ST VINCENT - DANCING WITH A GHOST (PEARSON SOUND REMIX)

On her newest single, St. Vincent reminds us that remixing is still a viable artform with a beat-ific version of "Dancing With A Ghost" by Pearson Sound.

ST VINCENT - DANCING WITH A GHOST (PEARSON SOUND REMIX)

Remixing remains a valid medium, in and of itself. In the realm of electronic music, all sounds become plastic, malleable, sculptable, like something from Brian Eno's '70s wet dreams. Songs become infinite, with endless visions and revisions becoming possible, dubplates stacked to the heavens, revealing sub-atomic new details with each iteration.

St. Vincent's an unlikely candidate for remix treatment. Her guitar-centric indie rock would be more likely to be heard in an arena than at a rave. "Dancing With A Ghost" is an unlikely pick to be reworked, as well, clocking in at a mere: 49 on 2017's Masseduction. On Masseduction Rewired, Annie Clark teamed up with superstar DJ and brilliant producer in her own right Nina Kraviz to tag some of the most forward-thinking sound artists currently working in electronic music. They tagged future beat bass constructor Pearson Sound for "Dancing With The Ghost," which in and of itself is one of the strangest and most unlikely pairings this side of Fruit Loops and Orange Juice.

On Pearson Sound's "Dancing With The Ghost" remix, David Kennedy draws out the spectrality in St. Vincent's original, while simultaneously playing UP the seductiveness. The ghostly gossamer organ of the original is drawn out like saltwater taffy, until it becomes an early morning sunrise, like driving into the dawn after a rave. Or an all-night make-out session. Annie Clarke's minimalist cry, "Dancing with the ghost," becomes a late-night disco anthem, cresting over elongated orchestral strings and Pearson Sound's signature shuffling, syncopated beats. It's like a dancefloor seance, prying open the aether, invoking a nocturnal netherworld.

"Dancing With A Ghost" brings the best out of both artists, a sign of the best remixes. We Are: The Guard would like to nominate David Kennedy to remix Bjork next!

J. Simpson occupies the intersection between criticism, creativity, and academia. Based out of Portland, Or., he is the author of Forestpunk, an online journal/brand studying the traces of horror, supernatural, and the occult through music, fashion and culture. He plays in the dreamfolk band Meta-Pinnacle with his partner Lily H. Valentine, with whom he also co-founded Bitstar Productions, a visual arts collective focused on elevating Pop Culture to High Art.