Canadians really get electronic music. They always have. Brothers Conor and Liam Clarke out of Montreal are the next to stand in a long line of such talented producers hailing from the Maple Leaf nation. Appropriately named Love Thy Brother, the siblings have been producing indie-minded dubstep for a while now. I first heard of them when their remix of Daughter’s “Youth” came to my attention: it was a rich sound journey, hardly sounding like any dubstep I’d heard before, and full of creative juices. Just recently, they came back onto my radar again with their newest remix and I realized just how good these truly guys are. Let’s start with their latest – a remix of UK band Swim Deep that is labeled on LTB’s Soundcloud as ‘house’ but the actual sound is something far different. It’s a blend of different sounds and feels which work in tandem to generate one of their best works to date.
Swim Deep – Honey (Love Thy Brother Remix)
Backtrack a bit to the much-anticipated release of The XX‘s album Coexist back in September. The preferred track to remix off that LP was easily the sonically beautiful “Angels”, of which I posted the Paces bootleg. LTB took a stab at it and their version is a different take than Paces’ and brings much the same energy that they brought to the “Youth” remix that first introduced me to them – a rock-influenced dubstep bass added in, still giving the track plenty of room to breathe.
The XX – Angels (Love Thy Brother Remix)
Bringing along more of the rock influence, LTB tackled “Artificial Nocturne” by fellow Canadians Metric. Again the remix brings in distorted rock guitars as the defining element, along with strings and howling synths. It’s a perfect blend of hard rock and melodic dubstep.
Metric – Artifical Nocturne (Love Thy Brother Remix)
Finally, I want to introduce you to the song that started it all for me. I first heard it through Kid B’s Dope Vol. 2 mixtape. During the hour plus of that mix, my ears perked up immediately at the minimalistic beginning to the song suddenly accompanied by – you guessed it – distorted guitar. Very similar to the Metric remix, the screaming synths provide a upbeat melody and are beautifully accompanied by the grungy rock sound, with the drums providing the dubstep beat.
Daughter – Youth (Love Thy Brother Remix)
I am really impressed with the work these guys are doing. In many ways, they remind me of what Adventure Club used to sound like during their downtempo/indie phase, with a heavier rock influence. Follow them on Facebook and SoundCloud to be up-to-date on when their next free remix drops.