Review: Banoffee – With Her Remixes
Melbourne-based singer/producer Martha Brown, otherwise known as Banoffee, recently released a package of remixes by Roland Tings, Sh?m and Chad Valley of her tune, “With Her.” Nathan Moas checks them out:
The warm, light vocals and yet danceable rhythms of “With Her” prove to be a great combination when it comes to remixing. Australian electronic pop musician Banoffee indeed has created a well-produced and pleasurable track for the opening of her recent EP, Do I Make You Nervous?.
When placed in the hands of UK musician Chad Valley, the track’s dance elements immediately become apparent due to a loud, pulsing kick and vocals glazed with reverb and delay. The complementary exotic layer of bongos and marimba are a nice addition to the otherwise generic electronic percussion. Although the fragmented vocals lose energy over time due to the remix’s sonically repetitive nature, the subtle layers of dreamy synths maintain a relaxed lightness that successfully contrasts with the more emotionally potent original.
London-based Sh?m (pronounced “Shem”) chose to open with arpeggiating synths, immediately forming a layer of pleasant, thick harmonies. The minimalistic and nuanced sounds of the verse leave a perfect amount of space for the vocals and contrast well with the thick, mids-heavy drop to follow. The inconsistent kick and half-time rhythm is typical of a trap-like remix, but here it is tasteful and not overdone (except perhaps for the hi-hats in the last 30 seconds). Although the delayed explosion of the drop and the start-stop moments contribute to an overall excitement, they do become a little predictable over time. Thankfully though, Sh?m closes not with the same sonic landscape as the opening, or with the addition of an unnecessary drop, but with an ambiguous and more interesting musical fade-out.
The remix package is in fact brought to us though by the straight, consistent rhythms of the remix by Australian producer Roland Tings. When a saw bassline takes over and the remix drops into a bass-heavy and completely mids-lacking beat, we know that this remix is intended to be fun and enjoyable. It isn’t until over halfway through the song that we get to hear vocals, and when we do, their clarity and lack of overwhelming delay is refreshing. The unchanging kick and lack of variation becomes a little tiresome by the end of the near six-minute track, but the minimalistic layers of this remix encourage lighthearted dancing in an easy-to-listen-to way.
With Her Remixes are out now via Dot Dash / Remote Control Records
Review by Nathan Moas. Banoffee photo by Phil Erbacher.
