ALBUM OF THE WEEK: WORLDS REMIXED BY PORTER ROBINSON
I am a huge Porter Robinson fan. With Worlds as my album of the year last year, and about 30% of my personal blog being Porter, that shouldn’t be hard to see. However, songs get stale and music needs some tuneups. And what better way to do that with an all-star lineup of remixers on an already amazing album?
I couldn’t find the album on Soundcloud except for a few individual tracks that Porter uploaded, but I placed a Youtube link in the footer. Listen to it, it’s absolutely worth the listen.
I can’t even pick a favorite, so I’m gonna go down the line and say what I love about each one the most.
DIVINITY (ODESZA REMIX): Did you enjoy the boomey sounds of the original but you wish the drums rolled a bit more and it wasn’t so energetic? ODESZA has you covered. Albeit not my favorite, it’s still an amazing remix that has insane drumwork and a level of perfectionism I can’t even fathom.
SAD MACHINE (DEON CUSTOM REMIX): So this one is alright. I’m not a huge fan of Sad Machine to begin with, and Deon certainly improved on it, but I’m not huge on his choice of progression. The sounds are tight and he certainly did a great job producing, but it’s not too memorable to me.
YEARS OF WAR (ROB MAYTH REMIX): Ahh, Rob Mayth. If you like 2009 Newgrounds music that’s actually done well, this is the remix for you. Super trancey drums and sounds make me feel like I just stumbled back into a YouTube tutorial back when YouTube still had the old layout. With a nice trap breakdown at the end, this one isn’t perfect but it’s certainly memorable.
FLICKER (MAT ZO REMIX): This is where the album started to pick up for me. Mat Zo is one of those artists that is so unpredictable with his content that I had no idea what to expect, but what I got was mind blowing. With loud, boomy progressions that make the original sound lax and almost bland, and a drop at the very end that put me into tears on my first listen, this is a song I can’t do any justice for and you can only really understand if you hear it for yourself.
FRESH STATIC SNOW (LAST ISLAND REMIX): Okay, I kinda cheated on this one and heard it a few months before it was released. With a quick beat, punchy drums, and a very smooth guitar lead complimented with the original Vocaloid vocals Porter intended, this track will make you feel like chilling at the beach even in this cold weather.
POLYGON DUST (SLEEPY TOM REMIX): This song is a dancefloor killer if I’ve ever heard one. Super chilled but upbeat at the same time, Sleepy Tom proved you can take one of my least favorites on the original album and make it instantly one of my favorites. Perfect for almost any occasion!
HEAR THE BELLS (ELECTRIC MANTIS REMIX): Sit down for this one. Seriously. Mantis took one of my all-time favorites on the album and made it this boomy, almost ethereal experience that can only really be described as HUGE. Again, sit down for this one.
NATURAL LIGHT (SAN HOLO REMIX): A normal contender in the future bass scene, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting mediocrity out of this track. However, San proved me wrong almost instantly; like Mat Zo, he took a song and made it sound so full and intense it makes the original almost seem boring.
LIONHEARTED (POINT POINT REMIX): I could seriously go on all day about how much I adore this song. I believe Point Point is the best thing to happen to electronic music in a long time, and they certainly showcase it in this song. With summer vibes all around, incomprehensible drum patterns, and a great attitude to the track in total, the 4-artist group blew me away again.
SEA OF VOICES (GALIMATIAS REMIX): A remix that can only be given justice by listening to it, Galimatias took a relaxing, bubbly take towards the already insane original mix. With totally redone vocals, slow and mild drums, and a calming piano overlaying the verses, this is no short of a masterpiece.
FELLOW FEELING (SLUMBERJACK REMIX): The original mix to this song is nothing short of dark, and Slumberjack took that into account fully when remixing this. Every sound, patch, pad, and drum in this song has a very specific purpose in building the atmosphere. Once the first drop hits, a hard hitting trap section that completes everything in the buildup, you won’t know what hit you. And how could you do justice to Fellow Feeling without the upbeat-yet-spooky second drop, which was also remixed to perfection? In total, Slumberjack slaughtered this remix, making it my absolute favorite off the album.
GOODBYE TO A WORLD (CHROME SPARKS REMIX): The future classic extraordinaire himself is a perfect fit to complete the album in this case. Similar to the original mix, Goodbye To A World completes it’s purpose of an ending track nothing short of stellar. An amazing finish to an amazing album, Chrome Sparks wrapped everything up and turned a 12-track album into a truly wonderful experience.
SCORE: ALBUM OF THE YEAR PROBABLY/10
FAVORITES: SLUMBERJACK, POINT POINT, ELECTRIC MANTIS, SLEEPY TOM
