Various Artists Heavenly Remixes 3 & 4 (Andrew Weatherall Vol 1 & 2)
Almost two years after Andrew Weatherall’s untimely death, Heavenly Recordings deliver a brace of compilation albums that capture some of The Chairman’s best remixes.
The third and fourth instalment in Heavenly’s new remix series tackle that very tricky task of pulling together some of Andrew Weatherall’s best remixes, which is no mean feat.
Where do you begin? According to Discogs, Weatherall remixed over 400 tracks – and they’re only the ones we know about. Through these compilations we travel back through three decades of his output, working back to almost forgotten gems such as 1990’s seminal post-Shoom UK house tune ‘The World According to Sly & Lovechild’.
Then there’s the stripped back, melodica-infused version of Saint Etienne's ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’. Old classics sit comfortably alongside more recent reworks such as the indie pop acid groove of ‘Bubblegum’ by Confidence Man, one of a few tracks on this comp that would set you back a pretty penny if you were to track down the original 12-inch.
The two compilations are a magnificent time capsule, a testament to the talents and sheer bloodymindedness of Weatherall as he ploughed his own furrow with everyone else trying to hold onto his belt and braces.
All the influences are there, from his teenage punk years to his deep love for electro and techno, alongside that heavy pounding bass from disco and krautrock. If you’re a fan of Weatherall you didn’t need to read this review – you’ve already decided that you need to revisit his mixing desk masterpieces with Flowered Up, Doves, TOY and audiobooks.
