Erase Errata

A near-perfect blend of visceral emotion and electronic savvy, Dancing Machine: Erase Errata Remix Record manages to bring out the essence of both the band's almost frighteningly intense, volatile music and in the more cerebrally oriented artists remixing it. Kid 606's mix of whimsy and abrasiveness finds new focus on his revamp of "Retreat, the Most Familiar": the rippling glitches and scratches with which he surrounds Jenny Hoyston's formidable vocals conjure mental images of a paranoid android shuddering to shut down. Matmos' remix of "Other Animals" is even more radical, taking the bare minimum of music from the original track and covering it with computer startup and error sounds, electro-inspired beats, robotic vocals, and recordings of chimps and, er, "other animals." Kevin Blechdom's interpretation of "Rat Race" is similarly bent, borrowing some of the original's elastic-sounding guitars and layering alternately ominous and playful noise and melody -- as well as a fiddle and banjo playing "Turkey in the Straw" -- into an alien sound collage. However, Adult.'s aerodynamic reworking of "Marathon" is Dancing Machine's standout track, transcending mere whimsy to give the song a darker, sleeker cast. The mix of Hoyston's unusually blank, melodic singing and Adult.'s sweetly sinister electronics is so striking that, with any luck, the acts will collaborate again. A must-have for fans of any of the artists involved in this EP, Dancing Machine is an exciting fusion of cutting-edge rock and electronica that doesn't fall into the preconceptions of either style. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide