Markus Mehr
In the Palm of Your Hand - The Remix EP
Hidden Shoal Recordings

The musical world of Markus Mehr is really a place to go explore. I've been amazed and chilled by Mehr's music on several occasions, with albums such as On (2012), Off (2013), and Binary Rooms (2014). This time around some other artists explore Mehr's music, or song, as they have remixed his track "In The Palm of your Hand" (from his last album, last year's Binary Rooms).

The first (of four) remixes is a 'version' by a Hamburg electro-duo called incite/ (a.k.a. Kera Nagel and André Aspelmeier). Their electronic-electric spinning hum-noise through and around Mehr's piano chords is a tense and slightly, slowly disturbing. Conga Fever's (a German project as well) play 'old-school House and Disco music', which means Mehr is wrapped in a funky, exotic blanket for the dance-floor. The beatmix is quite cool. Hidden Shoal label mate Erik Nilsson (Sweden) brings more air and quiet to the room, but he also adds a spinning buzz to the piano's backdrop. Glimpses of an air raid signal blends with a club crowd buzz, and the authenticity of the field recording lifts the 'jazzy' trumpet, and/or brings even a more jazzy vibe. Nilsson makes the song radiate. Very, very cool! While you're at it, check Nilsson's excellent album of the year, Hearing Things. The final remix is done by David Kochs (based in Augsburg, Germany), who takes "In the Palm of Your Hand" inside, or in and out of his little Techno-house. Quite fascinating, for sure, but summing up these four remixes, I prefer Nilsson's take on Mehr.

As the fifth track we get Markus Mehr's original, so that we can compare the remixes with the 'real' track. Mehr rules, of course, but the rest of the boys in here are all doing well. However, like I said: Nilsson is still my favourite. Mehr makes music to drift/dream away to. This is the discreet sound of the 'candy-colored clown they call the sandman'.

Copyright © 2015 H. Oppøyen