TOKEN54 - Inigo Kennedy - Requiem Remixed by Token Records

Release date (vinyl & digital format): 6th of July 2015.

TRACKLIST
A1. Efdemin 'Journey To The Stars' Mix
A2. Kangding Ray 'Dies Irae' Remix
B1. Regis 'Human Host' Mix
B2. Dasha Rush 'Requiem For Humanity' Remix

Inigo Kennedy's Vaudeville LP was undoubtedly one of Token's highlights of 2014. Now, following hot on the heels of Antigone's twisting 'Cantor Dust' EP and Ø [Phase]'s sweltering 'Tunnel Vision/Internal Conflict' 12”, 'Requiem', a standout cut from the album has been resurrected across an all-star remix EP from the label. The release sees some of the most notable figures operating in the techno scene today turn their hand to the track, from sonic explorer Efdemin to Birmingham veteran Karl O'Connor, aka Regis.

The original's twisted melodies are beautifully fragmented across Efdemin's opening offering. The Berlin based artist drops the mesmeric riff down a few semitones, unleashing them alongside nitro-charged rhythms. Dial-tone bleeps and razor sharp hats are set in contrast to the original's sleek, melancholic synthesiser-play, vaulting forward swelteringly intense.

As the EP progresses the interpretations seem to get progressively more bent out of shape. Raster Noton mainstay Kangding Ray for example provides a skittering, paranoid recast of the track. Groaning, ethereal soundscapes hover imposingly above thudding, broken-beat rhythms and jagged hi-end drones. Regis on the other hand harnesses the original's bulging low-end, putting his characteristically rugged stamp on the track. Whilst an ominous low-end throbs in the blackness, vapourous atmospherics are put into full-effect alongside a warped riff, steadily decaying as the track progresses.

Closing the release, Dasha Rush pushes the original as far as it can possible go, bringing discordant piano melodies and distant voices together in a thoroughly disorienting reinterpretation. The Russian born artist is patient in her building of the track; it is not until past the two minute mark that she lets booming kicks and stuttered hi-hats fire.

The artists selected for the project have been curated with much care – pushing 'Requiem' to its outer limits and re-imagining the track in ways difficult to conceive of before. However given Token's history of bringing to light the most diverse corners of dancefloor music, maybe nothing less should have been expected.

Words by Theo Darton-Moore.

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