[Fifty Weapons]

Moderat’s album came and went, sounding exactly as everyone had expected while still being a successful and fully satisfying listen. Less successful, however, was the first round of remixes for obvious lead single “Rusty Nails.” TRG fashioned a peaktime remix that was perhaps too much so, while Booka Shade’s version was a thoughtless tech-house workout. Lucky for us, the Fifty Weapons imprint comes up with the “Unofficial” remixes on a limited, stamped white label that give two Moderat’s originals truly exceptional overhauls.

If you bought the deluxe version of “Moderat” then you’ve already heard Shackleton’s epic re-imagining of “Rusty Nails.” Thunderous rumbles collide with a portentous bass line that eventually sticks to a single note. Reverbed and reversed metallic drones cast ghostly shadows that surround Apparat’s best Thom Yorke impression. His vocals are pitched just enough to unsettle and obscure, but Shack keeps them mostly intact. Little remains of the Shackleton of “Hamas Rule” fame, but his attention to detail and capacity for dark atmospheres equal his best moments. It’s hard to say this any other way: this remix is essential listening and possibly my favorite remix released this year. Headhunter’s goes straight for the jugular of “A New Error,” paring a rumbling bass and stern kick with a midway breakdown into Moderat’s source material. Shards of “Rusty Nails” float around in T++’s remake as skipping noises and 2-stepping snare hits hover above a murky morass that can only be described as unique to T++. It feels it could go on forever and indeed does, ending in a locked groove of part ambient whirr and part Eraserhead imagery. All three producers are totally on point here, but Shackleton really steals the show. Bring on Part 2.