Search - Hefner :: Reworks

Talented producer releases remix disc a bit too early

Richard Diaz | 04/17/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Dance music thrives off remixes, alternate versions of records adapted for the needs of certain crowds, styles, or (though not publicly admitted) for rebuilding a high profile flop by salvaging the notable parts.Remixes are also a bread and butter way of paying bills and building a name within the scene. Hence several varieties of originals you've probably never heard of in the first place, and inevitably, collections such as Reworks.Hefner, Lee Jones to his parents, slipped out one of 2001's sublime lil' nu-jazz/chill CDs in Residue. Keeping himself occupied are these 10 reworks of other people's tracks, including two of his own. His talent, as gushed about by Giles Peterson, is certainly noticeable, a savvy blend of orchestral moments, tight broken beats, and acoustic touches. The successes derive from prime starting material; Zero 7's "Destiny" being downright fabulous anyway, extra strings, shuffling jazz drums and a harp (?) smartly rejigger their romantic number. Omar Farunk Tebilek's Arabic "Shashkin" is dark, horn-led alternate fare, and Cinematic Orchestra's "Channel 1 Suite" plays like smoke-filled jazz noir. You also get Fink's "Ever Since I was a Kid it Seemed I Collected Something," which record obsessive should consider a mandatory anthem. Quality is erratic over ten tracks, Cybophonia's "Cut & Paste" glued sound samples weren't salvageable anyway, while his "Everyday" runs an immediately-annoying bass plonk throughout. Reworks is a mixed bag; you can't help but wish Hefner would have held off for more material to pick and choose from, and add to the fifty minutes here."