So scenesters and hipsters everywhere are agreeing that R’n'b is, in fact, no longer a dirty word… thanks, in part, to the arrival of The Weeknd. That said, the dubstep and garage scene have had a long-standing affair with R’n’B vocals; and, more recently, house producers have also kindled a certain fondness for the sexy and sleazier side of pop (Lee Foss and Hot Creations, anyone?). And it is perhaps this coupling of soul and dubstep arrangement that makes The Weeknd so appealing.
House of Balloons is the debut of Toronto-based Abel Tesfaye (there’s some speculation as whether it is just him), and it’s a stunning, sultry array of dubstep-tinged productions. With such achingly soulful vocals the album is ripe for remixing and, sure enough, the bootlegs have been plentiful. Inevitably many of the remixes have revolved around mid-range dubstep silliness (somewhat defying the point of the productions – that stand out exactly because they are deep, not brash). But these are my picks so far:
Cralias splinter the track up, glitching the vocals and add some deep, low-slung bass beats that bump along under the strung-out chorus:
Pelski favourites and hotly-tipped Prince Club turn in a straight-up house edit. A nice and simple rework – does the trick:
First I ought to mention that My Panda Shall Fly played an awesome set on the Pelski stage at Glade: filled to the brim with obscure garage as well as fast-paced techno cuts. We’ve already posted his remix once, a refreshing ethereal take, with off-kilter drums, atmospheric rain FX and a crackling of white noise:
A dubstep remix that’s nicely restrained (in comparison to the bro-steppers out there) with gently snapping 808 drums and squelchy, effects-laden bass:
Credit ought to go to Pete Carvell for bringing this one to my attention, a D’n'B cut from DJ Fracture that uses a slow amen break to great effect:
The Weeknd – What You Need (DJ Fracture’s Wreck Your Weekend Remix)
Adam Port provides a deep yet buoyant tech-house take:
