Chilled

by

Chicane

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It's time to congratulate Chicane (Nick Bracegirdle) on his first widely published remix compilation.

Chicane avoids falling victim to the temptation to accept bland remixes that seems to plague a lot of artists. It seems that oftentimes musicians, while remixing songs of others or of their own, end up corrupting the soul of the music that they're working with, and instead end up with a mess thats neither reminiscent of the original, nor suitably original to be dubbed its own title.

Songs like the Power Circle 'A Man Called Adam' remix of "Offshore 97" bring out the best in Chicane's peers' abilities to recognize the core features of his music and bring it into a new height. While the original "Offshore" was an active, uplifting, and energetic song, the remix brings to it the salty freshness of oceanside relaxation, making for a sooothing result that you can dance to or relax to with equal ease. This is not to discount the original work, however. Chicane's original productions are masterpieces in themselves, but these remixes manage to climb to similar heights by presenting the songs in a different light, while still maintaining their original construction. I suppose it's similar to how I view the four seasons, winter, fall, summer, spring. They're all different, with their own unique characteristics, but I love them each for their own reasons. Similarly, these remixes manage to fade themselves into a different "season" and express a different tone while maintaining the heart of the originals that they are derived from.

This album from Bracegirdle is a masterpiece. Every song deserves its own recognition, and I listen to each with equal interest. It's been months since I first got a hold of these songs, and I still can't stop listening to them. Call me boring or bland, but they're too good to put down. I love it.