Plaid

Though Plaid don't share the post-production prowess of Aphex Twin (who was similarly anthologized barely a month before), any collection of their remixing -- widely scattered and rarely heard -- is welcome indeed. Dance luminaries Peacefrog heartily obliged (after Warp head Greg Eden gave the go-ahead) and the results rank between Aphex Twin's 26 Mixes for Cash and Herbert's Secondhand Sounds as the best available post cards to latter-day remixing; if not as consistently breathtaking as Aphex, the duo's work is also less monolithic and rigid than Herbert's often aped style. Parts in the Post takes nearly all of Plaid's remixing work following their 1995 split with Ken Downie (Black Dog), though the styles heard range far into the past, back to the ghostly electro of early-'90s classics like "Choke and Fly" (for glorious examples of such, check their remixes of Funki Porcini's "King Ashabanapal" or Studio Pressure's seminal "Relics," from fellow Kirk DeGiorgio associate Photek). Like all the great electronic remixers, Plaid can go both ways with their work, either remaking a track with little relation to the original or essentially re-producing the artist by integrating their style into the framework of the song. Here, an U.N.K.L.E. remix retains only an introductory sample reminiscent of DJ Shadow and co. before detouring into a classic latter-day Plaid production -- steel drums from Mars over beguiling electro breaks and playful effects. The original of Nicolette's "Wholesome," however, is integrated perfectly into the Plaid sound, with close attention paid to even her vocal pauses (it's clear they have an affection for the similarly iconoclastic vocalist/producer). Messrs. Handley and Turner also have no trouble creating productions with more relation to the subject than the artist had even attempted; another Nicolette original, the surprisingly utopian "No Government," is taken into an anarchic direction with stark beats, dental-drill effects, and an amelodic tune. Ironically enough, Plaid's more obscure jobs, including tracks heard here like Dropshadow's "Disease Fototienda" and Jung Collective's "Street Preacher," are some of their most intriguing and distinctive productions. The lone new track, a Plaid original named "Wrong Ways," is a charmer as well, with a tippling, squelchy bassline. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide