Posted on 07/03/2008
As part of Delicious Vinyl’s 20th anniversary celebration, the new RMXXOLOGY project collects several of that label’s most popular tracks as remixes created especially for the occasion; past hits from Masta Ace, Pharcyde, and Young MC find their way into the hands of current favorites such as Hot Chip and Peaches as well as into those of less-established acts such as California’s Pink Enemy and relatively obscure new French artists such as Breakbot and Mr. Flash. The effort is somewhat inconsistent as an album. At first it seems as though it leans towards an of-the-moment electro style but then, thrown in the mix is, for instance, a fairly straightforward hip-hop remix of “Slaughtahouse” by Eminem, and Hot Chip’s very downtempo version of “Passin’ Me By.” The disc is then filled out with instrumental versions of half of the ten remixes. This format makes it feels like a collection of dance singles rather than an album, which would be fine, except the liner notes state that the intention was to present “alternate versions…rather than remixing them expressly for the dancefloor.” It is presented, then, as merely a collection of remixes, and though it is technically consistent with that stated intention, the collection is too small and lacks enough coherence of vision necessary to provide it with a sufficient sense of unity, feeling instead like it was either meant to go in one direction or the other, but ended up somewhere in the middle.

The choice of guest producers supports the idea that the project was mainly trying to appeal to current tastes. While it is understandable that a label would want to evolve with the times, it is difficult to convey a complete sense of “being in the present” when the project is primarily built upon past successes. One can’t fault them for wanting to pay tribute to the past, but it contraindicates the idea of bringing the label into the future if one is only bringing back the back catalogue. People can certainly be fans of both hip-hop and electronica, but, in general, are Pharcyde and Masta Ace fans necessarily interested in Hot Chip and Peaches’ take on this music? From the other direction, if trying to bring classic hip-hop to the attention of modern audiences, is this then a blatant attempt to appeal to the hipster set? Either way, it is difficult to see such undertakings as having a lasting significance, and certainly not one equal to these pieces in their original context.

The general appeal is perhaps the novelty of hearing familiar works placed in a modern style, the shortcoming being that such novelty seldom makes a real, lasting impression. The individual pieces are really not that bad; the remixes do reflect talent. It is interesting to note that the instrumental versions make for enjoyable compositions in their own right, and could have stood on their own. Since retrospectives of past Delicious Vinyl material already exist, it might have been worthwhile to issue a compilation of some of this up-and-coming talent, presuming that this represents a potential future direction for the label, but it is also understandable that invoking past successes is a safer bet.

- Justin Deremo