Homesick Remixes by Matrixxman

The world has merely gotten worse since Matrixxman delivered his dystopian techno debut, Homesick, a laser-focused 2015 LP that landed on Resident Advisor's year-end list thanks to its "exhilirating" sound and a filmic narrative that felt "like a window into an icy future." Considering all of the conspiracy theories, tattered novels and manic popcorn movies that fuel Charles Duff's work, none of this is a surprise. It's fitting, really, a reflection of how the Bay Area producer approaches dance music the same way Philip K. Dick wrote his greatest sci-fi novels—by imagining an alternate universe that's alien and familiar.

Things only get thornier with Homesick Remixes, an EP that explores club-ready edits of three key tracks from Matrixxman's breakthrough record. With recurring collaborator Vin Sol by his side, the slow but steady build of "Necromonicon" goes from being muffled and moody to more of a mercury-laden shot in the arm. Another old friend (Instance, who used to make bold hip-hop beats with Matrixxman in the duo 5kinAndBone5) flips the synthscape experiments of "Earth Like Conditions" into a melodic blend of lean bass lines, distorted hi-hats, and rainbow-hued rhythms. Much more sinister is Mike Parker's "Opium Den" remix, which treats its title like production notes that require a paranoid, relentless pulse rate. And finally, on the flip side, is house legend Larry Heard, who applies his long-dormant Gherkin Jerks guise to three "Augmented" takes—all killer, no filler.