We turn our attention today to another remix album, this time tackling Vexillary‘s third LP. Following the early 2014 release of Horror in Dub, this remix collection emerged almost a year later, featuring ten producers from various backgrounds offering their interpretations of the album. Among the notable names, we find Kris Baha (who also appeared on the Years of Denial remix album), EBM producer Blush Response, dark ambient master Statiqbloom (whose remixing abilities we already knew from his take on Bestial Mouths‘ “The Falls”), Alessandro Nero (formerly known as Necroboy) bringing his industrial touches, and Barcelona’s Nightcrawler. To add variety, Vexillary reached out to producers from seemingly different musical spheres, though such boundaries are ultimately fluid. The lineup includes Leon Switch, who cut his teeth in drum ‘n bass before venturing into dubstep and other bass music; groundbreaking British IDM producer VHS Head; Mexican techno producer Andy Martin; Argentinian Matias Bagato, who straddles techno and dub techno; and Apokryph‘s hard techno. Horror ReDubs works both as a companion to the original album and as a standalone piece, with remixes that maintain their individual character while achieving a consistently high quality across diverse styles.
This time, I will comment the remixes in the order of the original album rather than the remix sequence. Andy Martin opens, taking the ‘Dub’ in the title track literally, slowing the tempo and adding reverb and muscular bass. “Animalic” finds its perfect match in Kris Baha, who delivers a playful, up-tempo interpretation. Blush Response industrializes “Insurrection” with an impressive production. “My Vertigo,” one of the original album’s standouts, receives a treatment from Leon Switch that emphasizes the vocals and adopts a slower pace, creating a more atmospheric piece. Apokryph makes “Under My Skin” a bit harder while introducing a dreamlike synth melody. “In Danger” gets slightly harder but remains danceable in Matias Bagato‘s hands. Another highlight from Horror in Dub, the dark and menacing “A New Body,” appears here in powerful synthwave version by genre heavyweight Nightcrawler. “The Smoke” transforms into industrial techno under Statiqbloom‘s direction – an absolute must-hear. VHS Head takes an original and intriguing approach to “Paris Spleeen,” while Alessandro Nero closes with a powerful interpretation of “By Design.”
