It makes total sense that
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard would want to follow up their synthtastic electro-pop gem
Butterfly 3000 with a remix album. Unlike their previous records that were rambling psychedelic affairs built out of pummeling rhythms and wild bursts of guitar, the more linear and plotted-out template of the album lends itself to revamps and reworks. To that end, the group called in a wide range of people to contribute remixes to
Butterfly 3001. Artists culled from the A-list include
the Flaming Lips,
DJ Shadow, and
Peaches; the rest of the crew rolls through throwback R&B (
DāM-FunK), lo-fi electro-pop (
Geneva Jacuzzi), dub (
Scientist), and avant-garde synth music (
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith). Along with names that the more casual fan of electronic music may be up on, there are loads of less well-known electronic artists along for the ride. Most everyone takes huge liberties with the source material, turning tracks into stripped-down club bangers, sweaty reggae groovers, Baleric chillouts, or funky cop show theme songs complete with turntable scratching, as
DJ Shadow does with aplomb on his mix of "Black Hot Soup." Only
the Flaming Lips play it close to the original with their sunny take on "Ya Love." Those who take the band out on the dancefloor do a fine job translating
King Gizzard's oddball psych to the club, tightening the beats and warping the synths into Day-Glo bubbles with occasional vocal lines floating through. The best of the lot are those who take the listener on a sonic journey of exploration and surprise -- like
Hieroglyphic Being's long and dubby take on "Catching Smoke" or
Bullant's heady drum & bass take on "Killer Year" -- just like the band themselves do so well. On the flip side there are a few mixes that don't quite capture the magical spirit of the original tracks. For example,
Fred P.'s epic-length acid house expansion of "Yours" has about every club music trope baked into it, from
Mr. Fingers-style piano to stabs of shuddering 303s, and VRIL's mix of "Blue Morpho" pairs basic 808 rhythms with smooth synth pads. With so many tracks, there are bound to be a couple of stumbles; these are very minor and most of the album sounds inspired and often quite exciting.
King Gizzard should be commended for taking their sound into new realms on
Butterfly 3001, and the collection makes for yet another left-field delight in a career full of them. ~ Tim Sendra