Modeselektor release “Mean Friend”

While Modeselektor worked on the recently released mixtape Extended, some of the tracks naturally turned into something else: Introducing the Mean Friend EP, based on the Extended-track Mean. The 8-track EP is out now. Listen to it here.

Mean Friend is indeed some sort of a mean friend – it’s a manic, synth-fueled gallop of gritty techno. The track was inspiration to a lot more variations when Modeselektor shared it with like-minded friends and artists. Blixa Bargeld (Einstürzende Neubauten) added his distinctive voice and haunting lyrics to a version named Komm, that feels like a hypnotic haunted house ride. The angular bass riffs of Bob Weston (Shellac) and the relentless drumming of Iggor Cavalera (formerly of Sepultura) turned Brush Your Teeth Mean Friend into sludgy math-rock.

On the remix front, Detroit electro don DJ Stingray, Bristol noiseniks Giant Swan and experimental explorer Telefon Tel Aviv all putting their own stamp and magic on Mean Friend. Two more versions were created by Modeselektor themselves and they present very different approaches. Un Amigo Malo taps the brakes, transforming the song into a woozy, quasi-hip-hop cut, while the booming Mean Boyfriend trims the fat and ups the volume, leaving behind a chest-rattling drum workout.

The digital release holds all eight tracks, but the vinyl release is split into Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, each holding four tracks. Both volumes are already sold out in our webshop, but they are still available at your local record shops.