- The Brooklyn-based electronic pop duo are the latest act to be signed to Steve Beckett's Warp label, and their first release for the imprint sees their Jacques Renault-produced debut single get a re-release alongside a diverse set of brand new remixes from Kyle Hall, Various Productions and Maxime. The choppy, angular guitar work on the original version of "Dressed in Dresden" brings to mind some of the material from fellow Warp act Maximo Park, but this is where the comparisons end, with the grumbling bassline, synergy of electronic and live drums and Eleanore Everdell's twee vocal combining to create a jaunty and radio-friendly cut.
Various Productions' skittering halfstep drum & bass-esque take on the track is unlikely to reach either the radio or DJs' platters, but that has nothing to do with its level of quality. Clocking in at a brisk 154 BPM, it's a good 15 BPM apart from standard dubstep or drum & bass tempos, although it is possible for more adventurous jocks to use it to transition between the two styles by starting the Various remix just before the drop from the previous record, and then using its beatless outro to overlay the next track.
New York-based Parisian producer Maxime offers up a fairly dull arpeggiated electro-house version on the B2, its main riff proving to be far too uninteresting to stretch out over its six-and-a-half minute duration, and it's frankly a surprise that Warp's A&R team let such a mediocre effort slip through their net. Thankfully, Kyle Hall is on hand to make up for this misstep with his infinitely superior re-rub; his inventive and bouncy percussion acts as a backbone for plenty of deft structural twists and turns. Backward effects, short vocal loops and fader twiddles all get a run out before the halfway mark, which is the point that Hall finally drops in a delightfully wonky bassline that's soon followed by a synth solo that would make Dam Funk proud. It may be the only track on the package that is going to appeal to house music fans, but it's worth the entry price on its own.
Tracklist A1 Dressed in Dresden
A2 Dressed in Dresden (Kyle MF Hall remix)
B1 Dressed in Dresden (Various remix)
B2 Dressed in Dresden (Maxime 2600 In My Hands remix)