Remix albums, particularly of non-electronic music, can often be a mixed bag. At worst, they can be more a novelty item than anything else. But happily enough, this is far from the case with N.Y. (Rmx) P.D., a remix album of Hong Kong post-punk outfit N.Y.P.D. from some of Hong Kong’s top electronic music talent. If anything, the album represents the expansion and unfolding of the original source material, building on it and taking it in new and exciting directions. 

N.Y. (Rmx) P.D.’s tracks all stand out for their high level of production and textural uniqueness, and proves gripping from the first track, an XSGACHA remix of Indie Ching that takes the form of denser, hard techno. Mr. Ho’s remix of BMUU is another standout, reworking the track into an upbeat, infectiously dancy number. Alexmalism’s remix of Mee & Gee seems to be a deliberate throwback to an older era of electronic music, but turn-of-the-millennium sheen is giving a darker undertone by the vocals and throbbing bass undercurrent. 

That the album contains multiple remixes of the same songs, with most songs on the album featuring at least two versions by different artists, lets listeners see how in skilled hands the same base material can be taken in two different, very unique directions. The Canvas remix of Indie Ching proves another excellent example of that, taking the song into the realm of reflective melancholy, rather than hard techno. And many of the artists on the album manage to leave their own unique touches on each track. It might not be surprising that NERVE’s version of Anna is more noise-based, while the Kim A remix of BMUU is more dubby. 

N.Y. (Remix) P.D. is an album that stands above other remix albums and, in fact, can stand rather standalone from the songs it was originally based on. The album is a welcome addition to anyone’s collection.