- Can an edit be too cheeky? Either way, these bang.
- Can an edit be too cheeky? That's one question raised by Aquarian's latest EP, a batch of bootleg remixes that arrives for the festive season. There's a lot of humour surrounding Aquarian's music—his label is called Hanger Management and this EP is credited to the Hangry Asian Man—but the jokes belie the serious weight of his music. Aquarian makes gargantuan breakbeat techno with quality production values, which is why his version of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" is so good.
This "Need 4 Speed" version of "Old Town Road" also might be the best speed garage tune of 2019. It just happens to feature Billy Ray Cyrus, Lil Nas X and that distinctive Nine Inch Nails-sampling guitar riff. Aquarian's production work gleams like a futuristic, chrome-plated machine built for dance floor domination. It's almost enough to make you pine for an instrumental version, but part of the "Need 4 Speed" remix's appeal is its audacious sample—a big vocal to match a gargantuan beat.
Aquarian also throws in a remix of Bullion's "Blue Pedro," one of the most ubiquitous dance floor hits of the past few years, which he gives a ferocious jungle makeover. Breakbeats are Aquarian's bread and butter, and his version of "Blue Pedro" is another instance where the instrumental could be a huge track on its own. But how can you resist that melody? In both cases, Aquarian has made rinsed-out tracks feel exciting. You might question why someone felt the need to drop edits of "Old Town Road" and "Blue Pedro" at the end of 2019. The answer is simple: these edits are sick.
Tracklist01. Lil Nas X - Old Town Road (H.A.M. Need 4 Speed Remix)
02. Bullion - Blue Pedro (H.A.M JungleJungle Edit)
03. H.A.M. - HYPE VS WORK