Departure Remixed

Following the release of his debut album Departure earlier this year, Kennebec returns with a digital package of six remixes, building on the expansive, organic sounds of his debut outing in collaboration with some of jazz and lo fi’s finest.

Upon Departure’s release Kennebec’s naturally inspired, exploratory work drew comparisons from Crack Magazine with early Four Tet, with them calling it “an ode to the beauty and solace found in the Pacific Northwest, to its sweeping landscapes and lush rainforests”. In keeping with Kennebec’s source material, this collection of remixes feels like an organic offshoot, spawned instead of made.

The EP opens with Newham jazz maven Alfa Mist’s remix of Quest. A prominent artist / producer in UK jazz’s celebrated no-longer-new wave, for his remix he amps up Quest’s natural swing, employing his characteristic taste for chopped samples while weaving its guitar and string elements into a Dilla-esque jam. With a similar taste for exploring the blurred boundaries of jazz and hip hop, Stan Forebee takes the lilting piano lullaby of Yesterday Tomorrow and cradles it into a laid back, contemporary jazz roller, with undulating pads atop a steady, pensive beat. Getting to grips with one of Departure’s lead singles, Portland’s Kalaido draws all the song’s sprawling musical elements into a tight, lo fi work, emphasising the original’s stand out moment sampling its otherworldly sax solo. Next Santpoort tackles A Monsoon, maintaining its driving momentum while lending his own dreamy tone. Night Time Stories’ own Ash Walker steps up for remix duties on album title track Departure, drawing out and re-emphasising the original’s bassline to incredible, blissed out effect, before prolific downtempo composer Tristan De Liege closes out the release with his take on the wending ‘Kalahari’, dressing it in ethereal piano chords, chopped guitar lines and warm pads.

Tracklist

1. Quest (Alfa Mist Remix)
2. Yesterday Tomorrow (Stan Forbee Remix)
3. Abundance In The Reeds (Kalaido Remix)
4. Monsoon (Santpoort Remix)
5. Departure (Ash Walker Remix)
6. Kalahari (Tristan De Liege Remix)