Music Feedback
New This WeekAround TownMusicFilmArtTheaterNews & FeaturesFood & DrinkAstrology
  HOME
NEW THIS WEEK
EDITORS' PICKS
LISTINGS
NEWS & FEATURES
MUSIC
FILM
ART
BOOKS
THEATER
DANCE
TELEVISION
FOOD & DRINK
ARCHIVES
LETTERS
PERSONALS
CLASSIFIEDS
ADULT
ASTROLOGY
PHOENIX FORUM DOWNLOAD MP3s

  E-Mail This Article to a Friend
Zero 7
SIMPLE THINGS: REMIXES
(PALM)

Stars graphics

Simple Things, Zero 7’s 2001 debut, found critics lumping this London duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker in with the French duo Air. But the Zero 7’s æsthetic is actually more in tune with Nightmares on Wax soul than with the easy-listening daydreams of Moon Safari. This disc of six remixes marks time between proper studio albums by offering smartly reconfigured versions of four of the album’s cuts (two being served up in two very different forms) by an eclectic bunch of studio mixmasters. In the hands of Bugz in the Attic, the brooding "Distractions" mutates into a big-beat romp dominated by cracking drums and groovy synths, Madlibs’ "YNQ Remix" of the same song is dressed up bossa nova style with vibes and Fender-Rhodes piano chords. Richard Dorfmeister puts a Latin spin on "In the Waiting Line"; Roni Size turns the elegantly mellow "End Theme" into a drum ’n’ bass workout. Fortunately, nobody undermines the melodic hooks, so everything here is easily recognizable as a Zero 7 creation.

BY ELIOT WILDER

Issue Date: May 30 - June 5, 2003
Back to the Music table of contents.

  E-Mail This Article to a Friend

home | feedback | about the phoenix | find the phoenix | advertising info | privacy policy | the masthead | work for us

 © 2003 Phoenix Media Communications Group