Babylon Rewound

Rate It! Avg: 4.5 (166 ratings)
ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 8   Total Length: 33:39

eMusic Review

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Barry Walters

eMusic Contributor

04.22.11
Thievery Corporation, Babylon Rewound
Label: Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) / InGrooves

Remix albums aren't news in electronica land, but an old-fashioned dub album — a reggae tradition going back to the '70s where elements from the original arrangement are removed, reverb and additional instrumentation are added, and the rhythm section rules — is still an event outside Jamaica. It's a testimony to Thievery Corporation's compositional and remixing skills that there's enough substance to 2002's The Richest Man in Babylon that its 2004 dub incarnation works at all, much less on its own. The lilting reggae beat of "The State of the Union" is here replaced with a syncopated dancehall rhythm that remains supple and gentle as it snakes around Shinehead's vocal cameo, while the exclusive bonus cut "Truth and Rights" accentuates Thievery Corporation's growing global awareness with feisty rhymes and rhythmic propulsion. Both prove the Washington, DC, duo have more up their well-tailored sleeves than their lounge lizard image suggests.

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Kings of Cool

Soljah

I like some of the Remixes on here better than the originals and vice versa. Not quite as essential as the rest of their albums but still good to have.

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Great music

Thrill

Just came back from Margarita Island and this is all I needed to make it a perfect 10. Very groovy.

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Sweet

nunhgrader

Thievery's music just gets better and better. I have seen them live and they were phenomenal! They use electronics, real instruments (the variation sounded superb), and real singers. They brought two female singers (not sure where they were from but, I believe one was from Spain) and one Jamaican male. The variety and groove will pull you in and their perfection will make you a fan.

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Mighty Mighty Thievery!!!

deehypnotic

I'm a bit tired of all the comparsions between the Corp and the likes of Kruder & Dorfmeister. I'm a fan of both crews mentioned. But its very clear the crew that's hard at work reinventing themselves and supplying simply timeless music is The Mighty Mighty Thievery Corporation!!! This set of remixes from the Richest Man of Babylon CD is just another example of how truly worldy or shall I say "Outernational" their sound really is. The Corporation never disappoints!!!

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They Say All Media Guide

Electronic music ordinances decree Babylon Rewound a “remix collection,” but the eight-track set has a lot in common with traditional Jamaican dub albums as it stretches out the tunes from the Richest Man in Babylon album to their laziest and druggiest potential. Problem is, these so-so tunes don’t really deserve this treatment, but they’re actually improved by all the wandering, since Thievery Corporation are groovier remixers than most. Groovier than Kid Loco — judging from his smooth jazzing and unnecessary take on “Until the Morning” — but not as cool as Voidd, who adds a light house touch to “Un Simple Histoire,” the highlight by far. Getting lost in Thievery Corporation’s dubby remixes is easy, since lazier and looser are qualities their buttoned-up Richest Man could have benefited from. The crooked path the new, reggae-drenched track “Truth and Rights” takes suggests even they’re aware of the need to loosen the tie, but it fades right as it catches fire, pulling its punch. Still, there’s more sensi and less sensibility than usual, which makes Babylon Rewound necessary for fans and worth checking for dabblers. – David Jeffries

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