Iran’s Porya Hatami has returned nearly one year after his much beloved album on Tench, Shallow, with a remix EP. Packed full of greatness, the EP enlists the help of many favourites that have adorned both ASIP in the past, and the label behind this new venture,Dewtone.
To start, Fen is a 21 minute track in its original form, so no easy task for any remixer when trying to distill into their own sound. Loscilreplicates the evolution of the track from the fuzzy beginning into a repetitive gentle tinkering; unwinding and dancing into glares of light.
Segue takes a similar approach but adds his signature layered dub to the track. This addition brings a new dynamic to Fen and by the end, a completely new track has emerged bar a few small complimentary samples, yet the warm fuzzy feeling still remains.
Compliments to the curator, Sven Laux takes the track up a further notch and enticing you into the compilation further, with more distinct beats and subtle pauses, teasing before the next rolling bass-line. Sven’s remix shines with a beautiful break around 4 minutes-in, where Porya’s airy pads are brought forward as very delicate strings.
Halo and The Green Kingdom take on After The Rain. With Pasquale, a veteran at rainy landscapes (check Europe), this track becomes a no-brainer and Porya’s synthesized drops are transformed into a picturesque moment which sees Halo adorn the track with a dream-like piano melody and distant background noise. Rain falling on a porch as you sit pondering the meanderings happening outside.
The Green Kingdom, akin to Segue, adds warmth and a Yagya-esque approach to After The Rain. Out of submerged bass-lines and a shimmering gloss, grows a beautiful dub-techno piece.
Their’s a similarity to the tracks on the original recording of the EP – the beautiful washes of ambient light and the tiny tinkering of bells remain true across the productions. Instead of starting from scratch on remixes or manipulating a melody, the EP has allowed for each remixer to take these fundamental elements and paint them in their own style – and this couldn’t be more true for the last track, White Forest.
From Purl’s bubbling beats and nikosf’s more upfront head-nodding dub-techno approach, to Arovane’s stripped-back, crackling analog piece that makes a heart-monitor-sound enticing and warm; this is a platform for each artist to shine in their own style and truly define what it means to remix a track.
Lastly, Bjorn Rohde, who’s know for a few differing production styles, takes an interesting approach to his remix; accentuating the many samples, sounds and emotion found in the original; clearing the clouds on a blustery day and shedding the light across the White Forest,just as a photographer gently kneels in the grass to capture the disappearing sun – signalled by the drone of a piano.
Available via Dewtone.com.
Read more on the release of Shallow and an interview with Porya from last year, here.
Tracklist:
1. Fen (By Loscil) 06:50
2. Fen (By Segue) 06:30
3. Fen (by Sven Laux) 09:05
4. After The Rain (by Halo) 05:30
5. After The Rain (by The Green Kingdom) 06:00
6. White Forest (by Purl) 08:30
7. White Forest (by nikosf.) 07:10
8. White Forest (by Arovane) 04:00
9. White Forest (by Bjorn Rohde) 12:55
