We love a beatless take. When the drums come out it's like dancing in outer space (or something). How many essential ones did we overlook? Answers on a postcard please.
e-N - The Horn Ride (Deep Dish Ambient Mix)
This one is, ummm, pretty damn epic. It even cropped up as the opening track on Dave Seaman's Renaissance mix CD and I suppose chronicles that time when the sound of New York met Sasha and Digweed halfway across the Atlantic. This beatless take pretty much flips the dark and ominous original on its head and soars away toward the clouds.
Ferrer & Sydenham Inc - Timbuktu (Âme Beatless Mix)
Same deal as above I guess, but this time the cultural exchange is 10 years later and between New York and Berlin. One of my favourite records of all time, beatless or not.
Sabre of Paradise - Smokebelch II
Talent borrows, genius steals RIP Andrew Weatherall.
Mental Remedy - Koto Rete (Atmospheric Reprise)
Koto Rete was a bit of an unmissed gem in the Spiritual Life canon for me, mainly for its heartbreakingly beautiful chord progression. Eight years later this beatless version dropped on Sacred Rhythm allowing us to immerse ourselves fully.
Jesus Loves You - Generations of Love (Ambient mix)
Bruce Forest delivers a timeless, captivating ambient take of Boy George's classic.