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Motor City Drum Ensemble Reinvents Darkstar’s ‘A Day’s Pay for a Day’s Work’

Dark 'A Day's Pay for a Day's Work' Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix

London’s premier (and perhaps only) post-dubstep pysch-pop trio Darkstar released an enthralling album-length slab of just that back in February — News From Nowhere. We oohed over the pointillist Eno-addled dream that was “Timeaway,” and then ahed in honor of the impressively human “A Day’s Pay for a Day’s Work.” The official video for that last one arrived only a week ago — remember all of those trust-building exercises? — in anticipation for a series of remix EPs that are shortly in the offing.

We now have Motor City Drum Ensemble’s reworking of that same song to consider, and it essentially strips to original of its sweeping melodicism, replacing the harmonic loveliness with pitch-warped vocals and the loping percussion with factory clatter remapped into dark dance. The German producer’s reinvention is a testament to what sort of unexpected newness can result from a remix placed in the right hands. This one will be available as part of the 01484 EP, out October 15, which will also include Darkstar’s own revisions of “Young Hearts” and “Armonica.” That’ll be followed by HD7, which will feature a Zomby remix.

As for the funky names? “01484 and HD7 are the dial code and postal code of Huddersfield and its surrounding areas,” says the band via Warp Records. “We chose to use them on the 12-inches as the remixes are an extension of the record News From Nowhere which was recorded in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire.” On second thought, that doesn’t really help at all. Just listen:

//www.youtube.com/embed/nR6YzjV4jrA