Free time has been scarce for me as of late and the amount of records I don’t have time to check out continues to grow. But there was one album that nagged the hell out of me because I knew it would be good and didn’t want to forget about it. It started with an email from Nang Records (sister label to Tirk) about From the Stars Vol. 1, a compilation of covers of Sci-Fi themes. After a quick preview, I knew this album was for me.
Originally I was going to post the Architeq version of John Carpenter’s Christine theme as the track is fantastic and I’m a huge fan of both artists (also: the “What do you get when you cross a Carpenter with an Architeq” opening line almost proved irresistible). But the Bottin rework of the theme from V: The Original Miniseries Theme ultimately got the nod.
Ominous synths lay a moody atmosphere at the front of the track before the uptempo beat drops, followed by a driving bass line. Once the handclaps start up, you know this isn’t going to stay too dark for too long. This is one of those epic tracks that by the the time you finish it, you’ve forgotten how it started.
Bottin has done a fantastic job expanding on a very bleak theme without losing too much of the original sentiment. Granted, a lot of liberties have been taken (most obviously with tempo and tone) but the track stays true to the core elements of Dennis McCarthy’s original score.
(FUN FACT: McCarthy composed 67 episodes of MacGyver, including Cleo Rocks, featuring Teri Hatcher!)
With other themes like Escape from New York, Buckaroo Bonzai, and HHGTTG (plus other more obscure titles) this album will allow any DJ to sneakily drop some geek into a set without the dancefloor batting an eye. I didn’t recognize half of the themes, so a prior knowledge of the original isn’t needed. These tracks are not gimmicks and can easily stand on their own. Nang releases great stuff and I hope they continue with this series.
RIYL: John Carpenter, Giorgio Moroder, Chromatics, The Hasbeens
READ: From the Stars Vol. 1
BUY: itunes, Lala, boomkat
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