It has been two years since a project called Voidant took flight, with the release of their self titled album. A deep love of music and experimentation, as well as a friendship across an ocean, brought about an electronic gem. UK based David ‘Wolfie‘ Wolfenden, guitarist of the iconic Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry and Caroline Blind, from the USA, solo artist and lead singer of Sunshine Blind, are celebrating their debut album with a remix EP, featuring other extraordinary musicians, fiddling with those delicate stems.
Kicking off with “Vortex,” this is Elenor Rayner, front woman of New Zealand’s Robots In Love, who has a knack of drawing beautiful, dark sweetness out of her remix projects and she does not fail to cause a quickening of your heart, as the barbed tendrils hook into your skin. CWHK is from Sunshine Blind, and he has taken on the ephemeral “Ghosted” with the Brave or Silent Remix, upping the tempo and adding a very exotic feel to the track. The one cover on the EP is Love’s “7 and 7 is” and has been given the treatment by Danny C from 2 Forks, a member of yet another famous US goth rock band, The Wake. The remix rocks harder than ever and yet has developed this disco/dance orientation.
I cannot think of a better bunch than the UK’s Decommissioned Forests, who have taken the shamanistic “La Loba,” into a cosmic realm, swirling and mystical, centred around Blind’s vocals. Max Rael of Decommissioned Forests and History Of Guns, has truly put the funk into “SG Truth,” and it is nearly trance inducing. The original “Phantom Ex” was a very free form piece, that Wolfie has taken, creating the Birch remix, adding more guitar and rhythm, giving the bass filled track a heavier air.
“Writing these lyrics and vocal melodies was a cathartic practice of embracing sadness and grief. It’s all in there. There was no return. It’s terminal. There are no hopeful bits, it’s all goodbye. The vocals stand on their own, and those who have remixed the songs have understood that, in perfect alignment. That’s why I called it ‘Abandon Hope’, from Dante’s Divine Comedy: “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here” Give up and give in. Join with the heedless infinite.” – Caroline Blind
Abandon Hope is a wonderful way to relive some great tracks, or if you are new to the music of Voidant, then submerge your ears in the myriad of styles and talented artists which could lead you to finding even more favourites.
Abandon Hope | Voidant (bandcamp.com)
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