January 25, 1999

Let Us Replay!

...As inevitable as it was predictable, [B]'Let Us Replay!'[/B] is a natural progression for [B]Matt Black[/B] and [B]Jonathon More[/B]....

5 / 10 How apt: Coldcut, those eccentric uncles of the cut'n'paste revolution, the cunning sound juxtaposition and, of late, dubious forays into the world of interactive multimedia, now find themselves hawking that most ubiquitous item of late-'90s ephemera, the remix album. Like, ho-hum.

As inevitable as it was predictable, 'Let Us Replay!' is a natural progression for Matt Black and Jonathon More. After all, they've spent a career manipulating other people's records into their own and have transformed the humble remix into an art form. But to collate half-a-dozen remixes of Coldcut tracks and 'live' works for the listeners' pleasure, other than saying something profoundly postmodern, is a bit like asking someone to 'appreciate' the work of a Warhol-copying pavement artist. Same valid ideas and subject matter, just not as good.

It seems, too, that Coldcut have mellowed with age. Where once they'd ignite dancefloors with collaborators Yazz and Lisa Stansfield or articulate the possibilities of a sampling culture on 'Beats And Pieces', today they encourage elaborately tedious eco-friendly jazz torture (J Swinscoe's remix of 'Return To Margin') and inconsequential 'beat poetry' like 'The Tale Of Miss Virginia Epitome'.

Ironically, it's left to Cornelius and Shut Up & Dance, both students of the Coldcut method, to drag the duo's pioneering plans into something resembling the future and not a hard-to-find Mo'Wax B-side.

Those with the appropriate software can use the accompanying CD-ROM to create their own Coldcut track. Minutes of fun, literally, but at least that maverick DIY spirit still exists somewhere.