If it’s new stuff from Ewan you’re after, you won’t find it here… Picking up where his 2001 remix compilation ‘Small Change’ left off, ‘Piece Work’ is a chronicle of Pearson’s most treasured reinventions from the last six years.

The English-born, Berlin-residing producer and DJ certainly has a knack for elevating otherwise unnoticed melodies and crunchy bleeps to the fore. The 21 tracks are like an exhibition, showcasing the iconic artists he’s lovingly tweaked; Goldfrapp (who appear twice on this one), Depeche Mode, The Chemical Brothers, Freeform Five, The Rapture… The ‘Piece Work’ tracklisting reads like a rundown of some of the most important and innovative electronic bands of our time.

Pearson’s reworkings are distinctive yet varied, and there’s definitely a sense of him remaining true to the artist’s vision. At times chugging, dancefloor gems are called for (Playgroup’s ‘Make It Happen’, Freeform Five’s ‘Perspex Sex’, Goldfrapp’s ‘Train’), and at other times he provides the perfect soundtrack to a lazy summer’s day (Closer Musik’s ‘One, Two, Three – No Gravity’, Silver City’s ‘Shiver’, Cortney Tidwell’s ‘Don’t Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up’).

CD 1 cranks into our collective kinaesthetic awareness and leaves us with a feeling of déjà vu – “So I started to dance, without wearing no seatbelt/so I started to dance, without wearing no life vest” – that’s right! This nugget appeared everywhere a few years back, standing out in particular on Sander Kleinenberg’s ‘Renaissance: Everybody’ compilation album. ‘Manilla’ by Seelenluft feat. Mixmaster Michael Smith is a bleeptastic opening for ‘Pieceworks’. It also awakens memories of incandescent dancefloor moments. Worship at the temple of the Pearson remix is in session.

Bliss seeps into The Chemical Brothers feat. The Flaming Lips ‘The Golden Path’ (Ewan Pearson Extended Vocal) – “Please forgive me, I never meant to hurt you…” Melodious church bells and urgent synths complement the transcendent lyrics. There’s something evangelical about this track, and the lyrics – used in their entirety – provide a welcome change to the often repetitive, monosyllabic formula that seems synonymous with today’s dancefloor remixes. The beauty of this tune inspires hands in the air and it brings tears of repentance to the sinner’s eye. Halleluiah! We’ve been saved without needing to go to church.

The intro to ‘Pride’s Paranoia’ by Futureshock features a drum rhythm that calls to mind New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’, which can only be a good thing. A vague undercurrent of burning electronic noise sounds like a bee stuck in the speakers and could bring on a case of munted paranoia. The idea of a “superhero complex” presented within Futureshock’s chorus is priceless. Once again Pearson isn’t afraid to feature lyrical wizardry in its entirety, which adds spice to his beat-burnishing. ‘One, Two, Three – No Gravity’ by Closer Musik is the soundtrack to your dreams: “I’m feeling free… Between the stars… There is no night or day… Planet E is far away…” Gorgeous, ambient musings to cure the most vicious come-down.

We are reminded why those dapper Scots, Franz Ferdinand, had a meteoric rise to prominence with Ewan Pearson’s tantalising remix of ‘Outsiders’ – it’s been too long between releases from these lads. The hits keep on coming as disc two booms from your speakers. The agonising plea of ‘I Need Your Love’ by The Rapture fuses infectious synths with a glockenspiel – a hypnotic combination that renders you powerless. ‘Psychological’ by the Pet Shop Boys delves into the deepest, darkest recesses of your psyche with elongated organ sounds and the mesmerising timbre of Neil Tennant’s vocal. An epic version of ‘Ride A White Horse’ by Golfrapp clocks in at 15:12 minutes and is mesmerising and downbeat with an ominous undercurrent. The instrumentation slowly builds and ups the ante while the vocals remain somnambulant.

As the final disc draws to a close the mastery of Pearson as beat connoisseur rises to the surface. Even sacred bands remain so. From the first eerie vocal phrase – “words like violence” – to what sounds like an angel’s choir, Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’ experiences a reformation of synth arpeggios. The sounds of laser-guns being fired punctuate the chorus, and Dave Gahan‘s voice projects a forlorn fragility to induce mass sighs. Fear not, devotees, there’s plenty to celebrate in Pearson’s remix.

There seems to be nothing trademark about his production but rather an instinctual ear that siphons out gold. If aliens desire to learn about the future of earthling music, they ought to abduct Pearson.