Earlier this year, I wrote about emerging singer/songwriter Amatus and her thrilling track “Run Fast”, a fresh pop effort with orchestral flourishes that was reminiscent of Grimes and Janelle Monae (in addition to both Monae and Amatus having some awesome hair styles). The track was off her Open Compass EP, which also included seductive stomper “Messin”. Now, Amatus has released a fresh take on the track alongside experimental producer Jneiro Jarel, who is known for his JJ DOOM album with DOOM. His remix of the track debuted on Pigeons & Planes and has since then found a nice reception on the blogosphere. Since many enjoyed “Run Fast” upon my post of it, I figured this would be of interest as well.
Delightfully, Jarel adds a tropical, more subdued Afro-pop vibe to the track, resulting in a sound reminiscent of Little Dragon’s suavely hook-filled approach. The reggae-like guitar swipes and more restrained percussive involvement provides a breath of fresh air, providing “Messin” with more space to work than before, in addition to better highlighting Amatus’ impressive vocal abilities over a newly emphasized trickling piano additive alongside the more psychedelic and Afro-pop-driven production. This is one of few remixes I enjoy even more than the original; props to both Amatus and Jneiro Jarel for a job well done.
