It’s been awhile since the world heard anything new from Trus’me, as the Mancunian producer’s last album, In the Red, dropped back in 2009. While his Prime Numbers imprint has continued to let forth a trickle of releases, new Trus’me tunes have been incredibly hard to come by, and the artist’s recent unveiling of a new, techno-minded moniker, David James, doesn’t help those hungry for more of his patently soulful house creations. PN12 only alleviates the problem somewhat, as it contains two remixes of previously released Trus’me tracks, but at least it’s something new with his name on it.
To its credit, the caliber of artists doing the remixing here is quite high. On the a-side, German techno wizard Marcel Dettmann tackles “Sweet Mother,” the closing track from In the Red. Where the original was a deeply soulful slice of bouncing house music, Dettmann’s take tightens up the proceedings. The house-leaning remix may have more funk than one is accustomed to hearing from the usually techno-oriented producer, but it’s nonetheless a rather orderly production, as though Dettman had affixed all of the original’s loosely swinging tendencies to a strict grid. That said, the effort doesn’t prevent Dettmann from building an infectious groove. Relying on little more than a snaking bassline and some vaguely tribal drums, this version of “Sweet Mother” storms through its six-minute runtime and could be effectively utilized to enliven all sorts of dancefloors.
On the flip side, Norman Nodge, a Berghain resident who also happens to be Marcel Dettmann’s partner at MDR Records, goes to work on Trus’me’s “Good God.” The original tune was the lead track from the very first Prime Numbers release, $tilnocheck?, which came out in 2008. Nodge keeps the song’s primary melody intact, but, like Dettmann, reigns in Trus’me’s playfully loose sensibilities. His take is actually labeled a dub, which makes sense given the production’s subdued nature and hazily hypnotic vibe. Nodge severely dials back the percussion, leaving little more than a filtered kick in place while his atmospheric white noise and dubby effects gurgle in the background. It’s the latest of late-night tracks, but there’s no questioning the quality. At the very least, its cloudy vibes should provide enough of a warm embrace to tide everyone over until Trus’me actually delivers some new music. Either that, or until the next set of remixes sees the light of day, reportedly with contributions from DVS1 and Terrence Dixon.
