"Revolting Joks" is classic JOTS: wonky, sickeningly abrasive, full of bass, and unabashedly menacing. The track kicks off with a spastic snare and ever-so-deep kick, before bringing a wavering synth to the forefront along with the angry, gyrating snare. The menace never lets off, and things continue to spiral out of control, before the main synth line kicks in: a jarring, wobbling whine of a synth that snarls with a sickeningly powerful agony. It, too, grows, before everything rises and....white noise washes everything away to reveal the kick and the more focused, more aware synth line that snarls with a ferocious tenacity reminiscent of something Crookers or Bob Rifo might drop, only slower and more coherent. At this point, cheesy old movie piano steals the main riff and razor-sharp alarm stabs send this track into sensory and sonic overload, before it kicks into full-on rave dance mode. Amazing. Another beautifully unstable cut from Fool's Gold's Canadian standbys.
Revolting Joks by Jokers of the Scene
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On the flip-side, relative new-comer Boy 8-Bit weaves an equally creepy, yet arguably more powerful version of the JOTS original. Immediately he employs an even deeper kick, cutting up the main synth line with a more structured vision. Bringing in machine-gun snares and a goofy flute riff, Boy 8-Bit's version is still pure chaos. Ramshackle drums thud against the wavering flute line while the snare rattles away with an energy and drive the original only demonstrated near the end. The main synth riff slices and dices itself to a haunting shell of its former self, all the while propelled by the ever-present kick and snare combination. In the end, Boy 8-Bit removes the growth and menace of the original in favor of a more static, more dancefloor-ready approach that makes madness out of the drums, not out of the synths. My preferred version.
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The Nacho Lovers new single, "Deeper", comes with a slew of remixes, but let us check out the original first. Light, indie dance drums start off things, with some otherworldly plinks, plonks, and blips filling out the empty space. A hollow voice echoes "Deep deep deep deep..." while a majestic synth outlines the melody the track will warp around. Another round of pads bounce playfully off the main melody as the track bounces along in a wonderful marriage of deep house and nu disco. Further on, a short bridge of 8-bit bleeps and light guitars highlights the lax, playful aura the whole track exudes. Merry, deep, and just straight-up happy, "Deeper" is exactly what it says and more. A late-night crowd-pleaser for sure.
Nacho Lovers "Deeper" from Adam Beck on Vimeo.
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The first remix is that of fellow Canadian CFCF, who waters down the entire track into a lush, soaking-wet deep disco cut. A deep, echoing kick highlights his mix, with hints of the main melody rising and falling through the mist, warped completely with reverb and an glittering oscillation that douses the track underwater before bringing it up to breathe. Once in a while, the piano breaks through the clouds and shimmers for a moment before fading off into the clouds once again. Finally, CFCF brings in a rubbery synth line that solidifies the track a bit more while letting the 8-bit line bounce and groove around. Near the end, the piano comes in full force and the track becomes a glittering, sunbathed deep disco jam, complete with a rock solid groove and those wonderfully watered-down drums. A solid remix indeed, and perhaps best suited for early-morning wind-down sets.
http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Nacho_Lovers/track/Deeper_CFCF_Remix
(DOWNLOAD IT FREE (and legally) FROM RCRDLBL!!)
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Mike Mind of Turbo Recordings come on next with a more minimal, more self-aware cut that strips away the ambience in favor a warped, wonky synth line that rides the slow, patient rhythm with a calmness and focus the other tracks lack. Stark, haunting, and a bit more acid house influenced, despite the slow tempo and lack of sound, when compared with the other cuts. A decent remix, but by far not the best.
Deeper (Mike Mind Remix) [clip] by Nacho Lovers
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The final mix is Azari & III's spacey disco rework that injects a little Dam-Funk into the track, making it groove and bounce with renewed vitality. When the other remixes took the deep, slow route, Azari & III opt for a quicker, funkier, spacier cut that, while equally deep, makes the track a bit dancier and more abstract. Probably my second favorite version of the original, behind CFCF's wonderful mix. Lots of effects, lots of funk, lots of groove. Love it.
Deeper (Azari & III Remix) [clip] by Nacho Lovers
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Rock on, friends.
-NL
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