In the past year, Dublin’s All-City label has become a major player in the nebulous beat scene, both through its ongoing series of 10-inches devoted to LA producers, and also by championing like-minded artists from their own (relative) backyard. File the new release from Manchester producer Krystal Klear in the latter category, as his four-track EP, Tried for Your Love is largely an exploration of retro-futuristic outer-space funk. (We could also just call it boogie, but where’s the fun in that?) But then there’s this remix from Scottish beat wizard Hudson Mohawke, who more or less takes the song into an entirely new dimension. Sure, there are remnants of the original’s electro-funk, but then HudMo brings in an over-the-top ’90s piano-house riff… and that’s just the appetizer. The main course is a long, and remarkably effective, saxophone solo that exuberantly brings the proceedings home. Giving the thumbs up to a sax solo isn’t something we do often at XLR8R, so rest assured that this tune is something special.

Tried For Your Love (Hudson Mohawke Remix)