- Originally slated for release on a shelved album of remixed tracks from The xx's first LP, this cover of one of the record's most celebrated tracks is an interesting detour for Art Department's No.19 label. A duet between Martina Topley-Bird (of Maxinquaye fame) and erstwhile Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, the cover is a delightfully slow brew of rueful vocals, heavy-limbed bass and chiming percussion.
The package includes a slew of remixes. The standout comes from French producer Agoria, who keeps only the odd sampled snippet of the original vocal in a gorgeous deep house stew of warming bass and languorous piano. Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper (in their Director's Cut guise) add a mid-pace beat and light chords, making for a gentle, elongated dance floor interpretation that keeps Topley-Bird and Lanegan's vocals in the forefront. Deniz Kurtel goes down a more ominous-sounding route with her version, which blends stark percussion with torrents of bass, covering the vocal in a thick film of coal dust from which it never emerges.
Tracklist A1 Crystalised (Directors Cut Signature Mix)
A2 Crystalised (Directors Cut Unmarked Dub)
B1 Crystalised (Agoria Remix)
B2 Crystalised (Deniz Kurtel Remix)