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Dark electronic musicians XOR and Vexagon collaborate on the brand new split EP Path of Surrender, where they each remix the other's tracks, adding their own unique twists.
Part of the title, Path, comes from the word's etymology, 'pathos,' which means emotion and is used in terms like sociopath and empathy. But it also has connection with the unrelated term 'path,' which refers to the options one has taken in life.
"Matthew & I are both bass players," Vexagon's Briar Moth comments on their take on XOR's Path. "My bass amp was blessed by his playing through it once at a Secret Shame show in Chattanooga. The sonic palette & atmosphere in the XOR song “Path” spoke to me the first time I heard it, with morose layers of mood & rhythm that felt kindred to my sensibilities. I wanted to bring to the forefront the emotional impact the song had on me & where it took me mentally. The remix was a blast to work on & this release is a joy to be a part of."
The opening sample of Love Is Surrender is from The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, which became inspiration for the entire track.
XOR describes: "It takes me a while to know what to do with a remix, especially if there are stylistic similarities and overlapping influences between XOR and the artist I’m remixing. After a few months of attempts, I had a version of Love is Surrender that felt fine, but didn’t feel like its own song. More a rendition of the original.
"Then, I got home from a tour I had to cancel part of the way through and was feeling depressed and lost. Not knowing what to do with myself or the newfound time, I started the remix from scratch and nearly finished it in an afternoon. Nothing about it resembled my initial attempt. Something about how I was feeling at the time allowed me to capture the underlying bleakness I’d missed before.
"I also sang a backing harmony in the final chorus. It isn’t something I’d done before on someone else’s song, and I don’t know if I would again, but it felt necessary."
Whether it's giving the original a dark, melancholic atmosphere, as XOR offers in their remix, or adding a lively groove to the retro dancefloor sound, as Vexagon does, both artists deftly add new layers to the pre-existing pieces. Whichever way, the release infuses well-known sounds with new life to create something entirely distinct and enticing.
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