When Saints Go Machine channel Arthur Russell, cover Kariya classic

07 April 2011, 22:24 | Written by Rich Thane

(Tracks)

I’ve been meaning to post this track up for a little while now, getting side-tracked every time the time seems right. The delay in delivering it to you only seems to have strengthened the sheer weight it has over me; to the point where I’m confident that it’s not only my most played song of 2011 so far, but also my favourite.

Whether it’s by coincidence that When Saints Go Machine‘s singer Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild has an uncanny timbre akin to the late, great Arthur Russell and the band proceed to cover one of the defining songs from Russell’s own Sleeping Bag Records is an intriguing conundrum. ‘Let Me Love For You For Tonight’ by Kariya was one of the very first releases that Russell put out via the hugely influential label. A late eighties rave classic, calling it a ‘banger’ doesn’t even come close to describing its greatness – if you’re unfamiliar with it, l I implore you to seek it out. When Saints take Kariya’s euphoric workout and drop the tempo right down, still making it danceable but more for the come down crowd than the ecstasy fuelled audience the original would have been aimed at.

By manipulating Vonsild’s voice through the process of cutting and splicing up the original vocal take, adding in a slow paced balearic beat (with token congas, of course) and a sexy ass bass line the result is pure, unadulterated audio porn.

When Saints Go Machine- Let Me Love You For Tonight (Kariya Cover) by !K7 Records

And that’s not all. See, in the time it’s taken me to get around to posting this track up, When Saints Go Machine have revealed the first video from their new album Konkylie (released via !K7 on June 6). A surrealist, sci-fi fantasy – check out ‘Add Ends’ below.

Finally, and I have Lisa Ehlin from the consistently brilliant Rodeo to thank for this, a remix of the title track from recent When Saints EP Fail Forever. Pitched down and re-rubbed to perfection by Nicolas Jarr.

When Saints Go Machine- Fail Forever (Nicolas Jaar Remix) by !K7 Records