- Argyris Theofillis has been locking creative horns with some heavyweight producers of late (Gregory, Sydenham, Solomun, Stimming to name but a few) and while I respectfully defer superior knowledge of the genre to these established gurus, on the evidence of these remixes I'm only half convinced. Discounting the bonus beats of the first mix and the dub of the second, there are two "proper" mixes of Kerri Chandler's Tron-like blip and beat house track "Fortran" here; one of which is creative and takes the original to a new level of relevance. The other? Not so much.
The title of the "6:23" mix suggests that Argy was rather more focused on the elapsed time of the record, rather than making it do anything particularly interesting. (Or, conversely, that he couldn't say much about it afterward aside from recounting its length.) A standard kick drum is joined by abrasive hi-hats and snares extremely early, while the bassline sounds like it's trying to get through the tracks as quickly and painlessly as possible, and experiences little success with either wish. It's only faintly reminiscent of the original and the late introduction of some urgent strings hardly saves this fairly turgid endeavor. The inclusion of the bonus beats turns out to be a canny move, as they work well as a DJ tool, while the main version fails to make any impact as a standalone track.
The "Big Room Detroit Mix" is an altogether more considered effort, although Argy's production forte is without doubt more beats-and-bass than percussion. This time the kick is beautifully rounded and enveloped by a warm, snarling bassline that simply demands that you nod along with it happily. It's still a thoroughly deep affair, but flirts recklessly enough with the bouncier Detroit sound to make it stand out in a crowd and hold your attention once acquired.
Tracklist A1 Fortran (Argy's 6:23 Mix)
A2 Fortran (Argy's Legendary Bonus Beats)
B1 Fortran (Argy's Big Room Detroit Mix)
B2 Fortran (Argy's Detroit Dub)