Black Sky

I've fallen deep into an Underworld wormhole this week. Apologies to anyone coming here for variety but I'm sticking with Underworld today but in remix rather than original form. In 1992 they remixed Shakespear's Sister not once but twice. The remixes appeared on two different CD singles (Hello and Goodbye Cruel World) and on vinyl (two 12" promos, both  currently expensive second hand). 

Black Sky (Dub Extravaganza Pt. 1) is relatively short by Underworld remix standards, clocking in at under six minutes and keeps some of the song (although clearly aimed at clubs), Marcella Detroit's vocal largely intact, with disco synth strings stabs to the fore. The rhythm's chunky and gets chunkier, and the last couple of minutes go pretty wonky. 

Black Sky (Dub Extravanga Pt. 1)

Dub Extravanga Pt. 2 is where the real action is, Darren Emerson's thumping drums kicking in and building for several minutes, gradually bringing in other elements- rising synths, a heavy clang, a squeak, whooshing noises, eventually a fragment of vocal- before hitting a juddering breakdown at five and a half minutes, and then rebuilding as we head over the ten minute mark. Darren and Rick Smith were all over this kind of thing back in the early/ mid 90s, their remixes purpose built for nights in clubs were six minute intros and ten minute long dark, tranced out, progressive house/ techno was exactly what the doctor ordered as the smoke belched and the strobe flickered. 

Black Sky (Dub Extravanga Pt. 2)

Sound System

When I posted the Underworld remix of Orbital's Lush recently I asked if there had ever been a compilation of Underworld's remixes of other artists. Ctel from Acid Ted suggested eight remixes by Underworld that could make up such a compilation. Eight would be the maximum you could fit on a single cd- almost all of Underworld's remixes are ten minutes long. Seemingly it is Darren Emerson's stock period of time and it enables these tracks to work their magic slowly and build up a head of steam. This one, a remix of Sound System by The Drum Club in 1993, was one of Ctel's choices. It's a beauty. It's a cliche to say that an Underworld track sounds like train but this one does, a train that whooshes through your head, made of techno and E.

Sound System (Underworld Remix)

Apologies for the lo-fi quality of this mp3. You'll have to turn it up.

For the record the others Ctel went for were Underworld's remixes of Mental Generation's Cafe Del Mar, The Chemical Brothers' Leave Home, Happiness by Front 242, Dreadzone's Zion Youth (posted here a while ago) and Human Behaviour by Bjork. We discussed the Shakespear's Sister Black Sky remix. I'd stick the One Dove one in too.



That's yer lot for the next seven days. We are off to South Wales for a week's holiday. Amongst the usual holiday stuff I'm contemplating a visit to Cardiff to visit the UK's oldest record shop (Spillers). Have a good Easter everyone.