Solitary Kolokol

One of my favourite albums of last year was GLOK's Dissident, Andy Bell's synth- led cosmische trip outside Ride, taking in ambient soundscapes, atmospheric waves of sound, throbbing bass and a touch of acid. One of the highlights of the album was Kolokol which has now been remixed by London- based French producer Franz Kirmann, who takes the Balearic bliss of the original and refashions it into something that could have been made by Orbital in their halcyon days first time around. You can buy it at Bandcamp for one British quid.



By way of return Andy Bell has taken one of Franz Kirmann's tracks from his album Madrapour (not heard it yet but will do and report back). The GLOK remix of Solitary is a ten minute exercise in post club comedown, little whirring, circling melodies and hissing noises, long washes of synth, building layers of sounds. Suddenly there's a breakdown at four minutes where it becomes a bit of a techno banger before then dissolving into something more abstract again- melancholic, expansive and outward looking. This will also set you back a mere single British pound. Eighteen minutes of music for less than the price of half a pint of beer.