"That Ginger Ponytail" isn't on the cutting edge. In the literal sense, it's been out for more than a month in one of those absurdly long promo "exclusives"; musically, it covers ground that's been covered before (I can already hear noise about Ibiza and insipid statements about a "bomb alert!" - hey, look, more fashionable nonsense that should never influence whether a record is good or bad!)
But peel away the packaging, the superlatives, the bitter and cynical outlook that anything good can only be good in the shadow of something better, and I think you'll find here a self-administered adrenaline kit for what ails Deep House, or at least what's been ailing me.
The original mix is stripped down and raw - percussively, it moves in the same wavelength as many North African-inspired dance tracks but coalesces around a quirky little vibraphone riff. To get musical with you here, all of the struck idiophones (vibraphones, xylophones, etc) are fantastic for dance music - the most immediate example that comes to mind is "Mirror Dance", but for an entirely different take, check out Lego's remix of Ralphi Rosario and the late Donna Blakely's "Take Me Up", which is still one of my favorite songs. The production is overall minimal but quality, with breaks and an overall arrangement that seems inspired rather than formulaic.
Dubfire's Remix is glitchy, which you'd expect, and danceable, which you might not. It's probably better as a transitional track between two beaters - it does build nicely but doesn't really do anything with the energy.
On the other hand, Kerri Chandler's remix is just a joy to behold. The kudos and tributes paid to Kerri Chandler have never been in short supply, but I still don't believe he's gotten enough credit as one of the true maestros of electronic music. Studying what he does with a remix like this could be illustrative to the aspiring producer. What's good is emphasized: the shuffle percussion and vibes serve as the basis, the skeletal blueprint beneath all sorts of manifestations of wild creative genius that more than any particular sound have become his trademark. Without adjusting the tempo much, the quirky original actually becomes a stomp.
The production on Kerri's remix sounds still better than the original; the drums more resonant and the bits of echo and phasing are a masterful touch. Here you have both the stripped down aesthetic of the original, but it pays off in a majestic build. This is just an amazing track and worth twice the price of the whole package on its own.
John Lydon once said that if people start to build fences around you, the only choice you have is to break out and do something else. This is right on the edge of "something else" - not the ear-administered dramamine of many cloned and disposable South African productions, nor the empty chic of folks who discovered truly revolutionary music 10 years after it stopped being dangerous. But something else.
Review by: Terry Matthew / September 2011
Available: Out now on Beatport; next week from Juno Download.
Original Mix
Kerri Chandler Remix
Terry Matthew is the managing editor of 5 Magazine. You can contact him at 
