One of the albums that slipped through the cracks of the overwhelming stream of 2016 releases was Adieu or Die, the third album Spanish artist Isabel Fernández Reviriego has recorded as Aries. It’s a precious, ebullient pop project that filters the style of the Beach Boys, winks at Kate Bush and Brian Eno, and swims in the melodic psychedelia of Animal Collective. Its 10 songs are warm and contagious, and filled with vocal harmonies weaved together to make you tingle.
A little over a year after Adieu or Die, a new remix collection of four of the tracks will see the light on May 5. The artists involved are nothing short of impressive; “Now Age” dance duo Prince Rama, Baltimore-based electronic guru Dan Deacon, and Galician collective Banana Bahia Music, all contribute to Adieu or Die Remixes. Fresh off the release of her sophomore album Kwalia, BFlecha also got the chance to flip Aries’ music on the EP, and we’re thrilled to exclusively premiere the result.
The original version of “La fuerza del sonido” is a sun-kissed composition with layered vocals, featuring a metaphorical meta-message about the power of music (call them “meta-musical” lyrics). Fernández Reviriego’s voice remains in the spotlight on BFlecha’s remix, but the Vigo producer places it inside a rhythmic trap build, celestial territory she’s very familiar with. The song’s pop sensibility stays intact, but new musical references bring it back to the 80s and into outer space, making this an entirely different experience from the original.
Adieu or Die is out digitally on May 5 through La Castanya.