Lindstrom & Prins Thomas

Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas have really outdone themselves not just this summer but over the last couple years. Their self-titled collaborative album gave us a proper introduction to space disco with a satisfying but not quite as good as expected batch of songs after their previous singles. Everything it could have been was better realised a year later on Lindstrøm’s superior It’s A Feedility Affair. Nevertheless, the pair always seem to have their hands in something, hence this mouth-watering three-pack. As you’d guess, Reinterpretations is an assortment of tracks retooled and re-imagined to better suit their reputations. It takes only a few moments to appreciate this as the superior of the two albums — gone is the feeling of sailing on a breezy yacht and in its place is a set of tracks geared to the galactic dance floor. This is hardly space disco though and the duo lay down a slab of funk on “Claudio,” a more vivid telling of “Claudja,” as well as on the epic, morphing 21-minute “Nummer Fire En.” A cover of Can’s “Mighty Girl” though takes the cake, as they put their own club spin on a Krautrock classic. Not to gloss them over but Cosmo Galactic Prism and Late Night Tales use virtually the same blueprint, showing that they’re partners for a reason. Both dig deep into their crates to pull out some of the most cosmic mind-benders imaginable; they’re both similar in breadth, favouring obscure ’70s soundtracks, soft rock, prog and Krautrock, as well as more contemporary club music. It’s their extensive knowledge that this stuff even exists that’s most impressive, acting as an introduction to your new favourite music by Norwegian songstress Anja Garbarek or Japanese disco metallers Metalchicks. Regardless of what they do, Lindstrøm and Thomas do it well.