Video Review: Trentemøller| Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!

Hearing "Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!" for the first time, you'd never suspect it was coming from a man renowned for his emotive, introspective techno. Full of Moog synth, theremin and surf rock drums, "Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!" is by far the most rockin' track on Trentemøller's latest opus, Into the Great Wide Yonder. His previous singles do just as much to establish him as a man who's going to use everything in his arsenal to push what it means to be considered an electronic musician. "Sycamore Feeling," which we featured on our summer installment of Dialogue Incorporated Radio is a brooding folksy tune, and "...Even Though You're With Another Girl" is so cinematic and trip-hoppy that it could no doubt make Portishead jealous (we wrote about the Pantha Du Prince remix in our Songs of Summer Round-Up).

Speaking of summer, Trentemøller performed live with a full band and 20-plus person dance troupe at Denmark's Roskilde Music Festival, one of Europe's 5 largest. Below is live footage which has been compiled to form the official music video for "Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!" This is one of those things that makes Americans like us jealous. Never in a million years—forgive the hyperbole—would 50,000 Americans queue up and freak out to this music, as spectacular as the sights and sounds are.

Knowing full well that this album may send some fans heads' spinning, Trentemøller has taken special care in enlisting remixers for his latest batch of singles. Most include a dance-floor friendly remix from the man himself. "Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!" is no exception. Galloping along as a sort of fuzzy, psych-rock techno workout, his remix may confound club-goers initially, after all, it sounds as if Trentemøller got his hands on the source material to the Doors' keyboardist Ray Manzarek composing for a haunted John Wayne Western. But that throbbing thump is infectious; this is guaranteed to make the club freak out. 


Who better than Andrew Weatherall to add to the remix package. When it comes to reworking rock material for the club, few have a better track record. He upholds the tracks haunting qualities, but offers a more mellow turn from the original and Trentemøller remix. Last up is Lulu Rouge, a band who made their debut on the Music For Dreams label. There's is one for the dubstep heads, and a welcome change from the dance pace of the other two remixes. Undulating bass and half-time beat combine to devastating effect, even if this last one barely resembles the original.


—Joshua P. Ferguson


Head over to Sheena Beaston for a closer listen. 


www.anderstrentemoller.com