Yes, Kelela's CUT 4 ME mixtape originally came out in 2013, and yes, it received more than enough (justified!) critical praise that year. However, 2015 saw Fade To Mind (one of THE labels to always keep an eye on) put out an expanded "deluxe" version of the record featuring some astonishingly great remixes by associated producers. Somehow, FTM and Kelela have succeeded in making a great set of songs even greater. The original album was a landmark achievement in the increasing crossover between mutated club sounds and soulful R&B. Kelela's stunning vocals and surreal, sexy lyrics are fused with the technicolor soundscapes of Nguzunguzu, the club-ready R&B of label-head Kingdom, the experimental textures of Jam City and P. Morris, and the hefty club constructions of Bok Bok and Girl Unit. Stand-out tracks like Enemy, Cherry Coffee, Keep It Cool and the two-parter Go All Night have rapidly become classics for those in-the-know, while the Kingdom-produced single Bank Head is still one of the best tunes to see substantial radio airplay in the past few years. In the years since, Kelela has toured alongside some of the best DJs from Fade To Mind (and sister-label Night Slugs) including Total Freedom, Kingdom and Bok Bok. In live shows, these DJs contort her tracks into new and weird shapes, with Kelela's beautiful voice becoming a malleable tool for the exploration of novel club textures. She is totally in control on both the album and in live shows, riding the bizarre sounds of her collaborators and fighting against their discordant experimentation. The remixes included on the expanded edition of CUT 4 ME demonstrate this remarkably well. Four of the remixes come from producers that worked on the record. Jam City reworks his own production on Keep It Cool, creating a more minimal vibe than that of the original. Kingdom takes on Enemy, stripping it right back and amplifying the grime sounds of the track with the addition of a pounding drum beat and vampy synth stabs. Nguzunguzu and Girl Unit both provide unique takes on Send Me out, with an unbelievably bass-y version from Nguzunguzu that is sure to blow out your sub-woofers contrasting wonderfully with Girl Unit's gorgeous ballad. The other four remixes are even better, coming from producers with no connection to CUT 4 Me initially. #KUNQ member Rizzla's Keep It Cool is a masterful piece of avant-house, while ballroom legend MikeQ's "Almighty Mix" of Cherry Coffee, which has shown up in mixes by various FTM associates over the past few years, turns Kelela's lyric "Pray to the almighty" into a brilliantly repetitive and rhythmic command. Gang Fatale and Night Slugs associate Neana offers a pounding reworking of Go All Night, before the album concludes with Massacooramaan's creepy and utterly show-stealing slowed-down take on the same track. This is a release that merited celebration for its fusion of club and R&B sounds, but the expanded version has simply taken these themes to new levels. A great record from a great artist on a great label.
