ŽAGAR - Anniversary Remix Edition

Zagarmusic mark the end of a chapter and real milestone in their history by asking a selection of key artists to remix tracks from their vital back catalogue. Terry Lee Brown Jr, Vakula, Clandestino and more all appear to make this an essential remix album.

Z?agar is one of the most significant bands in Eastern Europe. Mixing up jazz, psychedelic rock and electronic music the group is famous for its improvisations and have received support from the likes of BBC6 Music’s Don Letts, won Best Local Act at the MTV European Music Awards amongst other things and have also warmed up for Depeche Mode. The Anniversary remix release comes ahead of a new album later this year which will show a different side to the band, one that is much more psychedelic and otherworldly.

First up to remix is Kellerkind, who has become an irreplaceable figure in the Swiss electronic music scene. Topping Beatport charts on labels like Stil vor Talent, he flips Z?agar’s biggest hit ‘WingsofLove’intoapsyched-outandtwistedcutwithfrazzledsynthsthatgetyouonyour toes. Hive Audio’s Soame then goes for something more spaced out and dreamy on his brilliant remix of ‘Three Seasons Fall’ and esteemed German tech house titan Nico Pusch turns ‘Odd Moments of Eternity’ into a smooth and deep roller that gets your spine tingling.

Dan Caster has established himself over 15 years with key EPs on labels like Stil vor Talent and his version of ’Light Is Everything’ is a tender vocal delight with hypnotic and wavy drums and pensive chords. Next is an upcoming act Changing Grey aka Bal zs Zs ger (keyboardist-producer of Z?agar) and Andr s Genser from Add2Basket, and they rework ‘Parachute To Eternity’ into a dark cut with haunting bass ringing out into the night. The legendary and influential Plastic City house artist Terry Lee Brown JR then offers a change in pace with his slick tech remix of ‘Prophet is a Fool’ and Steve Mill sinks us into a fat dub house tune with heavy kicks and gorgeous muted organ stabs.

Similar late night house vibes come from the cosy Ferenc Vaspoeri remix of ‘North Pole Samba’ and Eriq Johnson ups the ante with a more tense and epic main room house version of ‘Toybox on the Shelf’ complete with an epic breakdown. Ukrainian underground hero Vakula from the Bandura and Dekmantel labels tells a perfectly cosmic house story with his take on ‘Supernova Echoes’, UK disco crew Clandestino offer a brilliantly exotic chugger on the psychedelic ‘Bitter Jolity’ remix and finally Hungarian artist & sometime Sonar Kollektiv associate Mius offers emotive layers of broken beats and pained synths.

This is a diverse package of remixes that all offer something different and breath plenty of great new life into the still essential original material.

Tracklist:

A1 Wings of Love (Kellerkind Remix)
A2 Three Seasons Fall (Soame Remix)
A3 Odd Moments of Eternity (Nico Pusch Remix)
B1 Light is Everything (Dan Caster Remix)
B2 Parachute To Eternity (Changing Grey Remix)
B3 Prophet is a Fool (Terry Lee Brown Jr. Remix)
C1 Eastern Sugar (Steve Mill Dub Remix)
C2 North Pole Samba (Ferenc Vaspoeri Remix)
C3 Toybox on the Shelf (Eriq Johnson Remix)
D1 Supernova Echoes (Vakula Remix)
D2 Bitter Jollity (Clandestino Remix)
D3 Taste of Snow (Mïus Remix)