Driving > Disco

If surfwax is wax for your surfboard, does that mean Soulwax is wax for your soul?

While recently looking for some high tempo music for exercising, I made a profound discovery. The high beats per minute found in electronica is sometimes equaled (or exceeded) in dance music. A quick visit to wikipedia in order to define differences between electronica, techno and dance music left me further confused. I know wikipedia likes to compartmentalize items, but, for several musical acts that I had long referred to as electronica, I was met with the following genre labels:

alternative dance
big beat
breakbeat
dance punk
EDM (electronic dance music)*
electro
hardcore techno
house
rave
synthpunk
trip hop


* - any time I have to define an acronym in print, immediately after typing it, I always feel like an old person that is disseminating information to fellow old people ("NO FRANK, I SAID THEY WERE DOING PCP...SEE, PVC IS THIS PLASTIC..."), almost always in the context of it being a 'codeword' for some sort of illicit drug


Ok, where was I? I don't remember. Anyway, one of the purveyors of dance music that I found, was a group of two dj's that go by the name Soulwax. They've apparently been around since the 9th grade (1992 for you weirdos that are not the same age as me) and are quite popular in the Europe. The first album of their's that I was exposed to is "Nite Versions," from 2005. What is extremely interesting (to me at least) about this album, is that it is remixed versions of the 2004 album "Any Minute Now," also from Soulwax. And I was impressed when the Beastie Boys sampled their own music on later tracks...these guys remixed their whole album!!

The track that I've selected from each album today is apparently about a drug. After watching the video, I think it may be about many drugs, but drugs are bad (m'kay) kids. The only thing I want getting high is my heart rate, and then only when I'm working out. Just say no, etc. Ok, now that all the 1980's drugwar propaganda has been spread, onto the music! I chose "E-talking" because, in my opinion, it is the track that is changed the most between the original and the remix. Take a listen to both cuts and tell me what you think.


E-talking (from Any Minute Now)


E-talking (from Nite Versions)