Rae & Christian
Nocturnal Activity
!K7
Live by the sword, die by the sword. Sure, it’s a trite platitude, but you’ve got to admire it when people have the courage to get as good as they give. So, you’ve got to commend Manchester’s re-mixing madmen, Mark Rae and Steve Christian, for bearing their chests to receive the blade, offering up their critically-acclaimed sophomore effort, Sleepwalking, to the studio gods to be mutilated on the altar. And never has an autopsy sounded so good.
Nocturnal Activity starts with the Atjazz remix of “Not Just Anybody,” which is an absolutely beautiful, soulful tune with the vulnerable vocals of Kate Rogers. The melancholia disco remix of “Trailing in the Wake” by Only Child is highly reminiscent of Roy Ayers’ “Running Away.” Groove Armada blesses us with a grimy-funk “Let It Go” that contrasts perfectly with the la-di-da whistling and snappy rhyming of The Pharcyde. And Bobby Womack ends the disc just as beautifully as it begins in an acoustic growl with “Get A Life.”
With Rae and Christian left bloody and raw from the remixing, hopefully they can get themselves together Osiris-style and come out with a new album. I’m personally looking forward to the resurrection.
!K7 Records: http://www.k7.com
