This is the fifth of five Luke Vibert posts, from my ongoing collaboration with reader Spencer- we have a new project that should have started by now. I've been a bit all over the place with things in recent weeks but will make every effort to get onto that now this run of posts is coming to a close.
In 2004 Luke Vibert in his Wagon Christ mode held a remix competition via the magazine Future Music CD. That competition was won by Aphex Twin who remixed Wagon Christ's Sci Fi Staircase into this...
Spiral Staircase [Future Music Competition] (AFX Remix)
It is Richard D James at his very best, opening with alternating synth notes and then an acid squiggle. A crunchy breakbeat hits after forty seconds and the three elements loop and spiral around each other, a hiss eventually pushing in too. More synths, a rising and falling topline that dances, almost visibly. The sudden stop at two minutes twelve gives the shortest of breaks and then the second half develops, more of the same but different slightly. There is some very loud sub-bass kicking in before the end section at around four minutes goes much deeper, into ambient techno territory and a long ending, sub bass capable of making car speakers jump from their moorings. It is deceptively beautiful, endlessly imaginative and quite beautiful.
It may seem a little unfair that Aphex Twin won the competition. He knows Luke well from Cornwall and he put out many of Luke's recordings. On AFX's Soundcloud page he added some notes about the track which I put here verbatim...
best way i can explain this was falling in love with someone that didnt exist, it couldve been applied to anyone and everyone.
liferush.
I mean it was for luke's competition but when I was making it I obviously had other thoughts going around me ed.
Was hard keeping it a secret from him, i had an advantage, i knew better than most what luke liked !-)
I gave the prize to the runner up, i forgot his name now.
It's quite quiet because the sub is so loud and low, trade/off.
I've sequenced the five Luke Vibert tracks from this mini- series into one twenty- seven mix but including the alternative version of Spiral Staircase rather than the one above, a minute shorter and opening with that sub bass wobble and then the dancing melody line.
Bagging Area/ Spencer Luke Vibert Mix
- Plug: Me And Mr. Jones
- Luke Vibert: Doozit
- Kerrier District: Disco Nasty
- Wagon Christ: Spiral Staircase [Future Music Competition] (AFX ALTRemix)
- Luke Vibert: Back With Me
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