简介
by Jason BirchmeierThe concept of having a roster of experimental producers remix Pluramon's visionary Render Bandits album seems promising in theory. Of course, with such esoteric music, the results can head in many different directions, which is precisely the reason why a remix project seems so promising. The 11 producers commissioned to perform the remixes take Pluramon's music into sparse electronica directions, stripping away any guitar sounds and rock tendencies, for the most part. And though this does have some elegant results, it often transforms Pluramon's visionary merger of electronic soundscapes and the almighty guitar into mere electronic soundscapes -- interesting, yet nothing new. It was the infusion of guitar sounds and a subtle flirtation with Krautrock that made the original versions of these songs so wonderful. Mogwai and Lee Ranaldo (of Sonic Youth) thankfully retain these hints of guitar rock, but the others abandon it for their fractured reconstructions, instead transforming the songs into glitchy electronica that never comes close to dance floor trackiness and ventures way too far into chin-stroking sound arrangements. If you favor the more subtle, rhythm-void style of Mille Plateaux, than you may enjoy Bit Sand Riders. Still, it is painful to see these producers strip away what made Render Bandits such an important album to begin with, making it just another collection of admittedly well-executed yet still traditional laptop-tweaked glitch music.
