Artist: The Woodentops
Title: Why Why Why (2016 remixes)
Label: Wall of Sound
Release: Out Now
Genre: House/Techno/Electronica
Available: Digital, Limited CD and Vinyl
As I am writing I am still listening to the first minutes of this amazing Wall of Sound release which immediately caught my attention. Freshly received in the promo box are the dance/indie crossover remixes of the alternative UK band The Woodentops official and iconic release “Why Why Why” revealing 8 summer remixes from the band’s cherry picked producers to celebrate the release’s 16th anniversary.
The original track Why Why Why was a blend of indie, experimental and an electronic sound that later found its way to the Ibiza’s clubbing scene thanks to reworks by DJ Alfredo, who held his residency at Ibiza’s Amnesia making it an anthem in the club and influencing many of the UK pioneers of dance music. It became a veritable favorite for a cross section of artists like Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling and X-Press 2 DJs Rocky and Diesel just to name a few.
Related
Review - A weekend in Amsterdam with Unfold.art
We braved the arctic blast and ventured up to Glasgow to see the return of Glasgow’s prodigal son, Lars Sandberg (aka Funk D'Void) for a hometown gig on New Year’s EveWhy Why Why was originally named Africa Satellite, a more afro/electro crossover produced in 1985 but as singer/songwriter Rolo reveals on the Woodentop’s facebook account, as soon as the words were written down to the track, “the world was at war in the Middle East, with moment’s of chaos, peak oil anxiety and nuclear debate” making it hard for him to stop writing about the situation and thus renaming the track.
The various remixes included in the package are from Ibiza veteran’s Leo Mas and Fabrice who’s first track of the remix series starts off with a strong indie acoustic guitar creating the grooviest sound to celebrate this seemingly everlasting summer. It is funky, upbeat and the dance floors, in my opinion, should be a honey pot absolutely filled with dancing females who are looking for a proper hips and booty swing! The Balearic Militant Dub surprised me positively and sincerely with its creativity as the sneaky horror movie, Scooby Doo effects in the background playfully juggle along, which is simply marvelous.
Lisbon Kid (Rui da Silva and Danny Matos) showcase their remix qualities with a deep, jazzy atmospheric track in the package while Steve Proctor‘s remix comes with extra acid house swagger, driving the track forward consistently with bleeps and dropping in the iconic vocals of singer /songwriter Rolo. Trevor Fung & Dan Wainwright jump on the wagon with another 2 remixes. One features an easy going, funky downtempo remix with lovely acoustic guitar samples, sweeping bongos and percussions and again Rolo’s fine vocal parts. Trevor’s Acidic Dub takes things darker, playing the beloved 303 to perfection. This time the remix has a rhythmic yet almost galactic Balearic sound.
Another funky dub remix is added by Whatever/Whatever. Artist’s Justin Strauss and Brian Mette focus mainly on enlightening the wonderful acoustic guitar parts of Why Why Why’s original track in their remix. Rolo’s vocals feature perfectly in their 10-minute electronic journey. Last but certainly not the least are two remixes from the new school artist Spatial Awareness, dropping some serious recognizable late 80’s chunks of electronica, while Italian electro producers Denis The Night & The Panic Party take “Why Why Why” fully back to its original indietronica soundscape. Surely these 8 very different masterpiece series should be one to have a listen too and find its way back to any flirting dance floor and beyond.
