Folkstep – Really?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m all for genres. There’s something comforting about being able to categorise musicians into spheres which link them with other, similar-minded musicians. And, of course, it’s much easier for the obsessive music fanatic (the infamous OMF) to find that gem in the sand. But when genres collide suddenly and powerfully sub-genres can be useless and just downright pernickety.

Just such a conundrum faces us with regards to a particularly emotive remix of James Vincent McMorrow’s ‘We Don’t Eat‘. I’ve been keeping a keen eye on the recent rise in fame of the Dublin man, from obscure acoustic guitarist to profound singer-songwriter. His début album  Early In The Morning begins as just another indie-folk album, but after a few listens it becomes clear that his calming finger-picking and carefully structured choral arrangements are special. Getting national air time on Radio 1 with his first single ‘If I Had A Boat‘ garnered a deserved following which continues to grow and expand with velocity. Every inch of his record screams gentle and heart-felt folk; delicate songs of personal significance to a man singing about love and God in equal measures.

And suddenly, out of the blue, comes a dubstep remix. ‘Stranger things of happened’, you may say. But the sheer beauty of the remix is the real shock. McMorrow’s ‘We Don’t Eat’ relies heavily upon the raw nature of his vocals to evoke an emotional response (a lone piano key and an unbroken thud of bass drum are his accompaniment) and it achieves this with vigour. As a strong contender for song of the album – no mean feat with such a sublime record – besting it is a difficult task for any cover. But Adventure Club’s creation is not just another cover.

Choosing such a carefully constructed folk song to convert into a bass-driven thumper is brave, but McMorrow’s vocals are so clear that there is almost no mid level necessary. A mix of typical dubstep drum sequencing and juddering wobble culminates in a very special remix, which fully justifies its hype (McMorrow’s twitter page is full of love for Adventure Club). But where to fit this in the musical collection is questionable. Folkstep and Chillstep seem to be the main contenders for this new patch of fertile ground, though both sounding too artificially conceived.

No matter what grows from this, it is just all-round addictive song.

Have a listen :-

James Vincent McMorrow – We Don’t Eat (Adventure Club Dubstep Remix)