From the Cradle to the Rave is a near perfect album, and "Take Em Up" is one reason why: The interplay between MARCUS "SH*T ROBOT" LAMBKIN's loping synthesizer disco funk and NANCY WHANG's unflappable vocals is, simply, great. Now, that track yields added dividends through its pairing with a collection of remixes from an eclectic group of estimable artists. Birmingham, England's MARK E contributes his Black Country Dub, a reworking that adds a robot-precise, thudding beat to minimal arrangements, and then overlays the whole structure with room-filling synths. MARCUS MARR takes things slowly, opening with brooding synths and solitary vocals that burst into blissful electronic pop at the chorus. The digital release adds two tracks: A JOHN TALABOT remix that feels like a laidback house party that really gets going when it relocates to a disco floor. And Germany's MICHAEL MAYER's epically inventive take on "Tuff Enuff"--another From the Cradle to the Rave standout--is an otherworldly listening experience that literally builds toward take off.A1 Take Em Up (Original) A2 Take Em Up (Mark E Black Country Dub) Remix - Mark E B Take Em Up (Marcus Marr Remix) Remix - Marcus Marr
