Announced at the turn of the month, the release of "Ultra" - a tsunami of demolished trance euphoria - marked the suitably dramatic return of Evian Christ, and the artist's debut single on Warp. Next up: a remix by the similarly elusive Yung Sherman, known to fans primarily as a founding member of Yung Lean's Sad Boys Entertainment crew.
Sherman skilfully redirects the cold ambient tension of "Ultra" into something more cutely euphoric; here, a playful counterpoint of gliding trance leads and resonant plucks take centre-stage. Christ's original four-note motif - which collapses like a chain of frozen supersaws shattering in series - is pulled back from the brink and given new life as a characteristically buoyant lead melody, recalling the bounce and ecstasy of eurodance and early-EDM.
The remix marks the most recent in a list of collaborations between the two artists: Christ's infamous Trance Party event series has hosted Sherman on three occasions, and his remix of Sherman's 2017 single "I D C" has become a fan favourite . Earlier this year the pair spent a month in Ytterhogdal, Sweden, working collaboratively on a range of projects.
’Ultra’ has gained widespread support from publications including Pitchfork, NME, FACT, Yahoo, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, The Quietus, Mixmag, The Line of Best Fit, London in Stereo, Dummy and Magnetic.
Evian Christ Bio:
Following a series of releases on Tri Angle records, plus production work for the likes of Kanye West, Travis Scott and Danny Brown, Evian Christ's recent years have seen him lead an all-fronts cultural enquiry into the legacy and absence of Euphoria in contemporary cultural life. His wildly successful ‘Trance Party’ project has quickly expanded from Ellesmere Port clubnight to global event series, boasting a long list of diverse guests including Arca, SOPHIE, Yves Tumor, Bhad Bhabie and Altern8. His ongoing collaboration with visual artist David Rudnick has brought attention beyond the music world, with the pair infamously commissioned to produce monuments to the victims of the historically-disputed ‘Trance War’ at London’s prestigious ICA in 2016, and at the 2018 Moscow Biennale. "Ultra" marks Evian Christ's long-awaited return to recorded music, and is his debut single on Warp.
Yung Sherman Bio:
Surfacing online in late 2012, Yung Sherman is one of the key melodic architects behind what would later be known as the "emotional sound"; together with GUD, Sherman's singular approach to production and songwriting for Yung Lean ignited an entire sub-genre of urban music. 2017's "Innocence" EP, released on Year0001, marked Sherman's first substantial solo release, and saw the artist plotting unlikely paths between early EDM, dream pop and mid 00s southern rap. On "Innocence v2", he collaborated with Evian Christ, Bladee, Uli K and Kamixlo on a series of remixes.