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Rating: 6.4 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
By Rick Sieber
The idea of mixing beats with orchestral film scores can seem like a stretch -- catering to two camps and satisfying neither. Wisely, the DJs of "Cinematic" treat the original scores not as sacred texts but as remix fodder; this may send film purists scurrying, but it results in a surprisingly satisfying listening experience for those who hang around. Using orchestral interpretations performed by the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, the Cinematic remixers churn out beat-heavy and ambient interpretations of film classics that seem more at home on the dance floor than on the movie screen. Many of cinema's most renowned composers are represented in this set, but rarely by their most well-known pieces. While this may limit accessibility, it also helps avoid the usual pitfalls of over-familiarity that tend to hamper projects such as this. Thus, the relatively obscure originals often take a back seat to the remixers' individual stylistic impulses; a happy exception is Bent's foregrounding of Nino Rota's lilting motif from Fellini's "Roma," where the sumptuous melody effectively dictates the entire rhythmic feel of the track. Though they disrupt the established instrumental vibe of the album, two vocal remixes are among the disc's strongest offerings. Mark de Clive Lowe's transformation of Jerry Goldsmiths' "The Hour of the Gun" from western fanfare into blaxploitation epic critiques the modern gunslinger mentality with MC help from Replife; King Britt finds similar success by turning Mr. Lif loose in the dramatic sound world of Quincy Jones's "They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!" Other entries aren't quite as successful, though most offer at least a splash of inspiration amid the occasional misstep. The Real Tuesday Weld's take on Duke Ellington's "Paris Blues" annoys with its sampled vocal incantation of the composer's last name, yet charms with its subtle rhythmic breeziness. And while Ernest Gold's "Inherit the Wind" theme gets mostly lost in the atmospherics of Tom Middleton's remix, the track ends up sounding like lush film score music in its own right. Ultimately appealing mostly to remix aficionados, "Cinematic" thankfully offers occasional treats for movie buffs as well.
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