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Spiral Into The Storm’s latest EP follows the creative and critical success of his (unofficial) remix of “Kiss Of Life” by Friendly Fires.
The remix began making rounds on the Net in September ‘09, generating a significant buzz which has carried into this year. Spiral’s mix was championed by numerous blogs, received a bang-on review from Pitchfork, and was recently broadcast to the masses via BBC Radio 1.
Considering that remix’s artistic triumph, it’s logical that Spiral has now chosen to revisit his own work. His new UK Radio Session > In Dub showcases a handful of these reassembled tracks, freshly recorded for an exclusive broadcast on Britain’s Dandelion Radio (the Internet station who have officially continued John Peel’s annual “Festive Fifty” best-of list).
Spiral has masterfully integrated these four tracks into a seamless listening session. And as with his previous releases, it’s an exhilarating ride which defies easy categorization.
The set is bookended by airy, drifting textures, in striking contrast to the heavy-hitting abstract breaks which are at its core. Launching with Concrete Dub, Spiral sets a dynamic agenda for the EP, easing us in with a vapourous digitized choir and disintegrating strings. With the addition of each glitched and filtered element, the tension escalates, ultimately finding release in an irresistible post-punk-infused electro groove.
As that groove mutates into selection two, Dub Trawler, the electro esthetic comes to the fore. With a jackhammering rhythm section and moody, dub-soaked analogue synth stabs, this remix is a sanguine remodelling of its earlier incarnation, and is the “pop song” of the lot.
Another sonic metamorphosis introduces Dub Town Rockers, which is at once a compliment and counterpoint to what preceded it. There’s an apocalyptically booming kick and snare exchange, sliced-and-diced guitars, and pummeling injections of fuzztone bass. But despite all the aggression, this piece — replete with hooky, Detroit techno inspired minor chords — has bounce to spare. Experimentally-minded DJs: take note!
And finally, as the ‘Rockers decelerate, a brand new composition emerges: Requiem For A River (In Dub). As the title suggests, this piece is a meditation on all the waterways that have been lost to industrialization. Here, a slow harmonic tide literally engulfs the listener. A shuffling, shapeshifting lo-fi break never quite reaches the surface, while a cluster of crows scatters overhead. It is a pensive, yet tranquil moment, and a captivating transition out of dub and into… silence.
Will Skol is the man behind Spiral Into The Storm. Learn more >
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