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The last time I heard anything similar to Last Days Of Meaning ft Yolanda Quartey by Nitin Sawhney it was a documentary special on certain happenings in New Orleans – the blues, jazz and soul capital of the world. This is the definitive New Orleans vibe. To have it remixed by dance music artists you would perhaps think it to be utter sacrilege. Fortunately though, it works. As I’m a dubstep appreciator, I can get away with saying that.

The original – video below – is sweeping across the radio waves at the present on some of the more mature stations for it’s more mature listeners. The soulful , lyrical delight that is Yolanda Quartey provides the deep south wisdom in her warm and thoroughly engaging voice. The high tones of the harmonicas that would usually be placed in the parts of the electric guitar in most of the music I listen to balance out the depth of Yolanda’s singing as the sombre piano keys distil the gospel-like lecture.

Nitin Sawhney has this brilliantly produced and I must check out his work out further. I’m nearly bordering on embarrassment for not finding his immense catalogue of material sooner. The man appears to have more talent and skill than the entire SyCo empire.

To have dubstep connections seems almost strange with the line and sheer quality of the work that he provides but then again, the production work of seriously good dubstep material are in fact extremely magical, complex and very, very artistic.

The Engine Earz Experiment who have been having a very successful year – and long may it continue – have been working their magic on a number of artists work as well as doing their own. Here their magic has worked. The remix they’ve done hangs on to the core essence of the original. The additional heavy bass tones bring skanking to the table but doesn’t make a meal of it. The industrial grit that the EEE add isn’t to heavy weight with a stream of wubs and waves but rather a refined, minimalistic kind of dubstep that you’d be likely to get with Benga’s work rather than the madheads of the more underground scenes. I guess this is more so, one of the beautiful dubby numbers.

The EEE have also done another remix too, this time of Nitin Sawhney’s Daydream which is more intricate. A few more accurately timed glitches, a drum track that you’d find in almost every Magnetic Man record with also a similar aura that you tend to get along with them and also a kind of magic. That would be thanks to the spiritual sound of the enchanting flute that floats and glides throughout like smoke in a windless room. The combination of sounds is similar to that of a combination of flavours in a chef’s buffet.

Absolutely wonderful.

The album Last Days Of Meaning by Nitin Sawhney is digitally released now by Postiv-ID Records but only in the UK. For the physical CD release you’ll have to wait until September 5th 2011 where you’ll get all of the remixes included as well as other additional compliments. For now, both of these tracks are official free downloads available anywhere in the world and you can get the Last Days’ remix HERE and the Daydream remix by clicking HERE.

Nitin Sawhney on: