Remixing a song can be a polarizing endeavor, with naysayers (I’ve counted myself among the torch waving hordes) snapping at the heels of any DJ or producer who creates the latest vapid reworking. That quandary is exacerbated, to the umpteenth degree, when it happens to be a popular song. With popularity comes repetition and with that comes deep impressions about yourself (philosophy folks call it ‘abstraction’).

Every nascent change on the almighty iTunes play count bloats the listener’s sense of entitlement towards that song. The song morphs into feelings and then outright experience (counterfeited but somehow authentic). So when you hear that underwhelming remix of your favorite Postal Service tune, it has the same effect as ripping out your sinew, bones and heart and serving it to you in an altogether disorienting manner. Talk about cognitive dissonance.

Ewan Pearson seems to realize this fact and has acted in accordance throughout his career. The English-born, Berlin-residing producer and DJ’s music aims to put the dance back into popular music.

His remixes have appeared on at least 58 diverse releases by a wildly sundry group of artists – including Fields, The Chemical Brothers Feat. The Flaming Lips, Playgroup, Freeform Five, Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, Pet Shop Boys, Goldfrapp and Depeche Mode, all of whom turn up on Piece Work. The two-disc compilation is in equal parts a microscope on Pearson’s teasing of individual songs as well as a telescope augmenting his range as a remixer.

The remixes on Piece Work don’t serve merely as ancillary facsimiles of the originals. For instance, the reworking of The Chemical Brothers featuring The Flaming Lips’ “The Golden Path” shines a light on Pearson’s immaculate production. The dub-rave explosion starts unassumingly with whip cracking drum effects and ringing bells. The road to the electronic choral uprising is paved with bleeps and skittering percussion as well. It jettisons the original motorik folk song into space without taking out the essential points where the lyrics and music converge. For example, the filtered vocals and tolling bell at the mention of a spectre pointing to a graveyard are all still intact.

There’s something organic about Pearson’s approach to his boardwork. If you sort through all the electronic magic you hear some of the same elements found on the source material the music wizard waves his wand over. The “organic sounds” still remain. The slicing knives on the remix of Mocky’s “Catch A Moment In Time” ratchet up the drama. On The Rapture’s “I Need Your Love” the squelchy bass line plops down as if the eponymous monster from The Blob stepped out onto the dance floor.

Even the most popular songs, like Franz Ferdinand’s “Outsiders,” Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence,” and Royskopp’s “Ride A White Horse” and “Train” retain the spirit of the originals, without sounding like needless carbon copy endeavors.

These danceable remixes are welcome. Look around any concert hall, particularly any indie show, and you probably see it. Piece Work is a dizzying roadmap of a cartographer of sub-zero electronic sound-capes.

They’re icy in that his sleek presentations of other artists work within the original intent. Pearson strikes the balance between not imposing his electro-house departures onto the original work and creating his own voice. As a result, Piece Work’s remixes are both embryonic and fully evolved. I guess remixes aren’t as bad as I thought they were.
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Links
Ewan Pearson [official site] [myspace]