Ruf Dug Island Remixes Volume 2

That cyberpunk chameleon of styles, Manchester’s pride and dancefloor master Ruf Dug is back on wax on Copenhagen’s Music For Dreams. Following up the first 12” of remixes that came out last year, we once again re-visit the island life of monsieur Ruffy and his debut full length album “Island” (recorded during a sojourn on Guadeloupe).
First up we have Italians on the mix. Hi-jacking Ruffy’s tribute to Wally Badarou, Leo Mas and Fabrice opt to do their own thing: which is churning out a bouncing house belter of their own that bears little resemblance to the original lo-fi synth reverie.
Closer to the original then, is fellow Mancunian Andi Hanley’s take on the same track. Adding sparse percussion and and a simple but effective drum beat, this take seems to simply be an uncovered second half of the original, where it finally takes off for the dancefloor.
“Mangrove Dub” is reworked by fresh-on-the-scene Aussie producer Tropical Hi-Fi who creates a brilliant version full of moist ambient textures and reverb-heavy dub treatments.
At last but definitely not least, Seahawks turns the whimsical hippie folk ballad “Le Rayon Vert” into a more intense and neatly dressed affair, focusing on the instrumental parts and lifting aside vocalist Nev Cotte’s contribution to the original. Still with a mindful of tropical dreams and the ocean shore close at hand, but in a more introvert Vini Reilly kind of way.
Essential package.