Artist: Gill Norris
Title: Forme (Remixes)
Label: Precinct Recordings
By: Jason Calvert | 11 April 2007
Tracklist:

• A: Daso Mix
• B: Jesse Somfay Mix

Gill Norris "Forme (Remixes)"

We all remember the legendary 'Forme' from back in 2004. Featured on James Holden's outstanding Balance compilation, it's beauty was captivating, and even now it still sounds as fresh as ever. Leama & Moor gave it a great remix, making it dancefloor friendly, whilst still preserving the feel. Now 3 years later they've decided that it's time for a couple new mixes. I was both excited and worried at the same time when reading this. New mixes could bring this great track back into the spotlight, but they could also fail to do the track justice. Sadly it's the latter in this case.

The Daso Mix creates a strange mood, introducing a new bassline which chugs underneath the whole thing. This gets repetitive very quickly, and then the familiar melody line is layered over the top of this. The tough feel of the bassline clashes with the soft tones of the melody, and the result is not pleasing. I felt there wasn't much creativity put into this one, and considering there was so much to work with I was very disappointed.

I've always been intrigued by Jesse Somfay and his music, and I encourage you to read up on him if you have the chance. So I was very keen to hear what he had done with Forme. He has really ripped into this track with force and turned it inside out. If you're keeping up with what James Holden is doing lately, then this will sound very familiar to you. The percussion and effects are very reminiscent of a Holden track. The melody flutters around in a very distorted fashion in the background, and isn't really recognisable. The mix has moments where I feel it is getting into something, but due to its complexity it seems to get itself into knots, and the listener finishes up feeling quite confused. I'm not quite sure what to make of this one, so have a listen for yourself. But I can't say I really felt where Somfay was going with this one.

The Daso mix didn't hold my interest at all, but the Jesse Somfay mix certainly had me scratching my head. It will most certainly have a fan base out there, particularly with those who are mad James Holden fans. However I do feel that in trying to make music overly deep and twisted, there is a line you can cross where it just becomes a mess. I still haven't decided on whether or not Somfay has crossed this line or not here, so it would be best to judge for yourself.