Phoenix - Rise Up

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  • Remakes of classic tunes are a mixed bag. Quite often they involve taking what made the original successful and adding a sound here, a bassline there and voila, sales based on hard work done ten or so years ago. And while recent times has seen some pretty good progressive remixes, namely the innovative Deadset remix of Hybrid or the Gerber remix of Ubu, you’ve also got to take the good with the bad. Recent rethinks such as Deadmau5’s remix of Hybrid, remixes of Pete Lazonby ‘Sacred Cycles’ or Atlas’ ‘Compass Error’ leave you wondering why people bother. Phoenix’s original ‘Rise Up’ was a melodic production with trademark mid 90’s string patterns and—you guessed it—epic breakdowns. Desyfer & Fletch’s remix draws inspiration from the original, but splatters it with modern touches. It has an older unrelenting feel to it, and even takes a breather to introduce a mid-90’s piano breakdown late in the track. But overall, it’s a disappointment, a trip down memory lane rather than anything startling or new. The D Dub mix on the flipside is a different story. It’s mean. There are moments of happiness in it, but for the most part, it’s angry. Despite the catchy Peter Hook feel to the main riff, it doesn’t sound dated, or more importantly, from the same planet as the original. You can hear snippets of the original vocal sample scattered but that’s where the relationship ends. If the original was euphoria at 5 a.m., this is gritted teeth and clenched fists. A different kind of satisfaction, sure, but satisfaction all the same.
  • Tracklist
      A Phoenix - Rise Up (Desyfer & Fletch remix) B Phoenix - Rise Up (D-Dub mix)
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