Erasure’s Andy Bell released a new remix album ‘Variance II – The Torsten The Beautiful Libertine Remixes‘ this week. Variance II is the dancefloor based spin-off from Andy’s Torsten theatre and concept album projects.
In celebration of the sell-out success and critical acclaim of Andy Bell’s recent theatre show “Torsten The Beautiful Libertine”, the Andy Bell is Torsten team has compiled an all new album – Variance II. Packaged in a mini-gatefold sleeve with a vinyl effect CD, Variance II is the second in an occasional series of limited edition releases that re-work or remix songs from the ongoing ‘Andy Bell is Torsten’ songbook. These continuing Variance releases also contain some completely new and more experimental compositions; on this edition these have been fused into the epic album opener, the 10 minute continuous play ‘Senseless Symphony’; a composition of up-cycled fragments and reworked unreleased tracks from the main album sessions.
The second part, comprising the main body of work on Variance II, takes the original “Torsten The Beautiful Libertine” theatrical / cabaret soundtrack album onto the dancefloor in collaborations with some of the ‘go-to’ electro-pop / dance remixers of the day; Matt Pop, Barry Harris, Shelter, Joe Gauthreaux and Vince Clarke.
Matt Pop has reworked ‘Queercore!’ as both a Club and Radio Remix in his signature energy pop sound. He has an impressive remix discography that includes Cilla Black, RuPaul, Sinitta and Hazell Dean.
Barry Harris who was originally part of the legendary Thunderpuss music production team has an impressive CV of remix work that includes tracks by Justin Bieber, Whitney Houston, Meghan Trainor and Sia. Barry has created a remix of perhaps the most complex song from the original album, ‘The Slums We Loved’. Of the work involved in remixing this Andy Bell song, Barry said, “I think it’s been my biggest remix challenge since I did Mary J. Blige’s Thunderpuss remix of ‘No More Drama’.
Music producer and remixer Joe Gauthreaux is a celebrated Stateside House Music DJ and has remixed Tony Moran, Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo, Bimbo Jones and RuPaul among many others. He is known for his painstaking curation of fresh beats and forgotten classics and his House style often co-opts melodic trance and tribal rhythms into the mix! On Variance II, he has skilfully reworked the epic album and theatre show title track ‘Beautiful Libertine’.
Synth-pop pioneer Vince Clarke, as well as his work with Andy Bell in Erasure and his previous work with Yazoo and Depeche Mode, has an illustrious history as a remixer working with Happy Mondays, Future Islands & The Saturdays among many, many more! He has remixed the lead single from the original album; ‘My Precious One’, giving it his trademark sound!
Shelter are former electro-pop collaborators with Andy Bell on his I-Pop album. They remain a firm fan favourite within the UK, German and Danish synth-core scene and it is a delight to include their amazing synth-pop dance remix of ‘We Were Singing Along To Liza’. Also included are two remixes by electronic artists from the remote Faroe Islands music scene; Rannvá Helenudóttir and Jens Ladekarl-Thomsen of pop band Hulda and Jan Rasmussen who composes under the moniker Analog Norð.
Variance II represents further outreach work into the mainstream electro-pop audience synonymous with Andy Bell’s ground-breaking band Erasure. It is, however, most importantly a unique and fascinating fusion of theatrical narrative and dancefloor beats fronted by one of the defining voices of the synth-pop genre.
https://youtu.be/_x3uAzgHKyE
