rougher and tougher Fakesch makes it look easy. Clearly Fakesch is all about diversity and whether it's who he picks or how he goes about reworking the songs here, he lets his open mind steer him through all kinds of unchartered territory which as a consequence makes every project entertaining.

Not purely techno, not purely hip hop, not purely anything Michael Fakesch is one German who totally gets the idea of taking something normal and making it abstract and interesting. Exchange is a fantastic record of sonic experiments that succeed. The re-works are all pretty much impressive and whether it's downtempo, minimal, or funk there's something on Exchange for everyone to enjoy.

No comments:

Post a Comment