Paul Simon / Graceland: The Remixes

Groove Armada & friends move in and remove period features 

In news that should probably be filed alongside ‘Neil Finn joins Fleetwood Mac’, Sony are soon to release Graceland: The Remixes, a new edition of Paul Simon‘s classic 1986 album, with every track ‘reimagined’ by well known remixes. Oh yes…

This 2018 reworking was overseen by ‘project curator’ Michael Gaiman (aka ‘The Duke of New York’) and features different styles such as Deep House, Afro House, Drum n Bass, Tech House etc. and includes the talents likes of Paul Oakenfold, Groove Armada, MIK and Richy Ahmed.

Let’s be honest, on paper, it’s a terrible idea… but hey, it’s worth at least checking out some of the remixes – right?

Well, not really… The MK & KC Lights Remix of Graceland isn’t bad, but Groove Armada’s ‘Dub Redemption’ mix of You Can Call Me Al is absolutely horrendous. So devastating is the level of destruction in this particular ‘reimagining’, that the existence of the original song could only be confirmed by reference to its dental records.

Richey Ahmed’s take on The Boy In The Bubble at least maintains the vocal, but it should have been dubbed the ‘give me a headache, immediately’ mix.

I’m all for artists like Paul Simon being quirky, wacky and unpredictable, but instead of these remixes pulling the rug out from under your low expectations, they simply confirm them. This is woeful. I’m certainly not averse to modern remixes of old tracks per se (see McCartney’s creative Twin Freaks project) but the evidence so far (check out more previews here) suggests that everyone involved in Graceland: The Remixes seems to have simply phoned in some very dull, and rather annoying remixes. The music deserved better than that.

Graceland: The Remixes will be released on CD and 2LP vinyl on 1 June 2018. Extreme caution advised.

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Simon, Paul

Graceland: The Remixes CD edition

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Simon, Paul

Graceland: The Remixes 2LP vinyl

Shop Price gbp Stock Amazon uk   30.23 Order Amazon de   29.99 Order Amazon usa   33.75 Order Amazon fr   35.48 Order Amazon it   33.5 Order Amazon es   28.42 Order Amazon ca   54.99 Order JPC de   29.99 Order

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1. “Homeless (Joris Voorn Final Remix)”
2. “Gumboots (Joyce Muniz Remix)”
3. “I Know What I Know (Sharam’s Motherland Mix)”
4. “Crazy Love, Vol. II (Paul Oakenfold Extended Remix)”
5. “The Boy in the Bubble (Richy Ahmed Remix)”
6. “You Can Call Me Al (Groove Armada Dub Redemption)”
7. “Under African Skies (Rich Pinder/Djoko Vocal Mix)”
8. “Graceland (MK’s KC Lights Remix)”
9. “That Was Your Mother (Gui Boratto Remix)”
10. “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Thievery Corporation Remix)”
11. “All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints (Photek Remix)”
12. “Homeless (Joris Voorn Kitchen Table Mix / The Duke of New York’s Edit)”