Personnel: Seaming To, Fontella Bass, Des (vocals); Nigel Wallace Price (acoustic guitar); Echo (strings); Andy Ross (flute); Ashley Beedle (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer, programming); Uschi Classen (Fender Rhodes piano, keyboards, synthesizer); Patrick Carpenter (keyboards, programming); Andrew Hammill (acoustic bass); Patrick Sibille (bongos, cowbells); Mark McGuire (programming).
Audio Remixers: Coldcut; Cornelius; Domu ; Jamie Hodge; Kieran Hebden; Luke Vibert; Matthew Herbert ; PC; Ashley Beedle; Easy Access Orchestra; Tom Jenkinson; Fr?d?ric Galliano; Dan Snaith.
Figures that the quirky and enigmatic Ninja Tune releases their first "greatest-hits" styled compilations without any of the usual milestones labels use to celebrate themselves. There's no big anniversary in sight, but Ninja Tune doesn't need any stinking anniversaries to unleash this wonderful two-disc set of smart and smirking remixes. A companion to the Zen CD and the Zen DVD, Zen Remixes stretches those releases' tracks into something more in the spirit of label bosses Coldcut's Solid Steel radio show, where everything is familiar but you're somewhat concerned that the drugs haven't fully worn off. Check the way Dr. Rockit lays the mechanical vibe on the otherwise delicate "All That You Give" from Cinematic Orchestra, or the clatter Squarepusher scatters about on DJ Food and the East Flatbush Project, and your trust will quickly be won over. These are rock-solid tracks with plenty of spirit to begin with, which the perfectly chosen remixers either build on or challenge. The remixers come off as in love with the music as the listener will be, and you often find yourself smiling or getting honest goose bumps from hearing one great idea after another. Some are bright and funny, some are dark and dubby, but noodling is out of the question, and there are none of the half-baked ideas you usually find on remix collections. Drawing from all over the place, the flow of the discs is a good as one can hope and the selection process was executed brilliantly. Plus it beats feeding those darn CD-singles into the player all day. ~ David Jeffries
