Michael Nyman and David McAlmont x Max Cooper – Secrets, Accusations and Charges [Best Fit Premiere]

You know Michael Nyman, even if you don’t think you do. In The Piano the composer is responsible for one of the most ubiquitous filmscores of the last couple of decades, the theme to which is now so familiar that it feels more like a traditional arrangement than the accompaniment to a Cannes-endorsed movie.

Nyman’s latest project is just as emotionally hefty as his work on The Piano. A collaboration with David McAlmont, ‘Secrets, Accusations and Charges’ has the feel of the chanson, a twinge of Brel; simultaneously melodramatic and entirely believable, it is the sound of turn of the century continental bar room heartbreak frozen in amber, and transported to contemporary London.

More exciting still, though, are Max Cooper’s two reworks. The cerebral London DJ’s work usually treads a bouncy line between glitchy percussion and melodic minimalism, but on this ‘Reconstruction’ Cooper has given ‘Secrets…’ an even more downbeat sheen. With layer upon layer of chopped-and-delayed vocals sitting atop reconfigured strings, and jittery, treble-laden percussion providing the counterpoint to a single-note bass part, this miasmic reinterpretation is less remix, more complete repurposing.

The ‘Reconstruction’ will be accompanied by a ‘Deconstruction’, built very much for the dancefloor. The tracks, which together comprise one of the most compelling releases we’ve heard this year, will get a release on Sasha’s Last Night On Earth next month. The remixes will be launched at the next FIELDS night, at Electrowerkz on 13 July, where Cooper will be joined by D/R/U/G/S, Rival Consoles, and Enjoyed. In the meantime, stream the ‘Reconstruction’ below.