Mogwai remix Grandbrothers track

Off the back of the release of their recent album All The Unknown, producer duo Grandbrothers have given their track “Organism” to the pioneering post-rock outfit Mogwai to remix.

On their latest LP, the Turkish-German/Swiss pair ditched the restrictions of their former setup and took a leap into the dense unknown—and landed on their feet.

The album, released via City Slang, maps out a wide-open sound-world of compositional possibilities for pianist Erol Sarp and producer / electronic engineer Lukas Vogel, who have been putting their modern and unique electronic spin on prepared piano since first forming in 2012. Forgoing the need to play every single note live, this new album sees the pair juxtapose the old and new once again, venturing further into the electronic cosmos armed with a grand piano, self-built computer-controlled mechanics, and a new sense of latitude.

Sarp and Vogel met nearly a decade ago while studying audio and video engineering in Düsseldorf. Conceiving a project that would draw on Sarp’s piano skills while also providing a piano part for Vogel through bespoke programming and mechanical apparatus, Grandbrothers was formed.

They brought their vision to life with debut album Dilation in 2015, followed by the majestic Open; a swirling fusion of electronica and classical piano, which was released on City Slang in 2017. These days, with the pair no longer both residing in Düsseldorf, they have forged a new remote working relationship that involves a lot of back and forth and more time spent on developing ideas and producing. This new album documents that process.

“The main difference compared to the last two albums, is that we set ourselves a rule that everything needed to be created on the instrument in that moment” explains Vogel. “But now that this rule is gone, we’ve started to produce or record things on the computer which means we can stack up more layers” Sarp surmises.

“Previously, it has always just been me sitting at the piano playing, but now we have three or four piano parts together, which I wouldn’t be able to play at once as it’s too many notes; it just wouldn’t be possible as I only have ten fingers. This new method has opened up worlds and given so many more opportunities to write music.”

With their latest work, Grandrothers lift the track “Organism” from the album and hand it over to Scotland’s legendary chart-topping band Mogwai who deliver a propulsive, atmospheric remix.

Of the remix Mogwai’s Barry Burns comments, “I was listening to Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears a couple of days before starting the remix and thought I’d channel the guitar part from that into this remix. Seemed to fit nicely. Love the boys’ drum parts and just mangled them a little bit, replayed some piano lines on synths and a bit of my singing over the top of it all.”

Offering a more industrial reimagining of the original, Mogwai’s remix of “Organism” presents an epic interpretation. Delicate and colourful instrumentation are reworked to drop a gritty and distorted darkness that thumps and fuzzes throughout.

Listen to Organism (Mogwai remix) below

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