 "The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3" Phillip Charles' Signs in Mallorca Rewerk (MP3 edit)
Cinematic: Classic Film Music Remixed
Various Artists
Six Degrees Records
Soundtrack remix platters are hit and miss. At best, they re-ignite great melodies with modern mixing techniques for ears acclimated to the digital age. At worst, they reduce the source material to an indistinguishable fragment amidst the jumble of beats and bytes, effectively trading cinematic appeal for dancefloor acceptability. For the most part, Cinematic hits the mark.
King Britt's energetic take on Quincy Jones' "They Call Me Mister Tibbs" maintains the blaxploitation character of the original while adding elements like tire squeels, helicopter whirls, feminine gasps and the requisite turntable scratches.
Phillip Charles' revamp of David Shire's "The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3" adds a squelchy pulsating digital vibe without losing the intensity of the original.
Bent's remix of Nino Rota's music for Fellini's Roma is lush and transporting, providing a thick bouncy rhythm bed for Rota's woodwinds, brass and strings.
The Shrift mix of Ennio Morricone's "Goodbye Colonel" from For a Few Dollars More is a bit less effective, though not a complete loss. It maintains the melancholy mood of the original by emphasizing the melody, but the added electronic beats seem slapped on — they just aren't integral. It's a bit off target.
The Real Tuesday Weld's remix of Duke Ellington's "Paris Blues" maintains the sax melody, mutes and warps the rest of the band and adds a crisp rhythm track along with voice extractions (presumably film dialogue). It's an old school approach to soundtrack remixing (like something from Dimitri From Paris' SacreBleu), but that's the point.
Mark de Clive Lowe's remix of Jerry Goldsmith's theme for the western Hour of the Gun adds a rap by replife. While that sounds a bit cliche (hip-hop, guns, western bravado), the end result works because replife's rap makes effective use of the title.
There are some unexpected sources, too, such as Miklos Rosa's music from Ben Hur and Ernest Gold's main title from Inherit the Wind.
Overall, the remixes heard on Cinematic offer an interesting diversion for film music buffs and a reminder to modern music fans that soundtracks are a powerful source of inspiration.
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