REDRUM ALONE - De Redrum Remixes

Right in the middle of 2012 we'd talked about Redrum Alone, a duo from Bari who, packing a vocoder and a bit of Daft Punk, a love of analogue machines, the energy of the best post-wave robot-tronica and more than a few echoes of early Subsonica and above all Motel Connection, had emerged promising great things. In just over a year, that prediction came true with surprising speed, so much so that a few days ago we found them, seemingly out of nowhere, lighting up a Milan's Magnolia that was perhaps a little sparse for a free Friday night, but decidedly won over by their engaging, mantra-like dance grooves.

The magnifying glass on our 2013 revivals now turns to the remix album that followed, in late autumn, the release of the excellent "De Redrum Natura", reworked into an even more danceable shape by a handful of emerging names, mostly drawn from Italy's electronic underground. A decidedly low profile choice, and also a great opportunity offered up by what, within a few months, could well turn out to be one of the genuine "big things" of the Italian scene. Under the knife, then, is a selection of tracks from the duo's debut album, which ends up leaving out only "Midnight", "Emilia Paranoica", "Redrum Alone" and, no small omission, the excellent "She's Lost Control".

There's no shortage of new names making their first appearance as remixers: there's Marco Connelli, the man behind the curious (self-described) electro-toilette music project Il Leprotto, who handles "OniricAct Part 3" without, truth be told, causing much of a stir; the more interesting Daniele Uggetti, aka Digitalica, who drives swirling electrons and clattering beats through the splendid "RevolutionAir"; the mysterious Mars Solar, who lay a carpet of clear, flickering lights over the equally lovely cyberballad "Remote"; and then there's Noize Clash, who take on "OniricAct Part 3" once again, turning it into a lost outtake from Kraftwerk's "Electric Café".

Leading the parade of names able to leave a mark is the talented Digi G'Alessio – Italy's own man of footwork – who seems to be playing "User Interface" on the streets of London with Traxman dancing on the dancefloor, followed by the excellent Bicycle Beat (busy making "Remote" playful and fizzy) and the dazzling A Copy For Collapse, whose "Enola Murder" is a genuinely dizzying hyperspace ride and surely the most successful remix in the collection. Also worth keeping an eye on are the duo Clones Theory, who on "No Guitars Were Harmed In Making These Tracks" edge close to Jon Hopkins without stealing his identity.

Steven Smirney and his take on "User Interface" are finally left to represent one half of the clubbing side with an acid-tinged space-techno, soon forced to go head to head with the sophisti-house of Tonsystem Klangkunst, Berliners in spirit if not quite in fact, starting with their name. All of which closes out a collection of reworks evenly split between interesting highs and, at worst, harmless lows, one capable of offering an intriguing alternative listening perspective on "De Redrum Natura" and of spotlighting potential protagonists of a hypothetical electronic made in Italy. All while, in the meantime, Redrum Alone keep climbing, step by step.

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13/01/2014