Upon my pal Brent DiCrescenzo's suggestion, I've been digging on the recent Luaka Bop compilation of the "best of" the 1960s psychedelic tropicalia band Os Mutantes. If you'll recall, Brent raved about them a couple of weeks back, hyping their use of the Beatles' White Album recording techniques three years before the Fab Four had even conceived that album's existence. He was right, too-- Os Mutantes pretty much got it goin' on. I urge fans of recent Stereolab and Beck LPs to make a journey to the record store, posthaste. (Fuckin' do it, then!)

Tom Ze's one of those 60's tropicalia guys. That's the blinding flash of brilliance I'm able to present on Ze's musical background. Y'know, he worked the same scene as Os Mutantes and Brazilian genius Caetano Veloso, drawing influences from everything from bossa nova and samba to American protest songs and Morricone soundtracks. But you know remixes these days-- they're not concerned with maintaining the original feel and emotion of the music. Rather, today's remixers take minor elements from the LP versions and warp them with experimentation. The end product is invariably a completely new track that incorporates a few samples from the original song.

This is fine by me, as long as the remixers are competent musicians that can produce something that is not only worth listening to, but that the original artist would deem worthy of bearing their name. In the case of Postmodern Platos (I don't think they're referring to Dana Plato, better known as Kimberly from "Diff'rent Strokes"-- God rest her soul), we've got five fantasmoid remixes, and a straight, previously unreleased Ze track.

The selection of artists remixing Ze's material is top-shelf, if a bit predictable. It opens with the High Llamas' gurgly, liquid Squirm-style take on "Defect 2: Curiosidade." The keyboards are distinctly Americanized tropicalia, with jazz organs and studio effects that, at times, seem to have shot forth from the skilled hands of Nigel Godrich. Tortoise's John McEntire's version of the same song follows the Llamas' track nicely, incorporating Brazilian acoustic guitar, a solid bassline, an advanced samba rhythm and Ze's organic vocals and pitch-perfect harmonies.

Sean Lennon's rendition of "Defect 5: O Olho Do Lago" sounds decent enough, even if his ideas are somewhat amateurish and obvious (the sample of the electric drill was more effectively executed by-- and I hate to say it-- Ministry, on the opening track of 1989's The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste). But Lennon's obviously spent some much-needed time familiarizing himself with the expensive recording equipment that dad's legendary recordings paid for. He delivers a slow, punching hip-hop beat for the first part of the track, and all-out pre-programmed jungle rhythms for the second.

Amon Tobin turns in some predictably spaced-out, jazzy Brazilian drum-n-bass for his remix of-- you guessed it-- "Defect 2: Curiosidade." Despite the fact that we've already heard two versions of the song by this point, Tobin's beats are undeniably refreshing when pitted against the comparitively stale drum tracks of previous cuts. When, four minutes into the almost seven- minute- long nebulaic journey, Tobin breaks out his trademark frenzied rhythmic assault, he casually casts off the best one- and- a- half minutes Postmodern Platos has to offer.

Sasha Frere-Jones, who you may recognize from his full-time outfit, Ui, or from the pages of Spin Magazine, dishes up the EP's last remix-- a head-bobbing, mellow spin on "Defect 1: Gene" complete with breathy female vocals. But I can't really be of much help in assessing the quality of Ze's non-album track, "Canudos," since I'm not yet familiar with his latest Luaka Bop long-player, Fabrication Defect, the album the original versions of these songs appear on. I will mention, however, that its angular guitar part and "hillbilly violin" are enough to make me have to pee. Take it how you will.

Postmodern Platos works on two levels: it can be experienced by Tom Ze fanatics as an opportunity to hear hip scenesters' interpretations of a tropicalia legend's latest work, or by hip scenesters who know nothing about the guy but are looking for an affordable helping of post-rock and drum-n-bass. You decide which.

-Ryan Schreiber