Various Artists Wighnomy Bros.:Remikks Potpourri II
Robag Wruhme pushes minimal to the max, using the genre’s ever-changing template–including elements of negative […]
Robag Wruhme pushes minimal to the max, using the genre’s ever-changing template–including elements of negative space, microbeats, tinges of schaffel, and unusual vocals–to make music that doesn’t sound minimal at all. Alone, and with Monkey Maffia as Wighnomy Bros., his remixes take that same approach. Remikks Potpourri II is a satisfying sampler of what they’ve been up to since 2005’s excellent first installment; they take on older tunes by Depeche Mode, Underworld, and Nitzer Ebb, as well as of-the-moment tracks like Ellen Allien and Apparat’s “Way Out.” The collection starts strongly with a nearly unrecognizable twist of Future Sound of London’s “Lifeforms,” setting shards of the ambient original above a spooky hip-hop beat. The Brothers simplify Röyksopp’s “Beautiful Day Without You” into a leisurely motorik groove with a crystalline pulse. Like most of these masterfully re-appropriated tracks, it’s a perfect distillation of the original song’s emotion.