1.24.2006

TOO MUCH RUB-N-TUG

Seems that lately we've been getting inundated by rock remixes, with new ones out every week, done by everyone from Thin White guys to Phones. Remixes are an easy way to do cross promotion for everyone involved (artists, DJs, labels, etc.) and, thankfully, they result in some damn good tracks (as well as a fair share of bad ones).

Recently, I've gotten off of my Alan Braxe/Fred Falke kick long enough to have a new [current] favorite in the remixing game. Rub N Tug (AKA Rub 'n' Tug AKA Rub and Tug AKA Thomas and Eric AKA Rub-n-Tug) are a DJ duo out of NYC that apparently share mutual tastes/friends with us here at SP. [Thomas is a former (phew) member of ARE Weapons.] They only have a handful of tracks out, but they're good enough to make this team worth looking at this early into their career.

Rub N Tug give their work a relatively mellow treatment compared to other remixers of late. The beats are still up-tempo, but riffs and arrangements are drawn out over lengthy textural changes. It sort of gives one the druggy feeling of moving in slow-motion while the rest of the room is in fast-forward. Thusly they make for great transitional tracks in DJ sets, but also work well together in a playlist by themselves for a specific kind of mood.


My [biased] favorite track so far is the Rub N Tug remix of lcd soundsystem's "Too Much Love". It was just released as a limited edition a-side 12" on DFA, with the b-side being a laser-etching of the DFA logo (my copy is in the mail). While most other remixers have gone after the more obvious tracks/singles, RnT take the album track and plunge it even further into the tripped-out abyss.


I am also digging their entry to 2004's !!! remix 12" , "Hello, Is This Thing On? (Thomas and Eric's Rub N Tug Throwdown)", which I've had for months but didn't check out until recently. Again with the trippiness, this time avoiding vocals entirely until ending with Nic Offer's crazed ranting.



Download their spacey "Panarava" take on Out Hud's "It's For You" here. I don't plan on re-upping the YSI link, so don't ask. I might if I feel like it. If you're looking for more, Rub N Tug also have a remix out of Coldplay's "Square One", which actually isn't that bad.

And one more thing while we're on the subject - check out the DFA radio mixes from James Murphy and Juan Maclean if you haven't already. I think they're still up.

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