Thanks to savvy marketing skills, including extensive licensing of his music and graphic design work, as well as long-term involvement with Cartoon Network's Adult Swim,
Tycho reached levels of commercial success unusual for IDM artists who aren't named
Richard D. James. His 2014 album
Awake hit number 23 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, and
Tycho's full-band touring lineup has sold out numerous headlining tours. While it may sound like he runs the risk of overexposure, his music is gorgeous and affecting, and his success is well deserved. Building anticipation for
Dive's much-awaited follow-up,
Tycho's label Ghostly International issued
Awake Remixes in early 2016. Featuring Ghostly regulars such as
Christopher Willits and
Beacon as well as artists from outside the label's roster such as
RJD2 and
Few Nolder, the collection is a typically eclectic batch of tracks, ranging from sun-kissed chillwave to atmospheric techno. While some remixers tend to obliterate or deconstruct their source material, most of the cuts on
Awake Remixes keep the original melodies intact, modifying the rest of the songs' instrumentation to fit the remixers' individual styles. The album's opening remix of "Awake" unmistakably sounds like
Com Truise's bubbly, slo-mo synth-funk, but it maintains the same tempo and chiming melody of the original, which is one of
Tycho's most popular songs. Likewise, there isn't really much to add to the twinkling, joyful melody of "L," so
Dusty Brown lets it be, and the bouncing pulse of his rework doesn't distract from the original's beauty at all. The most head-turning, exciting track on the release is the version of "Dye" by
Nitemoves, the solo electronic guise of
Tycho's live drummer
Rory O'Connor. He transforms the relaxed acoustic guitar-driven original into a suspenseful jungle track, with frantic breakbeats smashing around in the background, playing upon a slow-fast dynamic with the song's original laid-back tempo.
Bibio applies his folky, reverse-guitar magic to "Spectre," and
Baio (
Vampire Weekend's
Chris Baio) adds his subtly dramatic vocals and a tense, nervy beat pattern to
Awake's drifting ambient finale, "Plains."
Awake Remixes is an enjoyable collection that actually holds its own against the original album.