Zero dB / Various

Remix albums are funny things. Sometimes they’re great, outshining the original tracks and albums that spawned them. Other times they lack that punch, that extra something that transforms a song into an entirely new work of art. Then there are albums that are so solid you wonder why anyone would ever attempt to stray from the original. Heavyweight Gringos by Zero dB is a perfect example of the latter. Chris Vogado and Neil Combstock, the boys behind Zero dB, released the much acclaimed Bongos, Bleeps & Basslines in 2006, an album coursing with dirty bass and beats, heavy jazz and a touch of hip-hop, all wrapped up in an electro Latin vibe. Not long after, Zero dB left the album in the hands of artists like Kids In Tracksuits, XRabit and ATFC, giving them free rein to remix it any way they saw fit. Gone is the feel of Latin jazz, of horns riding the tail of heavy bass lines. All of the elements are still present, they’re simply squandered by being thrown into repetitive loops and mixed with stale Euro house beats. Though the beat is stepped up quite a bit on the ATFC remix of "Te Quiero” and "Conga Madness” retains some feelings of jazz, it’s not enough to pull Heavyweight Gringos from the bottom of the remix bin.