This was unexpected. Citay’s 2007 album Little Kingdom made reference to everything from Thin Lizzy and acoustic Led Zeppelin, to Popul Vuh and early Mike Oldfield. So, when the band started asking remixers to rework tracks from Little Kingdom, we were more than a little surprised. As it turns out, the world needs Citay’s Remixes.
From the ambient textures of White Rainbows’ “Eye on Dollar” remix to Cornershop’s Anthony Saffery adding sitar and percussion to “First Fantasy,” these are anything but typical remix rave-ups. These Are Powers’ Brenmar (aka Bill Salas) gives “Moonburn” a playful, skittering treatment, while Black Mountains’ Steve McBean adds his effected vocals to “Former Child” – the end result sounding more like Metallica than like Aphex Twin. While some remixes use the Citay originals as a foundation for embellishments, others simply take the audio as found sounds and source material. Either way, the reinterpretations of Citay’s music on Remixes is surprising and eye-opening. Released on vinyl LP and via digital download, Remixes is the Citay album we never thought we would hear.