[Traum Schallplatten]

Dominik Eulberg’s Diorama may lack vocals, but the German’s hooky, melodic constructions were nonetheless begging to be reworked. Taking advantage of this quality, this package unsurprisingly utilizes the album’s more recognizable tracks. Such an approach seems both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it gives the remixers an easy leg up. On the other, if people are particularly attached to the originals, the newer versions may seem more like vandalism than renovation. It’s all about perspective, of course. From here, however, the release mainly succeeds — if plainly — in its aim of reimagining Eulberg’s tinkling intricacies in other ways.

Taking two bites at the apple, Stephan Bodzin presents alternate versions of the caterwauling “Teddy Tausendtod.” The original is most notable for its supple chords, which play out in a measured, incremental fashion before contorting into a pitch-bending frenzy. The first of Bodzin’s remixes, sub-titled “Marabu,” swaps Eulberg’s rounded percussion and 4/4 drums for scratchy syncopation and stuttering kicks. These alterations add a more frantic edge to the original template, despite the melodic elements remaining much the same. The other, “Flamingo,” takes the opposite tack. It’s almost as if Bodzin had a conscious desire to turn in dichotomous efforts. This version keeps time with little more than a dogged shaker and slims the original twanging motif to a kind of subterranean dripping. Now there’s a faint sense of tension, occasionally released with outbursts of snarling bass.

The original of “Der Tanz Der Gluehwuermchen” (aka “The Dance of the Fireflies”) brims with waves of soothing arpeggio. In contrast, Petar Dundov’s remix is more melodically sparing and also offers an old-school touch. Beginning with nasally toms and wandering robotic bass, the Music Man-stalwart waits until mid-way before introducing the original’s distinctive ripples. It’s only a brief interlude, however, and he never stops the beat. In the end, it’s a less dainty take on the original, but retains the calm mood.

Ryan Davis’ remake of “Taeuschnungs-Blume” grabs the original’s mellifluous bells and smooshes most of them into a thick, blurry layer. The ones left intact are widely-spaced, the gaps filled out with ascending Rhodes chords. Cleverly, he’s also used Eulberg’s broken beats for a breakdown, rather than abolishing them altogether in this 4/4 version. Jesse Somfay’s remix of “Echomaus” is the least conventional of the bunch, although that’s always been his M.O. though, hasn’t it? The Canadian would seem a good match to Eulberg’s light melodies, but sadly his 11-minute take feels a bit silly. The first four minutes establish a pounding kick and wisps of melody before Somfay rips it all away for a laser-reaching, ’99-style trance breakdown. When the beat returns, it’s taken on the same kind of manic, distorted quality found in hardcore, though with a touch less intensity. As you may have guessed, it’s the only poor track in this otherwise moderate release.