Lost & Found welcome Berlin’s VONDA7 to their esteemed roster with ‘Tough Enough’, while Pig & Dan prove an inspired choice on remix duties.
VONDA7’s original version of ‘Tough Enough’ is a rock-solid, driving slice of hypnotic techno, with propulsive synths, a churning bassline, and satisfyingly heavy percussion working really well together with some very cool vocal samples and a clever arrangement. The breakdown sees VONDA7 managing to generate some real excitement, leading to a wicked drop. If this doesn’t get your foot tapping, nothing will.
Pig & Dan might seem like an obvious choice to remix VONDA7’s track, but to their credit they don’t do anything remotely obvious with their interpretation at all. Of course, we’ve known for a while that the duo are much more musically versatile than their characteristically stripped back and techy productions might suggest – 2014’s ‘Destination Unknown’ LP on Bedrock proved that all by itself. But rather than offering another bouncy interpretation of ‘Tough Enough’, they give VONDA7’s ideas a real twist, with deep and dubby sounds adding atmosphere and texture as a fluttering electro-bass and abstract, trippy melodies weave in and out of each other over a jacking groove. The breakdown adds new layers of otherworldliness, before it’s heads down again for the last two minutes. Very cool and unique stuff from Pig & Dan.
Pig & Dan’s remix is definitely the more distinctive of the two versions of ‘Tough Enough’ on offer here, but it’s VONDA7’s own version of the track that most appeals to me – she’s created something really compelling that will appeal both to Lost & Found’s progressively-minded following as well as those looking for something a little edgier. Highly recommended.
