2008 was one hell of a year for TZU. They released and had massive success with their critically acclaimed album Computer Love. The album, alongside some non-stop touring, has turned some part-time fans into massive ones and won them legions of others. So what do you do when you already have a great album on the shelves? Get your friends to remix the entire thing and re-release it as a double album, now known as Cover Up Motel.

So why Cover Up Motel? Well, some of you clever cookies out there may have noticed that it’s an anagram of Computer Love (don’t worry if you didn’t pick up on that, I had to be told as well). Pretty clever, considering a remix album is essentially a covers album when it all boils down to it. The boys basically sent a track out to a few of their friends and other people who they respect musically and had them do whatever they liked to them. The result is not just another one of those “Bonus” remix discs that get released with a good album once the initial sales slow down a bit. This is an entire album, same as Computer Love, track for track but appropriately in a slightly mixed up order. The finished product is a brilliant album by itself so you have scored twice if you decide to pick this up in stores.

The list of producers and performers who were given the honor of cutting these tracks up will surely impress anyone who is already a fan of the band and others like them. It kicks off with M-Phazes mix of Take It Easy, Putting a really soulful swagger on the jam with some nice keys underneath. Hermitude have left their unmistakable sound all over the story telling track which is Myriam’s Song. Plutonic Lab has put a more tech sound under Get Up which really works. TZU’s own producer and key player Duzzy Watt makes over the opening track off the original album We Got The Feeling, putting a really different and more synthesized sound on it. The Elefant Traks loves doesn’t stop with Hermitude as Mista Savona and Sulo from The Herd also get to do their thing on the tracks Burning Up and All Fall Down respectively.

Possibly the busiest man in Australian Hip Hop Trials not surprisingly was also asked to help out. He gives Step with the pressure a work out, giving it a reasonably hard edge which really kicks. I think my favorite remix is also my favorite track on Computer Love, Got To Do which has a new verse given from a female perspective on the track by Natalie from Blue King Brown.

If you already own Computer Love, I’m really sorry cause you are going to have to head out an re-buy this album as you will definitely want the remix disc. Maybe you can pass on the copy you already own to someone and spread the Computer Love. If you don’t have the album but have been considering buying it, now is the time. As I said before, you wont get a better deal than two top quality, full albums for the price of one.

Check out the tracklisting of Cover Up Motel below…

1. Take It Easy (M-phazes Remix)
2. Myriams Song (Hermitude Remix)
3. Right Of Way (Jan Skubiszewski Remix)
4. Get Up (Plutonic Lab Remix)
5. Number One (Sietta Remix)
6. Mondays (Polo Club Remix)
7. Computer Love (Tsomm Remix)
8. We Got The Feeling (Duzzy Watt Remix)
9. Burning Up (Mista Savona Remix)
10. Got To Do (Blue King Brown/Chris Macro, Ft. Natalie Pa’apa’a Remix)
11. Axis Tilt (Airi (Grrilla Step) Remix)
12. Step With The Pressure (Trials (Funkoars) Remix)
13. All Fall Down (Sulo Remix)
14. Crazy Thinker (Terminal Sound System Remix)