The original four-tracker featured some heavy snares, heavy basses and nothing we wouldn't expect from the young producer.

Last year, Kurve released his Dimension EP on Forest Biz. Now, some recognisable sounds return with the Kurve Dimension Remix EP, featuring remixes from 5 artists currently smashing their way through the scene. The original four-tracker featured some heavy snares, heavy basses and nothing we wouldn't expect from the young producer.

Kurve shares his thoughts on the remixes

“It’s such an amazing feeling to see different approaches of the tracks you’ve been making alone in your room with your own creativity. I asked those guys particularly because I knew they would make something good out of it. I’m so glad they accepted to create their own versions of the tracks. When I first heard the remixes, I was so impressed of how sick it turned out. I always hoped to make a remix album, and Forest Biz helped a lot! Thank you so many guys, you smashed it!“

We asked the 5 producers some questions...

How did you approach working with the elements supplied from Kurve’s original track? Was there anything in particular that inspired you to take a certain direction in your productive process?

“I’m pretty new to the remix game, so I went into this with no real preconceptions. I was inspired on first listen by the overtone bass figure that repeats throughout Sacha’s original and also throughout my remix. I latched onto that right away and then later decided to mess with the vocal phrase, which also played a pretty big role. I consciously tried not to use any of the original drums or beat, which is how I wound up going almost into 6/8 territory with the main drop. Ultimately, I decided to re-frame the melodic elements from Sacha’s original track (the overtone bass, the vocals, and one of the main basslines) by changing up the time feel/drums and adding a bunch of elements that weren’t in the original. I also replayed the main overtone bass phrase on one of my analog synths and used that line in the intro and breakdown section — essentially making that melody the through line for the entire remix. In the end it was a lot of fun to do, and I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity!“

“Two tracks by other artists had a big influence on my approach to “Over The Portal.” The main one was Aphex Twin’s remix of Philip Glass’s version of “Heroes” by David Bowie, which came out a long time ago on a record called “26 Mixes For Cash.” The other was the intro of a Chee track called “Grotesque.” Both those tunes combine elements that don’t quite line up rhythmically or even harmonically but still work somehow because each element has its own internal logic. That was the guiding principle behind the way I messed with the vocal in the intro of my remix and also what led me to the 3 against 4 feels for the drop. My hope was to juxtapose elements that on the surface seem like they don’t really belong together but sound good together if you listen in a focused way. Lately I’ve been thinking that part of what we call “character” in music is the result of combining elements you wouldn’t expect to work together in a way that is actually satisfying. That’s what I think the Aphex Twin and the Chee tracks I mentioned do, and that’s what I tried to do with my “OTP” remix. I guess it’s up to the listener to decide if I pulled it off!“

“Usually when I make a remix, I try to translate the original vibe or story to another genre. Preferably something completely different. The remix for 'Somewhere' sprouted similarly. The original was very atmospheric, weighty and percussive — just what I love about Kurve — so I tried to transcribe that in a tech fueled roller.“

“The stems were kinda minimal, just like the original tune. So I processed them heavily. A lot of the percussion and all the basses are original material, just reworked the hell out of it. The intro pad is the only sound that I didn't process, since Kurve makes the greatest atmospheres.“

“The way i approached this remix like any remix, would be deciding what i like the most about the original. In this case, it happened to be the very expansive, floating vibe that it gave off rather than any particular sound design within it. The imagery that the original gave me of falling face down in the vacuum of space towards an infinitely large portal was the main inspiration point. It gave me the idea of trying to make my remix explain what it would sound and feel like going through a portal to another dimension (each section is meant to be a phase closer to moving through the portal)“

“On the contrary to this i liked the harmonic content of quite a few of the original sounds and reused them to make new, but harmonically similar sounds (the main reece in the original became the main wonky stab in the first drop of my remix) in order to maintain a sense of the original track.“

“Making this track was a lot of fun for me. When Kurve hit me up asking me to do this remix I've already had the sketch of the drop and I wasn't sure which direction should I choose for this track. Then I thought that this kind of 'spacey' vibe of the original song could fit the heavy drop perfectly. When Sacha (Kurve) sent me all the stems I've already had a specific idea for the whole track and it ended with a heavy halftime stomper. I didn't really have any certain inspiration to take this direction in my productive process but making the track I had visions of the 'Alien' movie all the time. I'm really stoked to finally share my work!“

“When approaching my remix for Kurves tune 'somewhere' I went in with the mindset to do something completely different from what I usually do. A lot of people I feel expect halftime or D&B from me, especially on a remix of a halftime tune. I also around this time, I had just gotten a Moog Mother 32, so when I looked in the stems and found the main pad, it clicked in my head, 'make a melodic techno song.'“

“From there the track pretty much wrote itself, although having never done the genre before, I was unsure where to take the second section. So I ended up trying to bridge some post rock elements by using very sporadic, real, drums layered over everything else. All in all I was very happy to participate in this remix compilation, as it was my first experience remixing and it broadened my music horizons.“