Health - //DISCO2 (City Slang)
3/5
By: Liane Escorza
Basically, extracting tracks from their Get Color album of 2009 and remixing them is the simple premise to this new work from the inimitably intimidating Health. But fear not – as was the case with the first //DISCO, we’re not talking about standard re-workings here. With talented rearrangement masters such as Gold Panda, Crystal Castles and Javelin on board, Health have managed to realign their bracingly sharp sound in a whole manner of fascinating ways, and moulded a record of atmospheric party music.
//DISCO2 comes with an unexpected bonus – a whole new Health song that isn’t a remix at all. ‘USA Boys’ starts off with metallic cut-off synths and beats that could well dive into hip-hop, yet as the vocals kick in, droning and sweet, everything gives way to a full bodied, almost peaceful catharsis. The environs are calmer, slower, almost meditative, but the spark of the old Health is still alive.
As for the re-adaptations, ‘In Heat’ by Javelin has an 80s robotic-like quality counteracted by a reverberating bass, providing the dance echoes of the piece. ‘Die Slow’s remix by Tobacco is a straight forward take on pure electro-disco, while ‘Severin’ by Small Black is a lo-fi wobbly cover, apt for chill-out lounges. Crystal Castles bring ethereal agendas and tribal throbbing percussion to a new dimension, but it’s Gold Panda’s adaptation of ‘Before Tigers’ that’s probably the jewel of them all, evoking drip-driven structures and gentle punchy beats like hearts pounding and waters swelling.
Health’s music started off as what could be seen as a violent harnessing of noise and structural disarray, but it’s been fascinating to watch them develop in to the borderline-tuneful band they are today. Uplifting their characteristic features and polishing them with a new colour and shine seems to be a trick that not only pleases their hardcore fans, but also intrigues newcomers, encouraging them to look deep into a newly acquired calm, a fresh, textural and bubbly surface.
Artists in this article: Health
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment