I feel bad for this, for adding what’s become Shaun J. Wright’s epithet – “of Hercules & Love Affair” – every time I say his name. Shaun has done more than enough – as an artist, a DJ, a performer and impresario – to carve out his own identity and it no longer seems necessary to include that phrase, like some kind of cheat-sheet for ADD-rattled minds, every time you say his name.
A fair test for any singer is how well they can carry a track and “Sweat” from Stereogamous is made by Shaun’s vocal performance. It’s got a great hook – a mindlessly addictive hook, to be honest – but it’s the kind of song that’s going to be lost or saved by the vocal. It’s a bit rough for soulful house, a bit too much soul for cardboard indie dance, and settles somewhere comfortably between.
There have been two remix sets of this so far, the first featuring the original mix and The Carry Nation’s 9:13 work out, which builds up something like a live band jamming in an empty rehearsal space. That’s the one. The second package released in April is, in a word, superb: Doc Sleep with a stripped-to-the-subfloor 303 mix, Suspect with a deep but clubby sort of 6 minute symphony for the kids and Cucarachas with maybe the most intense mix of the bunch. For a third, forthcoming package, Aerea Negrot delivers yet another 303-heavy remix (that TR-8 sure is getting around) and Steffan Lindberg pushes the tempo for the most hectic edit.