Blondes “Rewire EP”

22 Apr 2014 — Evelyn Malinowski

Blondes are heroic. While this attribute sets them up to almost parallel the lovely likes of Teengirl Fantasy, who are also a dynamic duo, Blondes are in no way stylistically, conceptually, or viscerally duplicable.

Almost a year after the release of Swisher (a masterpiece, in my opinion), RVNG Intl. has gifted us with a succint remix EP with submissions from Huerco S., Claro Intelecto, Simian Mobile Disco, and Function. Rewire is true to the original, moody "Wire:" each remix preserves the pitter-pattering acid drums and the grumpy, uncertain synth. Manchester's Claro Intelecto gives us a revision that contains a big and round character; conservatively melodic Function delivers a trancey-er, breathy, and masterfully constructed edit. Huerco S., in applying his distinctive style, gives us a repetitive, buzzing version. The remix is straight up techno but hard-to-chew and sort of holographic, complete with distortion and phasing. The "visual single" accompanying Huerco's remix is a fitting counterpart, and simultaneously explains the entire biological profile of Earth but through some weird 3D-glasses that make everything Google-pixelated, black and white, and gendered. The two giant sex symbols, which leak black fluid into each other, could perhaps be representative of the human population while the rest of the screen, fixed while the sex symbols dance around, is the rest of life on the planet that has to deal with our meandering. In the middle of the video, we seem to get a glimpse of their or a psychedelic genetic code being erased before the male and female symbols boisterously return. Check it out below.

Simian Mobile Disco's remix of "Swisher" transforms the feisty original it into a clean, progressive, and slightly chipper track. It serves not only as an excellent opening track, but also as an impressive black sheep among other fantastic remixes of a different song. That said, if you are unfamiliar with any or all of these artists, "Rewire" is an appreciated omnibus for exploring tropes and styles of either upcoming or already reverenced techno producers.