Hell Yeah Recordings’ Marco Gallerani has started a new compilation series where he’ll focus on the output of his favourite artists and in particular their remix work. The first release spotlights Calm, the Japanese DJ / producer that Gallerani commonly refers to as his “senpai” or teacher. 

Calm is largely associated with “chilled out” sounds, and the bulk of the selections on this volume of “The Art Of Remix” fall into that category. His rework of saxophonist Yuichiro Kato’s soulful Kiss Of Life, for example, is a romantic, futuristic Sci-Fi serenade, while in his hands Gallo’s Abysso becomes a beatless, uplifting symphony. Michelle Mininni’s operatic Vertigo is dropped into downtempo dubwise. 

Five of the 8 tracks bear the subtitle “Mellow Mellow Acid”, a trademark that Calm’s been using for a while now. As the suffix suggests, these all find him digging out his Roland TB-303. Typically placing the machine’s signature gurgling into an uncharacteristically serene setting. Cantoma’s accordion and Spanish guitar sprinkled Way To The Sun gets this treatment, as does Aura Safari’s Sur Mon Balconett and Seahawks’ lullaby-like Blue Surround. Tracks that mix synthesised ambience with jazzy instrumentation. Dream Baby Dream’s Banana Trance, however, has Calm shattering this mould, hitting us instead with a big, old school rave breakbeat. Meitei Mahi’s Dounkia Kounika similarly shrugs off a sunset cocktail in favour of shaking its tail feather to a raunchy, rocky, sleazy drug chug. 

Calm’s The Art Of Remix can be ordered directly from Hell Yeah.