Alter Ego – Rocker

Plastician's remix is so huge! Got this as a freeby and I was completely floored when I dropped the needle on the flip. TIP!!

Alter Ego's ROCKER gained quite a bit of notoriety -- it's slamming beat and grinding propulsion has all the makings of a dancefloor stormer (if the speakers can handle the high-pitch squeals, that is). On these mixes, Eric Prydz regulates the beat some, to make it much more straightforward, takes out the harsher high tones, and adds a more pleasant melodic line. The dub mix goes crazy with the reverb (no surprise there, really), while Erol Alkan adds some crowd sounds (and a mystery scream) but doesn't mess too much with the original. Plasticman takes a few more liberties, slowing the track down with some minimal breaks and alternating the squelches until the track sounds like the inside of an electronic insect farm. Earl Shilton takes the title "Rocker" a bit more literally and throws in some grinding electric guitars. Personally, I prefer the original, but would probably be more likely to dance to the Eric Prydz mix.

Enough!
I when Rocker first came out. It was spring, the sun was shining, and a deranged, squelching acidisco tune came on the radio, like everything and nothing I'd ever heard before. Ever.
One year and 437 re-releases later, and this sleek, shiny, glittered up techno gem became the most boring hackneyed DJ fodder this side of Ibiza.
Witness this version, one of the last - a house-remix-by-numbers version by (sigh) Eric Prydz, and a really-can't-be-arsed-because-I-blantantly-hate-the-original-so-much offering from grime wonderkid Plasticman.

But, it's all over now. And Alter Ego need to realise that one anthem does not a career make.