Stay on that train, brother

Yuksek’s “On a Train” EP is on the chopping block this week. Will it make the cut, or will it be shelved as the record you’re too embarrassed to return after buying? Or even worse, will it be the one you can’t pawn off on your friend with the worst music taste ever (you know the one I’m talking about)?

The French-born Pierre-Alexandre Busson, better known as Yuksek, is a multi-talented producer, remixer and international DJ.

Dropping remixes for everyone from Ghostface Killah to The Prodigy, this guy definitely knows his way around a recording studio and even more so around a remix.

Yuksek’s signature dance-laden electro-house heavy sound doesn’t particularly shine brightly on this release. The sounds are somewhat generic and have an overall pop-music feel to them. Almost forced at times, you get the feeling you’ve heard this release again and again from several different artists. You will definitely hear this one at H&M before you hear it at American Apparel when you’re out shopping for single-colored T-shirts and overpriced hoodies.

I find myself surprised that I’ve yet to hear the titular track, “On a Train,” inserted somewhere amongst the hours of sub-par teen

reality television cramming the airwaves. This release does, however, get some credibility and redemption with its final track, “Mister Dangerous.” While reviewing the record, by the track really gets going with an electronic stabbing bassline that reassures this one is French. By about two minutes in, it’s in full force. There’s a nice drop, some wicked filter sweeps, and then a complete stop and BAM the full groove kicks right on in. There’s almost limitless potential for remixes of this track; it’ll be exciting to see if anyone picks it up and runs with it.

There are two remixes and a cover of “On a Train” that appear on this release. This is about the only time any credit is due on the whole record. As earlier stated, the release truly fails to shine until these remixes hit the listener with a fresh twist on the tired and tried sounds of the titular track. Gucci Vamp and The Magician each sport a remix, with the cover going to the French pop group ALB.

ALB’s cover gives the song so much feeling, much more than the original recorded version. It’s all piano, strings and vocals but does the trick very well with a Regina Spektor-meets-Mom’s-van-music sound. I can get a real understanding of what the track was intended to be about: leaving on a train. As for Yuksek’s version of the song, it gets lost in the mundane, overused beat and poorly executed vocals.

In tallying up points (even trying to scrape up a few to try for a full three) I could only give this release half credit. It didn’t have the gusto and jump that some of the previous Yuksek releases have had. The remixes are definitely the only redeeming qualities on this EP. Maybe a phenomenal remix of “Mister Dangerous” will be released from a big timer this summer and pull this release out of the proverbial gutter. ?