Ellum Audio don and techno luminary Maceo Plex is the latest artist enlisted to take part in longstanding UK label Renaissance Recordings’ ‘The Remix Collection’ series.
The melodic techno DJ/producer has, as part of the series in which classic dance tracks get contemporary reworks, delivered a sprawling, epic and suitably cinematic revision of Remake’s 1992 edit of The Blade Runner soundtrack.
Originally composed by Greek composer Vangelis for the film in 1982, Remake’s rework brought the haunting, sci-fi sound design of the soundtrack to the dancefloor with timely and dazzling effect.
Now, Maceo has brought that same verve and innovation up to 2018 with a reimagination of his own that channels that same spirit but amplifies both of its thematic strands with great results. On a cinematic level, Plex’s breakdown magnifies the noir mystique of film’s soundtrack with mournful synthesised strings, robotic stabs and distant spoken alerts. On another level though, the heady groove, bass arpeggios and short circuiting electronics make for a supercharged work that will work impeccably on the dancefloor.
"The original Vangelis, soundtrack for the movie Blade Runner is my all time favorite cinema soundtrack,” remarks Maceo Plex. “And one of my favorite records from the early ‘90s is the cover Blade Runner by Remake. So I wanted to make my own version to honor this special music and add a little something personal in this new remake.”
“I love the futurism behind the track but it was important to still keep it sounding pretty with a good melody and breakdown but not go over the top,” he adds. “I tried to find a nice balance between all the elements and keep it both timeless and relevant while honoring the original work.”
Speaking of the remix, Renaissance Recordings founder Geoff Oakes added, "'Blade Runner' is such an iconic Renaissance anthem that there was a part of me that wanted to keep it sacred, but the opportunity to work with Maceo convinced me we should do the remix."
"I knew he loved and still played the original too, so would treat it with the respect it deserved," he added. "As I knew he would, Maceo delivered an incredible addition to what is turning out to be quite a special series of remixes! I was blown away by the end result when I received the remix from him, but then I saw the crowd reaction to it in a club and I knew we had a monster on our hands!"
This remix follows Afterlife founders Tale Of Us’ remix of Energy 52’s ‘Café Del Mar’ earlier this year as well as 2017’s edition of the series which saw Solomun rework another ‘90s trance classic ‘Age Of Love’.
Maceo Plex’s remix of Remake’s ‘Blade Runner’ drops next Friday July 13th. Pre-order it here.
