Massive Attack’s label Melankolic has released some interesting material in this past year, including their highly praised release “Mezzanine.” This Melankolic recording consists of a collection of remixes from the band Alpha’s proper release entitled “Come From Heaven” in addition to some rare tracks. As with any “remix” project, it’s rather hit or miss and on this release, the tracks that stand out are the rare ones and not the remixes (though, I’m sure the remixes got their share of club play in England).

While The Underdog remix of Slim is impressive, Pepper and Over, both from 1997 seem more representative of the band and the label, featuring slow dubs and samples of ethereal sounds plucked from the ether. Alpha has a knack (ironically similar to ex Wild Bunch/Massive Attack superstar Tricky) for slowing down a sample/loop to the point of unfamiliarity and using it to create a building block upon which they pile all sorts of goodies, including Helen White’s voice. While this ep isn’t as impressive as the full release, it does give the listener a glimpse to where the band has been and where they might be going. Perhaps the remixes will grow on you after repeated listens