Stripping away the exotic rhythms of her original version, Valery Gore’s latest remix, a very minimal electronic reworking of “July”, presents the song from a clipped, impersonal distance. In place of what had once been a relentless flush of Latin percussion are long stretches of gentle, airy sonics. Not especially a surprising turn since much of the number’s parent album, Idols in the Dark Heart, explored similar terrains of moody electronic-pop. If you want to get a sense of how radical the reinterpretation is, then you can refer to Gore’s original, presented here live at the Piston in Toronto; the shudders of polyrhythmic drumming and curls of brass are the flesh and bones of the original number to the remix’s ghost.
Valery Gore – “July” (MNRS Remix)
Valery Gore – “July” Original live version