THE TAUT AND THE TAME / FIND THE ONE

After Tortoise released their 2nd album 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die', they commissioned a series of 12 inch singles featuring remixes of material from that album. The single 'The Taut and Tame' features a remix of the 4th track from the full album of the same name as the A-side to that single.

The original was an upbeat track featuring vibes, heavy bass lines and a somewhat sparse guitar melody which is developed on through the track and also features a synth riff in the middle of the track. The remix version, which is the one featured on this single, is remixed by Luke Vibert (Wagon Christ), who is an European club music experimentalist. The melodic aspect of the original is still there, the overall feel is still quite sparse, but the percussion style is changed, sounding more electronic and fast moving, but also more complex. There are also some nice effects done to the guitar and synth parts. You can tell it is the same basic song, but there is a definite difference and the biggest addition is in the excellent effects that in the end, justifies the few minutes of extra time added over the original version.

Side B is an 11 minute track called 'Find the One (Wait, Abstraction No. 3)' The track is a reshaping done by Tortoise member Bundy K. Brown of a track done by Jeff Parker originally called 'Wait'. At the time, Parker was not a full-time member of Tortoise, but he worked with them and would later join the band. Parker originally composed the original version after he had heard Tortoise for the first time. I am not familiar with this original track, but this reworking starts with vibes playing a repetitive two- chord pattern with a very soft drone sound in the background. Faint and subtle instrumental sounds can be heard underneath it all. As the vibes continue, the background slowly becomes more noticeable, and soon drums and percussion come in. A slight variation of the vibe pattern changes things only minimally. A slight trip-hop beat comes in with electronic glitches and tones, but it all stays quite sparse with minimal build-up. Don't expect a melody here, as this is a study in repetitive patterns, and the use of percussion in minimalistic music. After the midway point, the build up reverses and slowly fades away.

This is not necessarily music for entertainment purposes as it is for experimental purposes, changing sounds around to create new inventions. The music is very sparse throughout and will not appeal to many except those familiar with the original sound of the A-side track. It is good for meditation, or background music, or if you like to listen to the slight changes of the B-side. Anyway, it's interesting, but only for collectors and fans. It might prove to be interesting to composers of electronic and / or minimalism music.