µ-Ziq vs. The Auteurs

In an effort to stimulate what was then predicted to be a industry-wide fusion of techno and rock music, Virgin invited one of its top electronic artists (Mu-Ziq) to remix one of its top indie rock bands (The Auteurs). Mu-Ziq took five songs from The Auteurs’ 1994 album *Now I’m a Cowboy*. In most cases, the techno producer found ways to retain each song’s fundamental groove or melody and expand it with new rhythmic or textural ideas. Even within their otherworldliness, “Daughter of a Child” and “Underground Movies” retain the original songs’ sliding, austere atmosphere. The most successful tracks are the three remixes of “Lenny Valentino,” all of which improve on the original song without destroying it completely. The first entry, “Lenny Valentino 3,” is an industrially ethereal slow burn akin to Aphex Twin’s “Acrid Avid Jam Shred.” The two remixes closing the album are even better: “Lenny Valentino 1” is an epic that sucks almost everything from the song but its apocalyptic rumble, while “Lenny Valentino 2” feels like the smoke and bones left in the aftermath.