Wesley Akinfolarin and Joe William Todd, better known as Newcastle's Patterns In Plastic, dropped an EP in June, called "Balloons Don't Always Fly", a release with three short, dreamy tracks, with treated, otherworldly vocals, with no overt electronic-ness coming through.
However, that clearly doesn't mean that they aren't aware of what's going on in the world of electronic music, evident in their selection of artists they chose for a remix release.
Along with the original "Balloons Don't Always Fly", with it's lazy guitar and ethereal ghosting that you could call vocals, are remixes from Deft, Sun Glitters, and Night Tracks' very own Module Module and Kelle, whilst Sina and Sipp worked their magic on "Sleepyhead" and Manni Dee and Fybe:one put together their take on "Glasseye".
Props to PIP for picking producers that would put together interesting and innovative takes on their music, when they could've gone down the easy route, and picked those that would've put together a thoroughly forgettable release. I mean, I listened to five versions of the same song in a row, and it isn't tiring in the slightest, such is the variation on offer here.
Deft is as chopped as ever, Sun Glitters doesn't drop the atmospheric act for a second, and Kelle and Module Module take things towards the frayed edges of UK Garage. You'd be stupid to expect anything even bordering generic from Sipp or Sina, and Fybe:one and Manni Dee round things off in a danceable fashion.
Honestly, you'll struggle to find a better free release this year, and for those that are wary of remix compilations, overlook your hang ups just this once, and you'll be more than pleasantly surprised.
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