After releasing his beautiful modern-classical EP, Ripples in late 2016, Alejandro Bento has followed up with seven new takes on his three emphatic solo piano pieces.
Recruiting a wide range of delicate remixers, the Ripples remix EP keeps a very strong attachment to the original melodies and comes together as its own threaded piece through varying ambient textures and more electronic takes. It's a remix album with plenty of care and consideration put into the contributors, and that consideration is heard throughout.
Souns (aka Michael Red) adds drama and atmospheric depth, followed by LCC (Las Casicasiotone) who's echoes bounce the original piano piece across slow driving beats. The track doesn't travel too far, but instead creates a pensive backing to the striking smattering of keys.
Berlin's Leeward, continues the progression, with accentuated crackling beats, holding the piano at the forefront of the composition, slowly adding guitar and percussion to form a well-rounded take on Mar.
Memotone features twice on the album, with the tropical-house infused remix of Heartbeat, and a beautifully drawn out, heartbreaking ambient take as the Regolith Remix; perhaps my favorite of the release as it twists and turns over the three distinct sections.
But there's of course a special place for any Christopher Willits take; layering the original pianos to create an orchestral, epic feel to the original fast-keys in Heartbeat- the perfect curtain-closer.
The surprise on the album however, is Alejandro Bento's own take under his more electronic alias Axel Toben, turning Mar into the kind of driving electronica you're more likely to find from the likes of Kiasmos, or Gidge.
Stream Ripples Remixed in full below. Available here on Subtempo Feb 14th.
