Discolated Remixes 2007-2008

We Say...

Review by Philip Sherburne

His Norwegian passport and affiliation with the Smalltown Supersound label mean that Diskjokke often gets mentioned in the same breath as Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas, the figureheads of cosmically-inclined Scandinavian disco. (Talk about niche). While Diskjokke's spacious, pulsing jams stem from a similar set of interests and influences, his style regardless stands apart. His debut album, Staying In, had plenty of flayed hi-hats and hypnotic arpeggios, but its surging rhythmic drive and Technicolor synthesizers often were suited to much more emphatically clubby ends, at times coming close to the chugging electro-house of Booka Shade. (Maybe that's not surprising: Diskjokke also records for Kindisch, a sublabel of Booka Shade's Get Physical imprint.)

Dislocated Remixes 2007-2008 shows an even greater range. Despite the fact that the nine-song collection surveys only two years of work, no single style predominates. Part of that is in the nature of the source material: working mostly with indie-leaning artists like Metronomy and Bloc Party, Diskjokke focuses much of his energy on balancing melodic riffs with extended dancefloor rush. Vocals play a leading role in tracks like Lykke Li's "Everybody But Me," a catchy, cushioned fusion of sparkling pixie pop and slow-mo bossa nova. Bloc Party's "Sunday" begins as an expectedly electro-infused rework of the band's new wave revisionism, but over the course of 10 minutes it mutates through deep disco and beatless ambient; by the final refrain, it feels like the song has been turned inside out several times. Diskjokke's remix of Spektrum's "Moody Feels Good" is the most overtly club-centric offering, with a dark ostinato feel in keeping with the contemporary fetish for all things Detroit techno and Chicago house. But the most rewarding tracks here might be the reworks of Foals' "Olympic Airways" and Ost&Kjex's "Boston Food Strangler," which turn bizarre sound design reassuringly familiar — and make conventional pop elements sound like the strangest things ever heard.