- I have no doubt it's possible to utterly phone in a remix, but occasionally as a listener, I'll hear a remix that's without question a work of pure passion for the producer. I can't imagine this wasn't the case with Marcel Dettmann and "Too Far," a peculiar highlight both from Morphosis's masterful What Have We Learned LP released last spring and Dettmann's recent Conducted DJ mix. As with another great Dettmann rework, his ethereal mix of "Work" by Junior Boys, the techno giant has a distinctive vocal at his disposal, and he knows how to put it to use. It's actually kind of uncanny how much work the human voice can do to smooth Dettmann's jagged edges into something not too many lightyears away from pop.
Of course, this is Marcel Dettmann we're talking about, and the "Too Far" vocal isn't what anyone would call straightforwardly pretty. Still, both of Dettmann's "Definitions" make for what one might call capital-M Moments, and they're without question among his most hummable tunes. "Definition One" sticks closer to the narcotic original, and in doing so takes Dettmann a bit outside of his current 130 BPM comfort zone. He makes brilliant use of the more sauntering pace, spreading out phrases with deceptively sensitive drum programming. "Definition Two" ramps up the tempo as well as the color. While Dettmann's aquatic melody feels like a bit of a stretch for the vocal at a few moments, the combination works. It would be difficult not to play favorites with these mixes, but regardless of your preference, both are equally worthy and among Dettmann's most distinctive work.
Tracklist A Too Far
B1 Too Far (Marcel Dettmann Definition 1)
B2 Too Far (Marcel Dettmann Definition 2)