14. Sa Dingding- Wonderland
When I first heard about this one, I was taken aback- ANOTHER remix album? I thought the international version of The Coming Ones was the remix album. But no, apparantly not.
Approaching with caution- I had never heard of the producer of these tracks "Conrank" before- I purchased it anyway- the album cover alone was beautiful enough to sell it to me. I did not expect it to be so damn good. It isn't really a third version of The Coming Ones- it is a collective of her entire career under the Sa Dingding moniker- and these aren't just remixes, they are true reimaginings of her material.
It isn't just a slap bang mix either- vocals have been re-recorded to match the new sound- there is almost an anger behind some of these tracks too- Dingding has never sounded this fierce. She's brung some of the most intense vocal performances I've ever heard to the table this time- not just for her, but that I've ever heard period. She also seems more content than ever- she's not afraid to lighten up throughout and it's nice and somewhat surprising to hear this from someone who's really known to take her image and work very seriously.
Conrank as a producer, is top notch. He obviously has a deep love for Dingding's work and does his best to bring a new light to her mysterious sound. Listened through headphones, he adds a lot of different subtleties, the sound stage is entirely open and there's always a rich bass throughout every song he's remixed on here. While not every remix is stunning, when they do hit the nail on the head, you feel it in your bones.
Added to that, is the bonus of getting the Sa Dingding x Goldfrapp version of "Thea" (which previously was only available on the overly expensive super-duper version of last years "Tales of Us" by Goldfrapp) and the track "Ami Walking" that previously was only available on the very limited version the international version of The Coming Ones. These songs are beautiful in their own way and really add to the mix.
Definitely a highly recommended album for any Sa Dingding fan, or anyone who is interested in the art of remixes in general. Now we just wait for LP4- which from what I last heard, Dingding is working on right now.
There's no real videos on Youtube, but this album PV really gives a sense of the ferocity displayed throughout this album: