In April 2019 Korsakov Music, still only four releases since its launch, was just a baby in the label circuit and Droptek was a name that many 170 revellers were unfamiliar with. Then came the release of Symbiosis – Droptek’s debut album. Each of the tracks tore apart sets from the scenes most astute gatekeepers including, Noisia, Mefjus and Camo & Krooked, cementing both Korsakov Music’s and Droptek’s place at the forefront of the dark dancefloor scene.
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Fast forward to the confused and murky waters of summer 2020, and although we may not know when we can hit the clubs, here’s a remix album which is sure to get those raving juices flowing. Droptek Symbiosis Remixed Part 1 dips and dives through the darkest corners of neuro and tech and touches in the realm of halftime, with artists like InsideInfo, Audio, Skantia, Gydra, Joe Ford, Smooth & DC Breaks, Madster, The Outsiders, Dub Elements, you already know you’re in for one hell of a ride.
We’ve spoken with some of the remixers about their chosen tracks below.
Joe Ford Remixes: Sentient
“I had just finished a load of heavy neuro tracks when I was asked to choose a track from ‘Symbiosis’ to remix. I knew Droptek had an amazing musical side to his music so I was looking for something emotional and melodic when listening through, when I stumbled across ‘Sentient’ I knew it was the perfect choice! I aimed to combine the aggression and energy of my neurofunk tracks with the kind of sad and meaningful musical aspect that the original had, it took a while to get the balance right (and even longer to finish as I changed DAWs halfway through the project) but I’m extremely proud of the result.”
InsideInfo Remixes: Minutiae
“I loved the musicality of the original, something about it just gelled with me. I tried to strip it back and create a new groove with it. I tried to not make it totally shit as to justify being asked for a remix. I hope I did alright!”
Dub Elements Remixes: Revolver
“When I remix a tune, I like to keep the original vibe, make It recognizable by the listeners. “Revolver” is the kind of track I like to remix cuz it’s a halftime track which means it’s basically the same tempo of a dnb track, so I can keep that original vibe/tempo but at the same time adding a dnb twist. The sound design of the intro elements is outstanding, love to play with that kind of sounds, and the main arpeggio bass fits perfect in a rolling/funk dnb track, so there u go. The result is a dnb remix that keeps the original vibe of the track with a touch of our signature sound design, rolling drums and angry phat basslines.”
The Outsiders Remixes: Invoke
“We tried picking a tune that we could really make our own. “Invoke” has a simple but recognizable bass melody, and we wanted to explore some different ways in which we could use that melody in a drum & bass context. At first, it was actually way harder than we expected. We went through a lot of different versions and ideas, but we’re really happy with the one we ended up with. Also, don’t forget to check out the second drop!”
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Madster Remixes: Bloodline
“It was quite hard to pick a track to remix, as the original album was full of awesome tracks. Eventually, I picked ‘Bloodline’ because it has a quite sinister vibe and I really love the original tune. With my remix, I tried to captivate the same feel of the original, but with constantly changing beats and rhythms, but keeping the original sounds a tad repetitive, like the perpetual flow of blood. It turned out a bit deeper or experimental than my other stuff, but I hope people can appreciate the remix.”