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With a respectable stack of solid releases to stand-on, Mexico City's We Are Here records drops this curious remix collection of TC Maniak's "Antonym," a single conspicuously absent from its own release.  Well intended to spin gold across a vital range of party modes, the record only dubiously succeeds.

Dutch label-pals, Pako & Frederick, deliver a notable low point in their extensive discography.  Their relentless techno opener attempts to embrace what one can only assume are the original's acidic piano stabs but quickly loses control of the resulting, ridiculous washes of reverb and delay, overwhelming the anonymous beats and atrophied bassline until the entire lot becomes an obnoxious soup.

For his retooling, New York's Fade records boss, Chris Fortier, steps behind his 40 oz moniker, delving into his simply detailed, organic percussive loops and cut-up samples.  The production is top-notch and by-the-numbers but the track lacks heft, failing to engage and ultimately going nowhere.  It's a harmlessly mediocre work but to Fortier's merit, his is the only of the mixes to absolutely shun the original's ungainly stabs.  Point lost, though, for the weak-ass white noise crescendos.

The real winner in this collection comes from the label's super-perky superstar, Tini Tun, along with regular production mate, Mau V.  Its mid-tempo funk is the sort of rich and high-spirited party track we've become accustomed to hearing from the pair.  The sprinkling of relaxed, airy melodies and an infectious, bouncing groove refuse to completely fall victim to the original's ill-fitting, signature loop.  Instead, the stabs are successfully paired with an unexpected 90s dance-pop vocal cliché, cheerfully reminding us of the source material's lovable, Chicago roots.

Über minimal tech heads will be nodding to Light & Zeque's contribution but don't expect it to ignite any dance floors.  Their rework most completely integrates the original, abrasive piano stabs that vex the rest of the release, creating a new melodic structure with the sounds and their own familiar, syncopated synths.  Bonus point for the fearless, perhaps intentionally silly, white noise solo over the track's tail.

This collection as a whole feels, to some degree, like an uninteresting struggle, both for the artists and the audience, with highlights being few and far between.  As nearly every other piece of music released by the parties involved is better than their contributions here, it seems fair to place the blame for the record's shortcomings on the exiled source material.  We can look on the bright side, though; all of these artists' next records will very likely be better than the Antonym remixes.

Artist: TC Maniak Title: Antonym Remixes Label: We Are Here Tracklist Antonym (Pako & Frederik Remix) Antonym (Chris Fortier 40oz Remix) Antonym (Tini Tun & Mau V Remix) Antonym (Light & Zeque Remix) www.wearehere.com.mx www.myspace.com/wearehererecords www.myspace.com/tcmaniak Our Rating: 6/10