Nils Petter Molvaer "Recoloured"

Nils Petter Molvaer

"Recoloured"
(The Remix Album)
Universal Jazz (Germany) , 2001
Catalog # 013 591-2

Tracklisting:
01 Merciful [Herbert's We Mix] 5:58
02 Dead Indeed [Jan Bang's 7:00 AM Mix] 8:26
03 Solid Ether [Underlying Love Mix by Joakim Lone] 6:14
04 Vilderness [Cinematic Orchestra Mix] 6:13
05 Vilderness [Chilluminati Mix] 5:25
06 Ligotage [Phonoversion] 7:45
07 Kakonita [Deathprod Mix] 3:50
08 Dead Indeed [Tunnel Mix by Mind Over MIDI] 7:54
09 Ligotage [Teebee Mix] 5:10
10 Solid Ether [Funkstorung Mix] 4:54
11 Dead Indeed [Pascal Gabriel Mix] 5:42
12 Merciful/Ligotage [Incunabula Mix by Bill Laswell] 8:17

Reviews:
The title certainly fits, as Recoloured finds a disparate remix crew painting sonic tones around this Norwegian jazz trumpeter's year-2000 album, Solid Ether. Molvaer's 1997 solo debut Khmer was itself subjected to dancefloor remixing, but its follow-up was already set to move its jazz core further out towards the electro-dance zone, so these remixers need only make a short journey to their home territory. The selection begins and ends with "Merciful", its vocal-piano vignette re-interpreted in turn by Matthew Herbert and Bill Laswell. Sidsel Endresen's captivating phrases are splintered and re-configured over Herbert's loping house motion and Laswell's deep dub reggae re-instrumentation, both mixers using their own variations on the pure bass tone. Like the original album, Recoloured itself features multiple versions, with "Dead Indeed", "Vilderness" and "Ligotage" checking in at either two or three treatments apiece. Unlike many similar remix projects, these outings are more electronically homogenised for the chill, the original disc's tracks mostly featuring a more overtly distressed and fractured sound-world. Many of the remixers are Norwegian countrymen, including Jan Bang, Illumination and Deathprod. A liquid groove's the chosen motion for most, often with Molvaer's actual trumpet-playing appearing peripherally. DJ TeeBee kicks in some medium-hard breakbeat skitters on his "Ligotage", while the Cinematic Orchestra's "Vilderness" has a thooming bass presence, its beats disjointed but still using natural drums, rolling in barnyard saxophone samples, trumpet intestine-streamers and electric piano jabs. It's these liberty-takers who provide unpredictable jolts to the pulsing groove's juicy spine.
Martin Longley (Amazon)

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Nils Petter Molvaer is perhaps one of the most open and innovative of today's jazz musicians, he does not shy away from embracing modern technology in his music as can be heard on the superb "Solid Ether" album. He employs a turntablist and effects man in conjuntion with some of the most innovative instrumentalists on the Scandinavian scene to create a master work of ambient funky soundscapes, reminiscent of Miles' later work.
Molvaer goes on to emphasise his cutting edge aproach on this album "Recoloured." The album is a remix project showcasing reworkings of 12 tracks from the Solid Ether album, employing some of the best European remixing talent around at the moment, including the Cinematic Orchestra, Bill Laswell, Joakim Lone, Chilluminati and Jan Bang, to create remixes in various styles of his earlier tracks. Some of the remixes vere towards the more housey end of the spectrum while others a reworked out-and-out drum & bass remixes whilst others such as the Cinematic orchestra version of "Vilderness" is almost a new track altogether.
All in all I would say that if you like Molvaer's earlier works you will more than likely love this. If you haven't head of him before but have an interest in any side of dance music you will also find a great deal to enjoy with this album.
By "edinburghchris"

By Rob