The original tune Sirens by Splitbreeed & Basis crossed my desk a few months ago and while I’m not the biggest fan of trap, I dug its vocals and simplistic, yet catchy arrangement. When, I learned that the remix EP would be dropping today I gladly accepted it as an opportunity to review something a bit out of my usual area of taste. Featuring the work of Grannity & Drummerboy, Tut Tut Child, PhaseOne, and Playdead the remix EP is for the most part a solid offering.
Granity & Drummerboy‘s rendition has taken the original in an insanely heavy direction. Unfortunately, this grit comes at the expense of melodic composition. If you’re into ultra heavy, this is probably more of a good thing than bad. Reminding me of some of the heavier releases you’d hear off of Firepower, G & D power up the bass machine gun for some incredibly gnarly 16th note wobble slams. Heavy distortion and crazy phase on full display for this tune – solid, but not my favorite of the bunch.
Massive ups to the Aussie PhaseOne for his absolutely killer remix, that stands out to me as the best constructed piece of the bunch. With releases on Buygore and Kannibalen, PhaseOne can add this tune as one of the best tracks in his already impressive portfolio. His remix works seamlessly with the original tracks vocals and the aggressive drop can roll with the best of modern 140 bpm releases. The aggro screech bass jumps into a melodic break that’s catchy as hell and fits oh so well.
Unfortunately, the EP’s good streak ends with the Playdead remix. Trap usually translates well to Festival House, but in this case falls well short. I don’t like to hate, but I can’t find much I like about this track. The rhythm of the plucks and fill elements don’t feel quite right and the mix just sounds off. The lack of bass, awkward mixing and timing, and less than fitting sound design just doesn’t quite work.
However, Tut Tut Child‘s moombahcore rendition of Sirens is a more than capable anchor to bring the EP home. This Brit has already popped up on my radar with his Monstercat releases and his very recent DnB bootleg of Sad Machine. Following in the style of his last Monstercat release, Drink Up, Tut Tut Child pursues a complex moombah style akin the Nick Thayer and Sawgood. Let’s be frank, there aren’t a lot of people making this sort of music these days and to say the least, TTC has done it well. Despite, some clunkiness in some of synths in the lower register, this is an overall good track.
Peep the original below and feel free to share your thoughts!