DJ Champion

The Remix Album

Saboteur/Outside

Phil Villeneuve (CHARTattack)

03/06/2007 3:23pm

What made Montreal DJ Champion's Chill 'Em All an accessible electronic album was the human guitar work (all played by Champion), Betty Bonifassi's seductive vocals and the fact that all but one of the album's song lyrics were from "Negro Songs Of Protest." This Juno-nominated remix album removes a lot of that charming accessibility with a limited remixer guest list. At moments it succeeds in uniquely transforming the originals. Most of the aforementioned guitar work is gone and of the nine songs, "Two Hoboes" and "Tawoumga" get retouched twice. In any instance that Bonifassi's vocals appear, they're manipulated to the point where they sound like any lounge groove songstress. Making up for these downfalls is Patrick Watson's dreamlike remake of "Guy Doune" and Mocky's slap-bass funk remix of "Two Hoboes." Otherwise, stick to the original, because if this compilation was released to hold fans over until the next album, there's not much here to hang on to.