Dominic Maker and Kai Campos, better known as Mount Kimbie, are largely responsible for pioneering a music scene commonly referred to as "post-dubstep".  Their groundbreaking 2010 album, Crooks and Lovers, was met with critical acclaim, only strengthening their position as musical trailblazers.  Two years later, and a transition from Hotflush to War, we were met with Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, an album that brings the same energy, yet channels it through a more refined and mature sieve.  Cold Spring Fault Less Youth: Remixes EP takes the two singles from the album,  Made to Stray and You Took Your Time (Feat. King Krule), and brings us four standout remixes that each capture something different and are together nothing short from what I may consider the best remix EP of the year.

The first of these is Kyle Hall's Remix of You Took Your Time (Feat. King Krule).  Kyle Hall is a new DJ coming out of Detroit with a penchant for the old-school sounds of his hometown's pioneering beginnings.  Using filtered arpeggiators and vinyl effects throughout his remix, the sampled voice of King Krule helps ground the track in a smooth 4/4 bassline that keeps you going until the track winds town like slowing train.

Next up is DJ Koze's remix of Made to Stray.  Koze, a German minimal techno and house producer, and perhaps the post prominent figure in the Hamburg music scene, starts off his remix with a deep wobbly bassline with crescendoing synth chords, more ominous than the previous track.  He then brings in hollow'd out percussion reminiscent of Kyle Hall's remix, static filling the space to make room for a smooth syncopated clapping and all the previous elements fall back into place.  When things speed up, Koze brings the vocals of the original track in, later adding eerie and sublime howl-like sounds, and ending things by slowly bringing the ingredients to a halt (and sort of reminding me of one of these).

Lee Gamble takes on You Took Your Time (Feat. King Krule) for the third remix of the EP.  Gamble's kind of a mystery; only getting on the scene a couple years ago, he apparently is the spearhead of a collective called CYRK (which only leads to his Twitter ..), and has out mixes for FACT and Boiler Room, but most of the material on his soundcloud are either radio shows or experimental computer music that really doesn't lend itself much danciness. Nevertheless, his remix for Cold Spring Fault Less Youth fits nicely within the EP, providing a more post-dubstep feeling for the listener.  Distorting chords from the intro of the original song, Gamble adds a layer of static and syncopated cymbals to a heavy 4/4 bassline.  When King Krule's vocals come in, the track goes back to the beginning, bringing in and out elements of percussion and effects until the last two minutes of the remix, where it ends with a warm repetition of filtered blips.

Finally, we have DJ Oneman's remix of You Took Your Time (Feat. King Krule).  Also bringing rapper and label-mate Jeremiah Jae to the remix, Oneman stays closer to the original track, utilizing much more of King Krule's lyrical contribution throughout.  Re-drumming the track, Oneman's remix hits harder than the original, being the finale to his awesome Solitare Vol.2 mixtape released last month.  Krule and Jae goe back and forth, constructing an interesting dialogue that pays respect to the original track, but interprets it in a fresh new way.

Cold Spring Fault Less Youth: Remixes EP is out now on iTunes, Amazon, and Bleep if you're more inclined to buy vinyl.

-Enjoy-