- Megaton dubs from the Basic Channel legend.
- If you told me Calibre made "Badman," a track off the Irish artist's 16th album, Feeling Normal, with a Mark Ernestus remix in mind, I'd believe you. Dominick Martin has referred to Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald's output as "the most beautiful music out of Germany," and is friendly with Ernestus (they share an obsession with Michael Zähl-designed EQs and reggae 45s). Beyond that, the original version of "Badman"—comprising a heavy dub bassline, echoing Basic Channel-style chords and an electrifying vocal from DRS—is deeply indebted to the German duo's legacy.
Still, an Ernestus remix EP is a coup. In the way that the "Tip!" proclamation is applied judiciously at Ernestus's legendary Hard Wax store, his versions feel like a rarely-applied stamp of approval. Both of these mixes feel essential to the "Basic Channel changed my life" crowd. The original is deep, but the "Bad Mix" is deeper, if fairly faithful to the original. DRS's vocal is chopped up and dropped sparingly, but Martin's chords echo longer and the bassline hits harder. "Badder Mix" is less expansive, with shorter cutoffs and a more insistent rhythm that make it the more playable of the two. Both are worth luxuriating in, at home, in headphones and, soon enough, in the optimal environment: through a proper soundsystem.
TracklistA Badman (Bad Mix)
B Badman (Badder Mix)