LCD Soundsystem
45.33 Remixes
(DFA)

If you’ve been out jogging for the last six months and haven’t had the time to go crate digging or scope out the latest online, then a) congratulations on your athletic physique, and b) brace yourself for some good news – DFA disco darlings LCD Soundsystem and co. have been working hard on your next favourite running playlist.

Back in 2005 Nike commissioned James Murphy to write a piece of music that ran for 45:33. The aim? To musically evoke the experience of exercise, and thus inspire you to go pound the pavement in your newest official ticked-trainers. Luckily for all you fat guys and indie kids, the album was a pretty successful stand-alone piece, and has garnered relatively positive review from slobs, jocks and long time LCD fans alike.

But, I’m always wary when it comes to the concept of a concept album. For some reason it always seems to instantly equate with nightmarish gimmicks and (in years to come) ‘what was I thinking’ retrospect: artists spawning ridiculous alter egos, pretentiousness, bands creatively ‘finding themselves’, movie or book tie ins, some sort of elvish storyline – the potential for disaster is ever-present. So, I was not only relieved when 45.33 proved more satisfying musically than conceptually (and not the other way around), but when it was announced that a further, much anticipated 45.33 Remixes package was to become available following the initial albums release.

As Phonica puts it in their promo spiel, this is ‘Eight killer remixes from a variety of different producers that pretty much covers the whole spectrum of 4/4 music’. Well, not to shoot them down, but that is only true if by ‘4/4 music’ you mean ‘DFA’s brand of live instrument oriented nu-disco’. It’s not the most evil of crimes though, because, true to form, the label receives a big tick for their enlightened selection in regard to contributing artists; Prins Thomas, Pilooski, Theo parrish, Trus’me. This is a pretty heavyweight who’s who of the genre at the moment, and it definitely does not disappoint.

The release starts strongly. Prince Language offers up a Holy Ghost style disco pop affair that is enjoyably evocative; rich with synth charm and a danceable, if not haunting, piano line ethereally perforated by some clever vocal sampling. It's one of the packages stronger tracks, simply by virtue of its comparative accessibility. Prins Thomas backs things up with what you’d expect from the Norse ‘diskoking’; a shimmering, percussive marathon that seems to most effectively echo the aerobic premise of the original album, with its metrical variety and rhythmic palpitations. 'Trus’Me' keeps things interesting with an ungainly Giorgio Moroder meets Herbie Hancock interpretation, deriving its abrasive spice from relentless spacey drum pads and cosmic flickers of robotic interjections. And Pilooski contributes a slow burning, fuzzy nu-disco groove that seems hedonistic in its tendency towards monotony – the dude’s found a jam and he’s going to cold rock it for 7 and a half goddamn minutes.

Perhaps though, the most interesting musical offerings are provided by Theo Parrish and Riley Reinhold. The latter is a sultry jazz-groove that harks back to a more traditional disco soundscape through its live horn sections, (with a percussion line that would get even Gloria Estefan smiling), before smouldering down to a more contemporary, DFA inspired off-beat synth sequence. But Theo Parrish undoubtedly provides the epic, and, like I said before, when it comes to a concept album, it seems it's all about the epic. This version is stimulating enough to keep from repetitiveness, but funky enough to keep the toes tapping. A live bass line ebbs and flows under filtered vocals, permeated by airy chord stabs and all the cosmic bells and whistles necessary for a ‘space cadet remix’. Gradually it accelerates to a futuristic disco-punk anti-climax, before bubbling energetically away through moments of jazz and nu-disco.

Whilst it was designed with the hopes of exercise in mind, it shouldn’t matter whether you’re pushing it to the limit or limiting how much you push - this is a release that definitely deserves a listen through. So sit back, put those Nike TM brand runners on, and get cosmic.

Elliott Grigg