Was it really almost a year ago that I interviewed Phil Kieran about this? Blinded by the Sun, the Belfast DJ and producer’s LP, was released last October by Hot Creations and they’re not sparing many considerations when it comes to promotion. A first set of remixes featured the likes of Roman Fluegel and Andy Weatherall; with Mano Le Tough, Matthew Herbert and David Holmes the second package doesn’t let up. This is someone’s list of dream producers – and that person is actually Phil Kieran, as he made “a wish list” of people who influenced him and let them have a go.
Mano Le Tough toys with the reggae and dub elements of “Solar Storm,” bringing new dimension to the stock term “sun drenched.” Fellow Belfast native (things I learned: apparently there is no consensus term for “a person from Belfast”) David Holmes dusts off his “Unloved” moniker” with an anthemic, almost neo-rave mix for “Think Too Much.” The real treasure here is Matthew Herbert’s “Remembering Dub” of “Realities Forgotten,” which sings mechanical hymns. This is exactly the sound I love from Matthew Herbert, and the one that your favorite producers have paid homage to (or, to be more accurate, ripped off like a bandit with a broken ankle monitor). The tribal groove and chopped up vocal are hypnotic, infectious, addictive in a way that good music is. This is one of my favorite tracks of the year.
Phil Kieran: Blinded By the Sun: The Remixes Part Two (Hot Creations)
