Techno mavericks
Two Lone Swordsmen spun the tried-and-true blueprint of remix albums for a loop with their update to 2000's
Tiny Reminders LP. Instead of just hiring a few similar/related producers for the reinterpretations, Andrew Weatherall and
Keith Tenniswood drafted some seriously obscure names -- C-Pij,
Dry & Heavy, Klart,
Lali Puna -- to work on their tracks. The producers prove up to the level of the material too; off-kilter productions such as "Bunker (Villalobos Remix)" and "Rotting Hill (Cause Remix)" move from scatterbrained electro into more streamlined tech-house. The
Dry & Heavy mix of "Neuflex" is the best track here, beginning with a hugely heavy dub tilt but later moving into experimental territory. The Swordsmen's own mix of "Rotting Hill" is another highlight here, and they save a big surprise for last -- a sparse, arid reworking of the title track by desert indie-rockers Calexico.