BlakLight – Control The Remixes (EP – BlakLight)
Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: The song “Control” definitely was one of the best tracks from BlakLight’s debut album “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty”. The song has already been released as a single and is now offered to other artists to get remixed. The EP features six remixes plus two hidden bonus cuts.
Content: I’ll take off with the hidden bonus songs of this EP, which both were originally released on the “Control”-single. It’s an opportunity to (re)discover a song, which wasn’t released on the album, but sounds in the same danceable, melodic Electro-Pop vein. The remixes of “Control” have been made by Scenius, Promenade Cinema, Beyond Border, Lloyd Price and Mind Machine (another project of the band’s singer Brian Belknap). Last, but not least there also is a so-called “Stripped”-edit, which has been adapted into a guitar-pop song without electronics.
+ + + : “Control” remains a great song released on a great album. It clearly inspired some remixes to achieve a cool job. My favorite remix is the one by UK producer Lloyd Price (previously involved with Massive Ego). This edit is more elaborate and features a true elevating effect. Another attention grabber is the remix by Mind Machine, which sounds pretty dynamic. The “Stripped”-edit is not my favorite one although it’s a cool and totally reworked version. It’s also cool that both songs from the single-format have been featured.
– – – : BlakLight has clearly chosen to ask less familiar names for the remixes –which is a great idea although I’m missing a few ‘hotter’ names. That could have been a better strategy to reach a wider audience, what this band deserves.
Conclusion: This EP is a cool addition to a great album. BlakLight have announced they are working on their second full length, so I’m really wondering how they’ll evolve after such a great debut.
Best songs: “Control – Lloyd Price Remix”, “Control – Mind Machine Remix” + “Control – Broken Mix”.
Rate: 7½.
Artist: www.blaklightband.com / www.facebook.com/BlakLightband Read the news on ‘Control The Remixes’.
About BlakLight
BlakLight is a dark synthpop project from Los Angeles. At the time of “Control – The Remixes” the Bandcamp credits list Adam Collier (synthesizers, programming) and Brian Belknap (vocals), with both members credited as writers. Belknap also fronts Mind Machine. Discogs lists the band as a trio with Omar Quiñones, formerly of Vain Machine, and Side-Line spoke to all three in the April 2026 piece BlakLight interview.
The band self-released the singles “Unknown Love” and “Isolation” in 2020, followed by the debut album “Music In A Time Of Uncertainty” on 20 November 2020, a ten-track digital release. Side-Line ran a ‘Click Interview’ with BlakLight in February 2021. “Control”, the third single from the album, was released in April 2021 and paired with a cover of a Peter Murphy track.
“Control – The Remixes” was released on 25 June 2021 as a digital release. The six tracks are remixes by Scenius, Mind Machine, Promenade Cinema, Beyond Border and Lloyd Price plus a “Stripped” version with guitar by Pano Coromelas. The second album, Into The Void, followed on 8 October 2021, and a remix companion, “Out Of The Void – The Remixes”, in 2022. The instrumental album “The Padded Room” came out on 12 May 2023 and “The Haunting Of Us” in February 2026. This remix EP sits between the debut album and “Into The Void”.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
