- It's often said that less is more. In the case of Factory Floor's 2525+5, the reverse is true. On their last album, 25 25, the duo turned to minimalism and modular synths, a combination that, in electronic music, often promises appealing results. Somewhere along the way, though, they seemed to lose the industrial-edged funk that made their music so seductive. The three artists assigned to remix 25 25's proto-techno loops rediscover some of that feeling. Klara Lewis refines "Ya" with airy reverb and watery vocals, turning it into a feather-light ambient techno gem. Charles Manier's remix of "Relay" stretches syllables like dough across a swung EBM march. Jlin's remix of "Wave" is the best of the lot, placing hi-hats, bass tones and gasps in unpredictable, stereo-spanning slots on the grid.
When I saw Factory Floor at this year's L.E.V. Festival, songs from 25 25 energised the hundreds-strong dance floor. A track like "Work It Out" might've worked nicely in that context, but its rudimentary loop, running to ten minutes, is two-thirds too long here. A simple approach, however, works wonders for "Dial Me In (Club Version)," whose 808 one-shots, vocal snatches and ping-pong arps seem inexhaustible.
Tracklist01. Dial Me In (Club Mix)
02. Work It Out
03. Ya (Klara Lewis Remix)
04. Relay (Charles Manier Remix)
05. Wave (Jlin Remix)