A now-legendary name on the San Francisco Techno scene, French-American artist Elegie seeks to combine the knowledge and skills she has gained as a doctoral-level scientist with her love for electronic music. She’s accomplished this numerous times before, notably on tracks like Neblina, Infinite Wonder, and her remix of Running to the Sea. Now, Underworld – Born Slippy (Elegie Remix) marks the latest addition to her discography, and whilst it can’t have been an easy task taking on a track as loved and renowned as Underworld’s platinum-certified 1996 single (which originally became popular after being featured in the film Trainspotting) she has managed to take the track and stamp it firmly with her own distinctive sound. However, at this point, it should be noted that if you’re expecting this new 2024 Underworld – Born Slippy Melodic House & Techno remix to sound similar to the original, then you should probably prepare yourself for a surprise.
For a start, the track is slowed down quite significantly, almost to the point where you can sway along to it quite comfortably. The angsty tension of the original is also gone, replaced with thick, melodic layers that ebb and flow throughout the remix’s five-and-a-half minutes. The focus is instead turned to a specific vocal line (the section that begins with “drive boy dive boy / dirty numb angel boy”), and in this sense Elegie’s version tethers and tames the original, removing its twitchy immediacy but also lending it a greater sense of depth and cohesion.
Well aware that it would be near impossible to match the brilliance of the original by creating a version that’s too similar, Underworld – Born Slippy (Elegie Remix) instead picks apart the original song and puts it back together in a way that sounds totally fresh and revitalized. This means that even if you’re a big fan of the 1996 version of Born Slippy and think that it cannot be bettered, the 2024 Underworld – Born Slippy Melodic House & Techno remix by Elegie is well worth dedicating some time to.
