Fairchild - Touch The Sun (Nox Vahn Revisit)

A VIP mix five years in the making, Nox Vahn returns to his now-defunct project Fairchild for a facelift of his Arkade release "Touch The Sun." It's always intriguing when an artist remixes themselves, especially so after several years and through the lens of a new project, so of course, this track is full of fascination.

On the surface, "Touch The Sun" remains largely, if not wholly, intact in its structure and quantitative values (runtime, key and BPM). But as much as this revisit is a sidestep, it is indeed an enjoyable affair. A brilliant track even if were released today, "Touch The Sun" is not broken and therefore does not need to be fixed. Rather the revisit appears to be more of a refining as opposed to a wholesale remix.

As if "Touch The Sun" were the first stepping stone in the evolution from Fairchild to Nox Vahn, it showcases the producer's dive into darker, more diversely orchestrated epics. And therein lies the difference between the five-year-old original and this new Nox Vahn version.

While you wouldn't be wrong in calling the original an epic and immersive soundscape, the new version has even more of that film score type feel in its plethora of percussion and myriad of movement. The biggest difference is the depth of sounds and designs, turning the foggy dreamscape of the original into a more animated and lifelike awakening.

Compare and contrast the original vs the revisit yourself, and follow Nox Vahn below.

Anjunadeep · Fairchild - Touch The Sun (Nox Vahn Revisit)

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Enlightened Listening for November 20

We've made it through another week, and with that comes another edition of Enlightened Listening. Keeping things quick this week, I'll simply say that we've got a glut of great new releases from several of my favourites, including an 18-track album from Dance System that features India Jordan, Hudson Mohawke, UNIIQU3 and ABSOLUTE., and that's just the first four tracks! The playlist opens with awesome EPs from Rhett and Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas and continues with an incredible run of remixes around two collaborations from PAX & Gorgon City and Lee Foss, Detlef & Anabel Englund. Arranged for maximum flow, stream the playlist below and find each individual release at the bottom.

Rhett - All Ocean

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - III

Shuya Okino ft. Navasha Daya - Still In Love (Remixes)

Dua Lipa ft. DaBaby - Levitating (KUU Remix)

SeeMeNot - Chez Renee (Joe Goddard Remix)

PAX & Gorgon City - Alive

Route 94 ft. L Divine - Sad Songs (Skream Remix)

Romy - Lifetime (Planningtorock 'Let It Happen' Remix)

Lee Foss, Detlef & Anabel Englund - Thunder & Lightning

For Those I Love - I Have A Love (Overmono Remix)

Dance System - Where's The Party At?

High Contrast ft. Kae Tempest & Anita Blay - Time Is Hardcore (Remixes)

Throwback Thursday: Screendeath - Packback

Immediately upon opening my feeds today I was struck with several waves of nostalgia as accounts shared their Throwback Thursday posts. After gorging myself on said good feelings, and coming up empty on inspiring new music, it was clear that I was also meant to share a slice of the past. I've often felt the years around 2010 produced some of my favourite and most foundational music and memories, so with that in mind, I sought out a 10-year-old track for my own Throwback Thursday post. What I came up with was this Southern Fried stunner, Screendeath's Svengali-like sensation "Packback."

Released exactly 122 months ago (September 19, 2010), "Packback" is still as potent a production as ever. One of the greatest club weapons I've ever encountered, I can confirm from first-hand experience that this Screendeath slice quite literally commands whatever club it's played in. Of course, its iconic screwface-inducing synth lead is the backbone to its brilliance, but from its opening drum rollout to its progressive finale, "Packback" is perfect.

Right from the jump, Screendeath is deliberate and methodical in mesmerizing his listeners. The opening drum groove and subsequent horn hits are unavoidably, and inevitably, infectious. Whether your toes are tapping along or not, "Packback" is already in your head. And it's clear that Screendeath is setting us up for something sick here as the atmosphere grows through the subtle genius of his percussion's progression. Then comes the best part which, despite the setup, hits you like a ton of bricks as you and the rest of the room turn into puppets under Screendeath's command. The gorgeous groove of the drums plays perfectly against the shrill, shrieking synths. The result is that "Packback" becomes a siren, both in the alarm and mythological sense, but more the latter. Never loosening his grip, Screendeath continues his chokehold as the track gets further filthy and stupefying in the second half, offering up a little extra alien inspiration in the rebuild ahead of the second drop. And with that final rollout, the club once again moves in unison, doing the "Packback" version of "Walk Like An Egyptian," all the way out of the club and into the dark of night.

Take care when playing a track this powerful as you'll likely lose all autonomy, then again, isn't that one of the best parts of music? Either way, enjoy the awesome offering that is Screendeath, "Packback."

Screendeath · Packback (Original)