Tracing Arcs – Eye See You Too (Remixes Forbidden Fruit) (23 Seconds)

Downbeat & Downtempo, Hip Hop // By: AndycloseAuthor: Andy Email: andy@netlabelism.com
More Authors Posts (3) // 30/01/2012 // 2 Comments

I’ll say it straight off…remix albums are not my cup of tea. Maybe it’s the immensely annoying plague of video makers taking dull footage of dogs yawning, or inbred incoherent racists shouting at cameras and vocoding it into an “ironic” song, or maybe it’s the plethora of shoddy, hastily made “re-imaginings” that scatter themselves all over Soundcloud in what seems like minutes after Rhianna or some other manufactured bore has released their latest production line hit. Want a dubstep version of My Little Pony? There’s a remix for that! It’s epidemic, and to such levels that nowadays I stay clear of pretty much all of them.

Tracing Arcs’ Eye See You Too(Remixes and Forbidden Fruit) album is therefore the biggest ray of hope I’ve stumbled upon in “Remix Land” for a very long time. So much so that it’s making me stop ranting about remixes… See?

Tracing Arcs are netlabel release veterans with albums appearing on iD.EOLOGY, MixedMode, Dusted Wax Kingdom and now on one of my favourites 23 Seconds. They’ve built up a strong following, but to be honest I’ve not really been one of them. I’ve heard their albums but was never overly fond of them. There’s no doubt that the duo (Fran Kapelle (vocal/lyrics) and Paul H. Addie (keyboards/ programming)) certainly have a lot of talent but the previous releases never really hooked me in. Enjoyable definitely, and some of you may absolutely love the trip-hoppy feel of the other albums, but I always felt that they needed a bit more ooomph!

Eye See You Too (Remixes and Forbidden Fruit) brings together some really fantastic producers each with a strong history of netlabel releases under their belts. Submerged, Zengineers, HeLo all put in an appearance amongst many others and they really have injected that energy I was so longing to hear into the tracks. Fran Kapelle’s voice sounds richer than ever and Paul Addie’s music has been lifted to new heights with the support of his fellow producers. This is still a Tracing Arcs album in every sense though and it maintains the tone and feel of the original album and the relaxed trip-hoppy chilled vibe but, to me, it’s in a whole different league. The nudge this collection of producers have given the tracks has pushed the album from good to great. The real beauty of this album, though, is that it doesn’t sound like nine different producers shouting to get their voice heard. It feels like a collaboration, a lovingly crafted album that happens to be produced by multiple people with multiple styles, but all rooted by lack of arrogance and a respect for the source material. Praise should be given not just for the album but the administration of bringing together a perfect collection of producers.

Creative Commons by its very nature opens even more doors for producers to get in touch with bands and musicians and tell them that they want to “remix their tracks and open it up to a whole new audience”. Of course it’s a double edged sword for the producer wanting to make it big as often the material they are working with is not mainstream in nature. They may get the permissions easily but they might not get the fame. This is excellent though as we end up with people who care more about the music (this album proves that) than they do the exposure they’ll get. “Creative Commons Remix Land” is looking like a damn fine place to visit.

I suppose I do have some fear that their next release as a duo simply won’t cut it as well as this album.  Tracing Arcs , if you’re reading this, can I please humbly request that you create a supergroup and keep on all of the producers from the remix album? Until the next album, where my somewhat foreboding prediction will inevitably be proved wrong, I implore you to check this album. In fact check all of their albums out as some of you will surely love them and dismiss my begs for “more ooomph” as the ramblings of a madman.

Tracing Arcs – Deep Breath (Zengineers Remix)

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