If I may be so bold, I'd like to preface my thoughts on this Slicker record with a bit of advice: get yourself a better stereo. Those Promise Ring CDs may sound just fine pumping through the $2 drugstore speakers you currently have plugged into your Discman's headphone jack, but there's more to life than overeducated eunuchs trying to get laid by acting sensitive-- just ask Jackson Browne. If you're going to listen to music comprised solely of subtle, complex sounds like this Slicker remix disc, you're going to need a decent hi-fi setup.

Slicker is the identity Hefty label owner John Hughes III (son of '80s teen movie god John Hughes, if you didn't know) assumes for his solo work. With Slicker, Hughes walks the line between the instrumental indie rock that made Chicago famous, and the textured electronic music perfected by German artists on the Sonig and A-Musik labels. This is my favorite kind of remix record-- the short kind, where the original tracks are entirely worked over and the original composer forgoes authorship completely. This means you needn't be familiar with Slicker's 1997 album, Confidence in Duber, to appreciate this six-track, thirty-minute EP.

Delarosa + Devine start things off with a chaotic, squelching piece that sounds like they were being paid by the sample. Both the intricate randomness of the arrangement and the humorous treatment in the processing clearly show the influence of Mouse on Mars, to the point where the track would have fit in nicely on their latest release, Niun Niggung. Next comes the Casey Rice vehicle, Super ESP, which does a nice job of cutting up acoustic drums into a junglish rhythm that melds nicely with an electro by-way-of Autechre bassline.

Matmos continue their impressive run of stellar remix work (check their fantastic Rachel's collaboration) with "Confidence in Silver," a punishing and funk-inflected piece that easily weighs in as this collection's strongest cut. Segueing from a perfect hip-hop inspired opening, Matmos transform the Slicker track into a thundering industrial opus before retreating to cutesy electro-- and all this in the span of five minutes.

Savath + Savalas opt for a more soothing, ambient approach with some lovely backward guitar samples while Delarosa + Asora contribute a rather forgettable remix-by-numbers job. And finally, Mice Parade see us out with the excellent "Confidence in Scoober," which retains many of Slicker's more guitar-oriented "rock" elements. It all adds up to a solid model for the format, an intricately detailed sonic work that demands to be heard with sufficient fidelity.

-Mark Richard-San