The Phenomenal Handclap Band - Remixes

In 1991, Creation Records put out a dance compilation called ‘Keeping The Faith’. Ever the opportunists, Alan McGee and crew exploited the indie dance craze that had at last propelled Primal Scream to some sort of mainstream recognition and scoured their own label for anything revved up by hot Boys’ Own DJs Andrew Weatherall and Danny Rampling et al, and anything else that had a breakbeat worthy of the name. Alongside familiar remixes of ‘Loaded’ and My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Soon’, there were pulsating Hypnotone tracks and reworks, a baggy cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘We Love You’ and bleeps and synth washes from forgotten dancetronica wizards Fluke. Altogether, ‘Keeping The Faith’ caught the mood of the time, something psychedelic, something Balearic.

Yes, there is a connection. We’re there again, loosening up, opening minds, embracing the Balearics. New York’s Phenomenal Handclap Band have taken their 2009 debut – as full of funk and hippie disco as it was – and handed it over to a diverse assortment of remixers and producers who, working separately, have somehow come up with a coherent theme. ‘Remixes’ is sun-dappled, woozy and, crucially, rooted in a dancefloor somewhere at the dawn of the 90s – or the dawn of the 2010s, because everything comes around.

So Clock Opera whip single ‘Baby’ up from a shuffling beat to a fully-fledged Ze Records tropicalia swing-out, T.H. White takes a break from chronicling Arthurian legend to weld fat drums and spectral guitars to ‘All Of The Above’ and Cosmodelica dubs ‘Testimony’ up into some kind of Wild West Skank. No less blissful are Munk’s ancient techno take on ‘You’ll Disappear’ where rumbling Fingers Inc piano and scratchy bass kick TPHB back to Detroit 87, and Stallions’ Ibizan groove on ‘Tears’, where sitars and bongos and – obviously – handclaps are looped into something ecstatic.

Most successful of all are Fujiya & Miyagi’s astonishing freeform kosmische ‘The Journey To Serra Da Estrela’ and Glasgow’s Den Haan’s slapped bass and zappy synth assault on TPHB favourite ’15 To 20’, the former flirting thrillingly with prog rock, the latter splicing electro and rare groove to fuel the anything-goes ambience. And anything does go, but equally it all hangs together to create a monster party. As if TPHB weren’t sprawling enough already, it seems you can add a few more minds to the mix and they get even better.