Pieces and Beats

Nightmares on Wax: “Playtime (John McEntire remix)”
From Warp 10+3 (Warp, 1999)
The Pastels: “Remote Climbs (John McEntire remix)”
From Illuminati (Up, 1999)
John McEntire: “Quinn Goes to Town”
From Reach the Rock Soundtrack (Hefty, 1998)
Coldcut: “More Beats and pieces (John McEntire Tortoise mix)”
From More Beats and Pieces 12″ (Ninjatune, 1997)

A request for the John McEntire version of “More Beats and Pieces” got me thinking about the breadth of the Tortoise co-founder’s solo material. Reverb, lost-in-space bloops, and clipped drum samples abound. While not necessarily DJ friendly, these tracks avoid congruence for just long enough to make the eventual backbeat or consonant melody line snap you to attention. Somewhere between cocktail party background music and stoned headphone rhapsodies, these tracks don’t grab you by the neck so much as they seep into your skin.