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Delia Gonzales and Gavin Russom, "Relevee"
Those like I who have fallen under Delia & Gavin's spell will not be disappointed in the latest single. Relevee features an edited version of the album version along with remixes by Carl Craig, Baby Ford, and, of course, the DFA. I'm most gleeful, however, for the bonus video of the song.
The "alternate version" of Relevee has been edited down from the 13 1/2 minute version on last year's Days of Mars release to a more concise seven minute version. Additionally, it adds a subtle kick drum and clap just to make it slightly more accessible, but this version will probably only ever be used in dancefloor mixes and rarely played on its own.
The DFA crew unsurprisingly punch up the beats with disco drums, congas, handclaps, and a slight rearrangement of the melody (see their remixes of Black Dice and Delia and Gavin's "Rise": at least they're consistent). Additional keyboards and a thumping bassline sound great, but I'm not sure how I feel about the vocals, as subtle as they are I'm not so certain they actually belong or not. Otherwise it is a disco gem.
While techno master Carl Craig's 11 minute is pretty decadent, his version goes on for seemingly too long (over three minutes) before anything drastic is done to the tune. The basic 808 kick, open hi-hat, and clap sounds are quantized gracefully to a Delia and Gavin's original sequencer interplay, only fattened by various effects. A digital conga and live piano interplay is neat but kinda short and not as engaging as the other stuff. I guess I'm a sucker for the cheap tricks.
Baby Ford doesn't take the melody anywhere new but enhances things with extreme low end. In all honesty, this remix could have made its point at about 1/3 of the length. As hypnotizing as it is, nothing much happens for its 10+ minutes.
The video they made for this single is a complete trip—see the scene pictured on the cover—where Delia and Gavin dance backwards in slow motion while colored neon lights blaze behind them in various sequences. The camera doesn't move, the lights are hypnotic, but the dancing is absolutely silly. It's completely inaccessible for MTV or just about every other pop video outlet imaginable but it is the perfect visual for their music, and I've expected nothing less. Definitely look for it at a music video night I VJ at near you!
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