- It's always a refreshing palate cleanser to hear remixes before the original. Gone are the silly debates on what was added or what was taken away, and the focus can simply be placed on the most important thing of all: What's actually there. The mind does wander listening to Âme and Dixon's takes on Radio Slave new moniker, The Machine, and the first track from his forthcoming album though. Is there a lot of chanting going on? Âme sure seem to have both the tropical and religious variety accounted for in their digital deep house version. And how about a kick drum that disappears for nearly two minutes? Âme give you a cymbal for a bit, but even that hinge leaves the building to allow the various chanters to have some time alone with one another in the most effecting moment of the mix.
Dixon's remake tends to confirm that there will be plenty of voices to be heard, and his similarly tropic drum pattern also takes plenty of time to get to the point. That's not a bad thing. Both Dixon and Âme create landscapes ripe for enough investigation to make waiting for the kick worth your time. Dixon piles on some horns as well, adding to the thicket—but things never feel too overwhelming. Over the top, though? Perhaps the soprano doing her thing in the middle of the tune gets there. But the sort of confidence it takes to be putting an operatic wailer like this on a club record should be applauded, not criticized. And with the remix being almost 12 minutes long—and the dub being available for free download at Innervisions' shop—there's plenty of chance to ignore her altogether if you so choose.
TracklistA Fuse (Âme Remix)
B Fuse (Dixon Remix)
Digital: Fuse (Dixon Dub)