Favouritism Remixes by Nightdubbing
Nightdubbing’s third full-length excursion, Favouritism, received plenty of plaudits on its release in 2023, with critics and listeners alike embracing the Manchester duo’s vibrant fusion of melody-rich nu-disco, dub, 21st century Brit-funk and wide-eyed Balearic beats.
As many noted, the seven-track album was overflowing with great ideas, inspired rhythms and colourful musical motifs – offering a rich sonic palette for remixers to draw on. It should be no surprise then that Favouritism Remixed is a similarly stellar set, with Nightdubbing’s Carl Emery and Tim Robinson joining a hand-picked quartet of artists in offering-up scintillating new interpretations of their most recent work.
First to step up to the plate is admired Italian DJ/producer Manu Archeo, who delivers his take on the Manchester duo’s eponymous ‘Nightdubbing’. Drawing on his love of Balearica and softly spun dub disco, the Florence-based artist wraps beautiful, wide-eyed chords, kaleidoscopic electronic melodies and twinkling piano flourishes around a deep, warm bassline and shuffling beats.
Next up you’ll find two takes on album highlight ‘Oxford Roadshow’. First up is Los Rojo, a new alias of sometime Strange Collective frontman Alex Wynne. Drawing on his love of immersive ambience, sun-baked Balearic bliss and the headiness of shoegaze, Wynne delivers a gorgeously immersive, slowly unfurling interpretation full of subtly building percussion, vivid chords, heady aural textures and warming, bass-heavy grooves. Leeds-based downtempo explorer Skies Over Tokyo (AKA long-serving producer Phil Quaite) channels the spirit of sun-bright ‘90s ambient and IDM, weaving bubbly lead lines, echoing vocal samples, effects-laden saxophone sounds and enveloping pads around a sparse and delicately programmed beat.
Castles in Space and Polytechnic Youth contributor Apta, arguably the most storied of all contributors to the EP, takes us deep into space on his version of ‘Whatever Is Is…It’s Yours’. Doffing a cap to the intergalactic ambient epics of the late Pete Namlook while also drawing on ultra-deep dub techno bass, sparse and effects-laden drum hits and flashes of live instrumentation, the talented producer delivers one of the stand-out revisions.
To conclude, Emery and Robinson deliver a pair of alternative takes of their own. They first extend the previously radio friendly ‘Whatever It Is… It’s Yours’, gently taking us by the hand and leading us through a stretched-out ambient intro, before building the action in waves – all echoing swamp funk harmonica motifs, flash-friend guitar licks, chugging beats and deliciously dubby bass.
They then join forces with singer Jess Edie for a surprise vocal version of ‘Nightdubbing’. Her sweet, tactile and emotive delivery of her own positive-sounding lyrics works perfectly with the band’s aquatic funk bass, proto-house beats, boogie synths and dancefloor-ready nu-disco swagger. It provides a triumphant conclusion to an excellent collection of remixes.
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Nightdubbing are a Manchester based duo comprising diehard crate-digger & turntablist Carl and producer/tech whiz Tim piecing together inspiration from found sounds and forgotten beats to re-imagine a lost musical future. Their 2017 debut, Frontline, was described by Piccadilly Records as "..Eminently listenable, brilliantly produced and hugely varied. A Modern Classic.”