Audio CD review:
Zero 7 - Simple Things: Remixes

Zero 7 - Simple Things: Remixes

Band: Zero 7 Title: Simple Things: Remixes Rating: Release Date: 2003-01-21 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Distractions (Bugz in the Attick Remix) 2: In the Waiting Line (Dorfmeister Con Madrid de Los Austrias Dub) 3: Destiny (Photek Remix) 4: Distractions (Madlib's YNQ Remix) 5: End Theme (Roni Size's Tear It Up Remix) 6: Destiny (Enhanced Video)

Remixed down On the other, it can turn it into a sloppy mess suitable only for club dancing. There are two things that remixing can do to a song: on one hand, it can elevate a simple melody into an exquisitely complex new sound. Unfortunately, "Simple Things: Remixes" is the second. Things don't start off well: "Distractions (Bugz in the Attic Remix" kicks things off with a spasmodic electronic beat overlaid over a wavery mix, while "In the Waiting Line (Dorfmeister con Madrid de los Austrias Dub)" adds a Latin flavor to the original. "Distractions (Madlibs Ynq Remix)" is a flatulent, plodding remix, while "End Theme (Roni Size's Tear It Up Remix)" sounds like the soundtrack to a sci-fi thriller. Only "Destiny (Photek Remix)" has any redeeming value, with its cold, distant electronic beats and simple mix. Only the Photek remix manages to sound like anything but generic techno. Remixes are not supposed to wipe out the original melody of a song, but that's what most of this EP does. It's impossible not to compare the remixes to the original Zero 7 album "Simple Things," and it's equally hard not to find the remixes wanting -- it's impossible to tell even vaguely what the original mixes sounded like. Delicate remixing would have done a much better job in this case, or else a very simple remix. The blaring Latin rhythms and lightning techno obscure the melodies, although the cold simplicity of "Destiny (Photek Remix)" suits the song remarkably well. While some bands remix well, the remixes of Zero 7's "Simple Things" is wretchedly generic and actually kind of boring. Listen to the original, skip the remixes. Variations This is not how a remix works. Unfortunately most Americans will buy the Simple Things Remixes expecting to get more music like Simple Things. The only other downbeat artist appearing on this CD is Richard Dorfmeister, and his is the least provocative of the tracks. Photek was most famous for his drum n bass work but is recently been making house, and Roni Size is the famous dnb hero. But ignoring US expectations and judging these tracks on their own merit the Roni Size remix was quite spectacular and fastbeat, what you'd expect. The photek remix is beautifully simple and minimalist. A nice CD but not vital; and since it's a US release it's probably important to reiterate that it is NOT downbeat. Transforms a beautiful album into crud It's refreshing to have beautiful, fresh, melodic music in a time when modern music is about rhythm, rap, and techno. I love the (original) Simple Things album. So far it's my favorite album of the year, and it's always playing on my "internal radio". But everything that the Simple Things album does beautifully has been wiped out with these remixes. Perhaps if you love techno music, which to me tends to sound all the same, you'll like this. Remixes are generally a mixed bag - I love some, but most aren't as good as the original. I hoped to find at least one gem in the form of a reinterpretation, but I was disappointed here. If you think the original Simple Things was a disappointment with its melodies, slow tempo, and slightly surreal feal, and if you're a fan of techno, you may really like this. On the other hand, look at the number of used copies available, and the price they're selling for, and judge for yourself: these stats speak louder than stars. In any case, don't buy it new. The remixes that failed to meet my expectations I'm definitely a fan of Zero7. This CD has made me realize all that is both good and bad about remixes. I think that "Simple Things" is probably one of my five favorite recordings, ever. After falling in love with "Simple Things", I was so infatuated with the sound of Zero7 that I went out and bought "Another Late Night". While it's completely different from "Simple Things", I still enjoy it very much. When I read that they were releasing a compilation CD of remixes from "Simple Things", I could hardly wait until it was released. On my first listening, I was really quite disappointed. Compared to the original versions, I found these remixes to be quite uninspired. A lot of it sounds like typical dance club fare, where the original versions are truly beautiful music. Then I realized that remixes are really another musician's concept of a song. That realization helped me to figure why I loved Zero7's remixes of other people's songs, but why I really wasn't too fond of other people remixing their songs. While I respect the remixers featured on this CD for their own work, I feel that some music lends itself to remixing more than other music does. Take, for example, M People. Their music is great remixed, and in many cases, better so than in the original form. Heather Small's voice is incredible, but the actual music behind M People wasn't anything to write home about. "Simple Things", however, is already pretty much perfect by itself. It would take an absolutely genius remixer to improve on it at all. And not just a remixer, but an incredibly talented musician. I don't think that this music lends itself to remixing, because it really doesn't need it, and it would be very hard to make a remix that isn't out-shined by the original. Finally having a higher resolution version of the video for "Destiny" than is available online is a nice thing. For fans of that video, it's almost worth the price of the CD alone. Unfortunately, for Mac OS X users who don't want to launch Classic, you have to do a little snooping around on the CD, in order to view the video in QuickTime Player. I do think that I got my money's worth out of this CD, but it's not the type of thing I'd have a strong desire to listen to regularly. After owning "Simple Things" for almost a year, I still listen to the entire CD all the way through, several times per month, and when I listen to it, I usually have the urge to play it again. That is one thing I can't say about this CD. A Great Set of Almost-New Songs The only reason I got this CD was that I heard the remix of Destiny on the radio. I am not a fan of remixes. I immediately went out and bought this CD after listening to Simple Things. Wow. The songs on this CD are almost totally new. The beats are new, the tones are new, the only things that are the same are the lyrics. The only downside to this album is the fact that there are only 5 remixes of 4 songs. The best two by far are the "In the Waiting Line" remix and the "End Theme" remix, though all of them are excellent. A highly recommended album for fans of Zero 7. You can see a complete list of all Zero 7 discography, or go back to the Zero 7 tabs