Next week, Smalltown Supersound unleashes the second single off Lindstrøm’s third LP, Six Cups of Rebel, released back in February. The Norwegian producer has tossed out some curveballs before — this year, he and Prins Thomas reworked Roxy Music’s “Avalon,” and he gave Todd Rundgren free reign to poke and prog his own “Quiet Place to Live” — but the new EP is wild even by Lindstrøm’s elliptical standards.
Oneohtrix Point Never turns the sparkling Pachinko-parlor disco of “Call Me Anytime” into a beatless spray of vowel tones that sounds not unlike that version of Justin Bieber’s “U Smile” that was slowed 800%. It might not sound terribly unusual for OPN, but it’s certainly not what you’d expect from a remix of Lindstrøm. The opposite holds true for a remix of the Norwegian producer’s “De Javu” by Emeralds’ Mark McGuire. It’s actually pretty faithful to the original, preserving its blocky disco-funk groove and peeled-paint textures, but that’s exactly what’s so striking about it: Who ever expected McGuire to lay down wailing, multi-tracked guitar solos over a distorted disco beat? That’s not just stepping outside your wheelhouse — it’s blowing up the whole damn boat. The standout comes from Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, who turn the new-wave disco of “Call Me Anytime” into a slow maelstrom of voices and radiophonic swirl, set to a springy house groove. They manage to evoke This Heat, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ricardo Villalobos, Michael Mayer, Chicago footwork, and Meredith Monk before the tune melts into a puddle of sound. The first DJ who plays it out in its entirety deserves some kind of prize.
Listeners looking for something a little more straightforward needn’t feel left out: For that, there’s Todd Terje’s edit of Lindstrøm’s “Rà-àkõ-st.” It’s not as immediate as Terje’s own “Inspector Norse,” one of the year’s feel-good disco-house anthems, but it still shows off his knack for punchy, slow-building grooves while keeping Lindstrøm’s more excessive melodic tendencies in check. There are key changes galore, but thanks to a javelin-like bass line, it never spins off its axis. The track is currently available for free download; get it now from the player below, and check download retailers for the single’s accompanying track, “Eg-ged-osis (Todd Terje Extended Edit).”
