Remixes

Throughout the four remixes offered on Vida Blue's remix EP (three versions of "Most Events Aren't Planned," and one of "CJ3"), one gets a glimpse into the synthesizer sounds employed by bandleader (and Phish keyboardist) Page McConnell on the band's self-titled debut. At their best, his tones are glassy, ephemeral, and gentle. The remixers -- especially DJ Olive -- are more sympathetic to this aspect of McConnell's playing than his Vida Blue bandmates (bassist Oteil Burbridge and drummer Russell Batiste) are. The results are more sonically daring than their album counterparts, successfully fusing two different types of musical collaboration -- the live-in-the-studio improvisation that drives the album with the non-linear reconstructions of the remix culture. The guest mixers are perhaps just what Vida Blue (and live improvisers, in general) need -- creative musicians who are able to pinpoint, highlight, and focus moments of abandon.