The works of the early 1980s American post-punk/industrial outfit Ike Yard have become remix fodder for newer artists who create similarly harsh, post-punk influenced techno. The third instalment of remixes is a welcome addition to the genre, with previous entries from Regis, Monoton, Tropic Of Cancer and Arnaud Rebotini.
Powell's opening remix of Half A God takes apart the very straightforward original and reassembles it into something that sounds like it may fall apart at any minute. The drums are shuffled and gated, the synth stabs and guitar loops are fractured, the vocals are sparse. Bandshell's remix of NCR turns it into noise-techno, everything becomes distorted, with added radio scanner hiss panning around the mix. At one point everything else fades out leaving just the hiss, which fades out to almost silence before everything rushes back in, jolting the listener.
The original 1982 version of 'Cherish 8', from their debut on Factory America, is a throughly unnerving post-punk piece, with a military drum groove, out of tune synths and vocalist Stuart Argabright commandingly repeating his perverted intentions without passion ("I watch where you go, then I follow you home...you're so young, you're so chic"). The KVB's version retains much of the original vibe, with the drums now more restrained and distant, with the occasional firing-off of rapid 808 claps. The synths are more orchestral, the guitars looped quietly, more as part of a bed of sound and less highlighted in the mix. Vessel's remix however, takes the track to an even darker place. The vocals become growled and menacing through the flanger, the drums burst through with ferocity and retreat immediately into silence, and added feedback pierces through.
Cherish 8 (The KVB Remix) - Ike Yard [Desire]
[DSR100] is available from Desire and Juno. Limited to 300 copies.
Words by: Jason Rule
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