Kruder & Dorfmeister - The K&D Sessions (1998)

The easy way out (of remixing) is to produce a track that sounds nothing like the original whatsoever. This may well produce something musically more rewarding, but it’s missing the real point of remixing - and that’s bringing something new to a track without destroying what’s there in the first place. Cue Kruder and Dorfmeister, two DJs from Vienna who’ve quietly produced some of the most stunning and startling remixes in the last five years and made it their trademark to leave the spirit of a track intact while twisting it into something utterly different.

As you’d expect from a record on a label called G-Stoned, the overall atmosphere of The K&D Sessions is laid back - you won’t hear any screeching 303s or encounter superfast bpms here. Instead, there are beautifully precise drums and sublimely warm deep bass lines which create their own distinct sound without becoming repetitious. Add their ear for dropping just enough melody over the top to create a simple but opulent sound, and you have music that makes 3 in the morning a wonderful place to be. If you really want a half-arsed "sounds-a-bit-like" reference, then it would have to be David Holmes, but the comparison doesn’t do either parties justice.

K&D are also refreshingly fond of keeping vocal tracks almost intact, rather than obliterating them completely. Nowhere does this stand out more than their sublimely moody mix of Depeche Mode’s "Useless", where Dave Gahan’s weary voice is given centre stage over nothing besides pared down bass and is all the more powerful for it. Not that K&D are techno-angst merchants, producing beautiful but chilly soundscapes in their bedrooms - their sound is organic, elegant, eclectic and endlessly inventive.

, review by Chris Mitchell @ Spike Magazine
. discogs

CD 1
1. Roni Size - "Heroes (Kruder's Long Loose Bossa remixed by Peter Kruder)" – 6:30
2. Alex Reece - "Jazz Master (K&D Session)" – 8:20
3. Count Basic - "Speechless (Drum 'n' Bass remixed by Peter Kruder)" – 6:37
4. Rockers Hi-Fi - "Going Under (K&D Session)" – 8:37
5. Bomb The Bass - "Bug Powder Dust (K&D Session)" – 7:20
6. Aphrodelics - "Rollin' On Chrome (Wild Motherfucker Dub remixed by Richard Dorfmeister)" – 5:39
7. Depeche Mode - "Useless (K&D Session)" – 6:13
8. Count Basic - "Gotta Jazz (remixed by Richard Dorfmeister)" – 5:32
9. Rainer Trüby Trio - "Donaueschingen (Peter Kruder's Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänskajütenremix)" – 6:55
10. Lamb - "Trans Fatty Acid (K&D Session)" – 8:33

CD 2
1. David Holmes - "Gone (K&D Session)" – 8:29
2. Sofa Surfers - "Sofa Rockers (Richard Dorfmeister Remix)" – 4:30
3. Mama Oliver - "Eastwest (Stoned Together resmoked by Richard Dorfmeister)" – 5:11
4. Bomb The Bass - "Bug Powder Dust (Dub remixed by Kruder & Dorfmeister)" – 6:20
5. Kruder & Dorfmeister - "Boogie Woogie" – 3:20
6. Sin - "Where Shall I Turn (K&D Session Vol.2)" – 5:53
7. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony - "1st Of Tha Month (K&D Session)" – 5:49
8. Kruder & Dorfmeister - "Lexicon" – 1:06
9. Knowtoryous - "Bomberclaad Joint (K&D Session)" – 3:47
10. Rockers Hi-Fi - "Going Under (Evil Love and Insanity Dub remixed by Kruder & Dorfmeister)" – 4:30
11. Strange Cargo - "Million Town (K&D Session)" – 7:32