Ennio Morricone Remixes Volume 1

Let's get to the point: If you like electronic and soundtracks, this is an exciting album. If you like big beat, you may like this. If you're a soundtrack fan and hate any type of remixing of music to sound "modern", stay away! You have been duly warned.

That being said, this is one fun album. The idea is that many underground UK D.J.s and artists were given free reign to adapt the themes of legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone, whose name is on close to 500 films. This is not like some Paul Oakenfold remix of Planet of the Apes or Signs. There is great love in this tribute, as the title of the vintage-60's first track suggests ("We Love Ennio").

Morricone's music has always had simple repetitive hooks. Think about that simple Harmonica motif in Once Upon a Time in West. It sticks in your brain and never lets go as it repeats and repeats and, well, that type of music is perfect for a break beat sample.

Not that the music is just break beat. The album is an eclectic mix that crosses the gambit of electronica stylings: Hakan Lidbo takes "Alla Serenita" gives it that unique retro-house Daft Punk spin while Kabiki uses more jungle/drum & bass in "Dal Mare" , Temporary Soundmuseum  simply goes ambient with "Sucker's Finale".

The artists vary their approaches to the original source music. Majbour takes "Addio A Cheyenne" and hide the banjo theme in trance electronica, then half-way through the song pulls out the original version and plays them side by side to great effect. "Ninna Nanna in Blue" is reconceived as ambient-70's pop , which one could see Morricone completely approving of. At the same time, "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" Is deconstructed by Swell Session to become an odd samba which is only so-so. There are some other tracks that just sit there ("Amore Come D", "Rivoluzione"), but that is risk you take with such bold experimentation.