(Compost Records/Creative Vibes)

Side A1: Heart Ov Glass (Tommie Sunshine’s 1992 Candyflip) 8.27
Side A2: Heart Ov Glass (Instrumental version) 3.54
Side B1: State Ov Electric 5.44
Side B2: Heart Ov Glass (Lopazz HOG remix) 5.56

Brighton, UK-based electro-breaks duo Product.01 (aka vocalist / lyricist Rochelle Vincente and beatmaker / programmer Marc Adamo) have already made a splash on the breaks scene with their remixes for the likes of Free.land and recent ‘Loud’ EP, and this latest 12” through Compost presents the second slab of remixes of their recent breaks cover of Blondie’s ‘Heart Of Glass’, with reworkings from NYC’s Tommie Sunshine and Output Recordings artist Lopazz as well as a previously unreleased new track.

On the A-side of this 12”, Tommie Sunshine’s lengthy ‘1992 Candyflip’ reworking of ‘Heart Ov Glass’ strips the icy robotics of the original track right down to just a burbling TB-303 bassline and crisp tech-house beats, whilst retaining pretty much all of Vincente’s vocal and running it over some shimmering Detroit synth pads, shortly before things lock down into slamming acid-house squiggles and drum machine breakdowns during the chorus – of all of the mixes presented on this 12”, this is easily the most main-room oriented, with a particularly nice ghostly dub feel lurking behind the whirring synths and delayed-out vocals.

There’s an instrumental version of the Original version of ‘Heart Ov Glass’ that pretty much does what it says on the tin, stripping out all of the vocals and also editing the track down slightly to a shorter running time, while new track ‘State Ov Electric’ ventures down into dark, brooding and bleep-strewn breaks, Vincente’s digitally twisted and contorted vocals sliding through the sinister electronic haze and robotic electro textures in a manner that calls to mind some of Bjork’s ‘Homogenic’ expeditions; there’s also an indefinable Miami breaks effect behind the scenes that’s sure to delight breaks fiends. Finally, on the flip, Output Recordings artist Lopazz opts for a smoky, low-slung funk approach on his reworking of ‘Heart Ov Glass’, with funk guitars replacing the original version’s synth riff and broad funk-bass slaps riding over a hiphop-inflected backbeat – while it takes the original to a considerably more downtempo place, Vincente’s echo-treated vocals sound just as at home in these surroundings, the downbeat instrumental atmosphere calling to mind the likes of Bertrand Burgulat’s nocturnal band invetigations.

An excellent remix EP that certainly covers many bases at once, with downtempo beats and darker-edged electro-breaks included alongside acid-house; there’s something to please virtually everyone here, and in my opinion this 12” represents the more essential offering out of the two ‘Heart Ov Glass’ remix EPs. Those who enjoyed Product.01’s recent ‘Loud’ EP should definitely give this a listen. Recommended.

Check out http://www.product01.co.uk.