AKSAK MABOUL are a witty, elegant grown-up pop band with a flavor all their own, and leader Marc Hollander heads CRAMMED DISCS, the home base of "world music." There's no way a remix album from a group sitting at the core of Euro rock and world music could be ordinary. This is a collection of reconstructions brimming with intelligence, far removed from your typical dance music remix. That said, it's never overly technical or difficult — the production, built on minimal riffs and spacey synths, sounds plenty great to dance-tuned ears too.
This is Vol. 2. Our favorite of all the remixes is Hello Skinny (sample1), the solo project of the gifted drummer/composer Tom Skinner, who has appeared on works by countless top artists including Mulatu Astatke and Floating Points.
Also on hand is Tolouse Low Trax (sample2), plus a self-reconstruction by the band themselves (sample3), and Chilean/German producer Matias Aguayo really nails his own world here — seriously old-school prog. Fifteen versions of high-taste freaky pop sparring, the perfect companion for a grown-up experimental pop autumn. Should sound lovely dropped into a lounge DJ set. And man, is it stylish. (Original Japanese text by Shhhhh)