:papercutz - Ultravioleta Rmx's

I'm in the mood to catch up on some EPs highlighting the upcoming releases. Here comes a single from a Portuguese musician, Bruno Miguel, going by the name :papercutz with a vocal help by the lovely Melissa (Mell) Veras, and multi-instrumentalist Francisco Bernardo. The clicky IDM elements of Ultravioleta and the breathy female voice, triggers a memory of Telefon Tel Aviv's remix of Bebel Gilberto's All Around. I think the Portuguese lyrics play a huge role in that as well. But before I give my mind a chance to travel to the past, it is snapped back with four more remixes from a great roster of artists. First up is a remix by The Sight Below, a Portland based ambient-techno artist who just landed a deal with Ghostly International. His melding loops accented by the riding beat will keep the Gas fans happy (see my separate review on his No Place For Us EP). On Violet of Ultra Neotropic Remix, Riz Maslen (appearing on Ntone and Ninja Tune), blends organic instrumentation with machine-like rhythms and needle skips vis-à-vis Radiohead's darker tracks, adding her own vocals (an English translation of the original) into the mix. Spandex's (Matt Southall) treatment of Ultravioleta, brings it closer to the dance floor, with a minimal techno beat and a touch of electro, packed in the Kompakt container (for some reason I'm picturing Eric, the yellow puppet, nodding his head to the Flat Beat of Mr. Oizo in Levi's commercial). Finally, Bevan Smith (aka Signer) wraps it all up with a convoluted twist of an ambient soundscape paired by a deep bass pulse. Signer is known for his releases on Carpark and his own label, Involve; he also records under Skallander with Matthew Mitchell for Type Records. All in all, this is an interesting collection of remixes where each one shines in its own domain. And as such, it is difficult to encompass all tracks within one writeup. But back to :papercutz. Ultravioleta Rmx's EP should wet your appetite for his upcoming debut album on Apegenine. And I'm looking forward to the day it hits the street.

Great first real release for these guys. The track "Ultravioleta" is a bit long for a Pop song but I love it's dreamy chords! The fact that the lyrics are in a foreign language makes it even stranger but the CD features a translation. Neotropic's remix is my favourite and really special. She actually sings the track in English which I think is quite bold for a remix. The rest of the remixes are also good but not quite at the same level.