Text by: Keith Johnson | March 2005
Fascination! Newsletter, Issue #42
"EXCLUSIVE! Preview of the Delirium CD!"
Bless EBAY.
There you can find almost any Cirque collectible you want. We've seen
one-of-a-kind experiences and even original Cirque character mask
props there (though neither was actually sold, see our past issues for
details). EBAY, at one time or another, features everything from
currently offered products to rare items from Cirque's beginnings, and
occasionally glimpses into its future. Which leads to this months
exclusive preview of the dance-remix "Delirium" CD, from a preview
copy purchased there.
The CD came with no packaging other than a list of tracks. The CD is
even stickered "Not For Production" and was duplicated on a gold CD-R
blank.
Now here's where Yours Truly is out of his league. I'm not a club
hopper, dance fiend, or highly knowledgable about the DJs or remix
styles featured here. So I couldn't even begin to tell you how these
remixes fare against other offerings from these DJs and producers. I
don't even know what kind of "style" most of these are in, and must
embarrassingly admit I don't know my "house" from my "deep house" from
"trance." There are several in the Cirque-fan-verse much more
qualified to comment on these tracks. But I have the CD and they
don't - thank Visa! So I shall press on with my impressions of this
soon-to-be-released 62:09 long set, and the reader will pardon if they
are not as knowledgable as they might be.
The approach here is certainly different than Solarium, which featured
down-tempo "chillout" remixes of Cirque songs. While that disk might
have been a more appropriate sell for the upscale Cirque target
audience, Delirium presents Cirque music with a heavy dance beat in a
mostly continuous mix from beginning to end, clocking in at 127-133
bpm (beats per minute) throughout.
1. Emballa from Varekai (6:22 - 127 bpm) - Louie Vega featuring Jaffa
- We start out with energy, as this Varekai track gets a nice latin-
style remix. Much of the vocal is preserved here, making it more of a
"song" than some of the others. It doesn't sound much different than
the Nitin Sawhney-produced "soundtrack" version, but takes on more of
a tropical flavor.
2. Querer from Alegria (6:05 - 127 bpm) - Julien Jabre - A samba!
What a different approach! Francesca Gagnon's original vocal comes
shining through. Though I must admit I'm so used to the original that
hearing these lyrics in this arrangement is a bit unsettling. Again,
much of the lyric is used, giving this version a more complete feel.
Hand claps and a pipe organ-sound keyboard also pique interest.
3. Kumbalawé from Saltimbanco (7:51 - 129 bpm) - Roger Sanchez - This
is one of the standout tracks of the bunch, well deserving of its
place on the Top 10 Club Play List. A basic funky beat is soon
followed by a deep male voice chanting "Koom-ba-la, ja-koom-ba,"
followed by the title word with a long echoing tail. A keyboard
accentuates the bassline, pulling you deeper in. Sounding like a
voodoo priest the chanting continues, augmented only by the title word
sung by the chorus from the original song. There is no real "song" to
be found here, only tribal groove. Entrancing and powerful. Wait, I
have to listen to it again....
4. Aborigenes Jam from Dralion (6:42 - 132 bpm) - Francois K/Eric
Kupper - The pace picks up here with samples of African-sounding
percussion comprising much of its backbeat. More electronic in its
pulse, this utilizes much of the female vocal during its breaks. It's
nice, but after the power of Sanchez' Kumbalawe, this just kind of
lies there.
5. Poiknoi from Saltimbanco (6:41 - 131 bpm) - Sasha - Going even more
electronic, brings in some of the strings and female vocals from the
original and surrounds it with swirling percussion. The song breaks
the beat in the middle, almost presenting the chorus in its original
form, surrounded by an echo chamber. I have a preference, such as it
is, for songs that don't lose their beat for long periods, so I can't
say I'm attracted to this too much, though it is pretty.
6. Africa from O (8:48 - 127 bpm) - Quicksound with Alain Vinet -
Quicksound is a Montreal-based percussion/performance collective and
here they collaborate with fellow Quebecer Alain Vinet on a tune
that's a favorite of remixers (appearing here in its third
incarnation). I can't see the attraction here, as there is no real
"song" to remix, just a vocal and kora playing. But that must be it,
as is allows the remixer free reign. Here I feel it doesn't work -
the vocals don't seem to "fit" inside the beat, and the kora from the
original doesn't add much. The percussion is nice, featuring an
interesting digiridoo sound, but otherwise this doesn't click with me.
7. Terre Aride from O (6:10 - 126 bpm) - Jori Hulkkonen - Is this a
remix? Really?? I can hardly tell. A bit of vocal chanting and bit
of the male throat singing is all that connects it with the 0
original. I can't recognize this at all. It just goes on for six
minutes without taking any interesting directions. A mis-fire.
8. Spiritual Spiral from Dralion (6:44 - 134 bpm) - Carmen Rizzo -
Deep drum percussion takes center stage here as the pace quickens
towards the last two selections. With no forefront beat dominating
the mix you have to listen deeper to get the rhythm. Hammered
dulcimer samples from the original make an appearance as does a
filtered version of Erik Karol's vocal. The filtering lends an
interesting aspect to the tune and keeps the ear attuned.
9. Mer Noire from O (6:44 - 133 bpm) - Tiesto - A heavy beat slams to
the forefront to announce the final song on the disk. More digiridoo
sounds come next, followed by the angelic original chorus female
vocals. We return to the more complete song form, with much of the
original, including several of the exotic instruments, used here.
This would be my favorite were it not for the complete breakdown in
the middle, for more female solo vocalizing from the original. As if
that weren't enough, it takes another :50 for the beat to return after
that! Yes it's pretty and nice and all, and the beat is still there
in the background, but is a break of that length necessary? The
return of the beat is joyous but short, until the song finally brings
the album to a close.
And that's it! The first, exclusive look at the Cirque du Soleil
dance remix album. On the whole, I find both Solarium and Delirium
fun to listen to depending on mood. There are (of course) hits and
misses on both. Now if only Cirque du Soleil Musique could finally
get beyond the "remixed by/interpreted by/inspired by" kick they're
currently on and concentrate on show soundtrack albums that actually
represent the shows they come from.