Bleep

Two of the highlights from Darkstar’s Civic Jams full-length album for Warp reworked - ‘Wolf’ spawns a Loraine James remix and a pair of versions from John Talabot while Horsepower Productions and Parris take on ‘Jam’. It is testament to both the malleability and rich melody of Darkstar’s originals that such a stylistically adventurous yet aesthetically unified collection could emerge from their source material.

For instance, the two Talabot entries which bookend Civic Jams Remixes are markedly different from one another while still maintaining the dusky glow which hung over Darkstar’s album. Talabot’s ‘Euphoric’ flip of ‘Wolf’ is a whirlwind of percussion and uptempo techno beats, but his ‘Materia Dub’ is markedly different, slower and trippier in a manner which channels Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement and the late Andrew Weatherall. Offerings from Loraine James and Parris are both far out in the leftfield - James’ stuttering flip sounds like early productions for Hessle Audio while Parris’ entry is spectral and impressionistic. Finally, Horsepower Productions deliver arguably the most club focussed joint here, bolting a classy two-step shuffle onto the gentle melodies of ‘Jam’.

Darkstar call in the cavalry on this new EP of remixes, one which spawns from their LP Civic Jams. This is a highly atmospheric collection which spans everything from abstract electronics to rolling two-step.