[Deutsche Grammophon]

The third volume of Deutsche Grammophon’s “ReComposed” series was a match made in heaven: longtime friends and past collaborators Carl Craig and Moritz von Oswald teaming up to “recompose” classical pieces by Modest Mussorgsky and Maurice Ravel in their own inimitable styles. The resulting LP was one of 2008’s finest, and just before the year finished, this slate of remixes by Ricardo Villalobos and Craig was issued as a companion piece. The only shame of it is that the 12″ hit shops too late in 2008 to make year-end ballots.

The Villalobos/Craig/von Oswald remix marks the first time the three titans have worked together on one track (although it isn’t a true collaboration); and while the 12-minute “Uli, mein Ponyhof” remix isn’t exactly the life-changing work soaked-pants fanboys may hope for, it is indeed a fantastic piece of music. Peppered throughout with bites and snippets of the familiar classical pieces (trust me, you’ll recognize them when you hear them), Villalobos’ version glides along on a bed of funky analog bass, layers upon layers of skittering percussion, and bouncing, bounding sound effects. Stylistically, the mix falls in line with Villalobos’ “Fizheuer Zieheuer” or Luciano’s “Amelie on Ice” — propulsive minimal techno splashed Pollock-like with samplings of traditional works to create an interesting dance floor hybrid. Thanks to the shorter running time, however, “Uli, mein Ponyhof” feels more direct and floor-ready than “Fizheuer”; this is Villalobos’ most effective remix in ages — or at least since “Blood on my Hands.”

Craig’s “Movement 8 (c2 version)” — with a “Piano Moment” credited to Kelvin Sholar — recalls the rest of the LP with von Oswald on many levels: a crisp, streamlined techno track with bits of piano and ominous string swells woven into the fabric of the track, not just sprinkled on the surface. A few minutes in, an echoing, dubbed-up metallic riff clangs about (the first in a series of such effects), revealing von Oswald’s influence, and the rhythms get hotter, heavier, and deeper. After trucking along through a few breakdowns, the track settles in its final minutes with some warm ambient bliss. This single may have technically been released at the tail end of 2008, but its sure to find a welcome home in some crates well into the new year.