‘What Do We Want’, by beloved spoken-word artist, writer and saxophonist Alabaster dePlume, has been remixed by Hiro Ama of Teleman.
Ama’s elegant remix makes full use of dePlume’s vocals alongside off-key piano and a downbeat drum loop. It’s bookended by a cappella sections that strip the track down to dePlume ruminating on "the men and women that don’t fit in". DePlume explains that ‘What Do We Want’ is about "our refusal to include people from disadvantaged backgrounds in our society, while celebrating competitive accumulation of wealth… which implies that there is something we all want, that’s better than our general wellbeing, better than one-another. What is it?"
The remix will be released alongside a live version of another dePlume track, ‘Who Are You Asking For’, recorded the Peach residency he held at London’s Total Refreshment Centre before its (hopefully temporary) closure in June.
The Lost Map label will release the tracks via digital download as well as on a special postcard featuring download code as part of its PostMap series. Both forms of release will be available from Friday (October 19).
The original versions of the tracks are on dePlume’s latest album, The Corner Of A Sphere, which Lost Map is lining up for a repress available from February 1. That repress will come with a bonus CD featuring live versions, outtakes, remixes and exclusive tracks.
DePlume is playing at Utrecht’s Le Guess Who? festival on November 10 and at a few UK shows – full list here.
