Every previous version of Ellie Goulding's "Burn" that we've heard -- the original, and respective remixes by Leo Kalyan and Tiesto -- aimed to be huge, with soaring vocals, big drops and fizzy synths. But when Four Tet, ever the rule-breaker, got his hands on the song for a remix, he took things down a few notches. Listen above.
Sounding as close to "handcrafted" as an IDM remix can veer, this remix of "Burn" uses a lo-fi UK garage beat, ethereal loops of Goulding's breathy voice, perhaps some light atmospheric touches, and that's it. Four Tet shows that making good remixes doesn't necessarily mean making expensive-sounding remixes, and again reclaims his title as electronic music's master of simplicity.
This "Burn" remix (entitled "I got this song Burn stuck in my head so I did a remix and Ellie DMed me and she's into it" on SoundCloud) caps off a busy month for Four Tet, as he just laid down two DJ sets -- one on his SoundCloud, one on an Australian radio show -- and reissued a bunch of his old recordings. What a workhorse. For more Ellie Goulding, visit her Zumic artist page.