Douglas Greed – ‘Summerless’ EP

We’re going to call this an EP even though there’s over half an hour of music on this little gem. One original, Douglas Greed’s ‘Summerless’, is re-imagined five times by five different artists. The bassline of the original is pure meat, something not lost on each of the re-hashers who wouldn’t dare or didn’t care to change it.

We’ll start with the original then. Douglas Greed is one of the most exciting producers in Germany at the minute, signed to Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control. After his bass-o-matic ‘Fake’ EP in February comes this little saucepot. Cowbells lead us through the jagged vocal chops and bass work in the build before the jack and funk of bassline takes charge. A light yet heavy beat. Light in the tone, almost jovial in its hands-down, chirpiness but resolute in the low end and no-nonsense drum-work.

Most of the other tracks are more like edits than wholesale remixes as subtle tweaks and slight changes in the composition leave each track deftly cast in the image of their master. His own remix, coming in at track two, is understandably the most reminiscent with all the catchiness and cheek of the top track. In the words of Zoolander‘s Mugatu, the next cut comes a man who is ‘so hot right now’; that man is Hector Couto. His ‘HC’ remix is a heads-down, funkanaut as you’d expect. Boosted in all the right places it delivers a payload of rumbling, groove heavy house with a classic Chicago aftertaste.

Shinedoe Invader serves up another hot plate using much of the originals signature sound but chopped and screwed to his own distinctive sound. Another busy as fuck, bass-laden rhythm with a retro feel thanks some adventurous analog leads and poly. The Tuff City Kids mix features off-set, delayed, reggae-style, chord play and a bass that swells side-to-side across the frequency spectrum. Last of the six comes from Polish producer Maurycy Zimmerman. Listed here under the Mooryc moniker he’s been working with Douglas Greed on a joint, forthcoming LP as Eating Snow. Mooryc’s is the most distant in style from the original, with a more measured, dreamy approach, perhaps best suited to personal use but well made nonetheless.

Stand out tracks for us are probably the original and the Hector Couto jam, in fact you know what? these are all worthwhile incarnations of Douglas Greed’s title track and a welcome gift from Ellen Allien and the gang. The ‘Summerless’ EP is out digitally on the 25th of this month.

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