Live Review: PREMIERE: Aurelia's 'Are We Losing' gets a jazz makeover courtesy of Sensible J

26 September 2017 | 10:02 am | Emma Jones

AURELIA is a rather mysterious new artist, opting to let the music speak for itself. Her social media is bare, not showing her face, and she only played her first show ever just a few weeks ago at BIGSOUND. But, the one song she has on her Soundcloud, clearly marked as a demo, does more than enough to show exactly who she is - and now it's received a glorious remix to further amplify this.

It should also be mentioned that AURELIA is actually a Grammy-nominated songwriter, so while her performer presence may be fresh, she's a seasoned musician and artist, and her debut shows exactly that. 'Are We Losing' is a smoky haze, featuring her breathy, Kate Bush/almost Meg Mac-esque voice at times, over a tinkering, dreamy beat filled with atmospherics. It would be a difficult task to take an unassuming yet complex track on to remix it, but AURELIA has tapped the perfect person to do it. SENSIBLE J.

One half of REMI., and on the precipice of a solo project also about to blow up, Sensible J lays down some jazzy beats to complement AURELIA's smoky voice. Possessing a deep affinity for percussion, Sensible J lets that shine through here, taking 'Are We Losing' from the foggy beachside into a dark jazz bar. With glistening keys courtesy of SILENT JAY, flute/mellotron courtesy of REMI himself, sensational guitar work from BRAD GREEN and Sensible J on the bass, this remix is a surprising but flawless rework of an already stunning song.

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Aurelia said of the remix, “Are We Losing is a really personal story for me about the push and pull of a relationship, and Sensible J has retold that story in a most beautiful and expressive way, and I couldn't be more surprised or happier”Sensible J agreed, also saying, “The original version of the song caught my ear immediately with its almost industrial sounding groove, and then these really beautiful melancholy breathy vocals on top. Kinda reminded me of two of my fav artists, Portishead and Bjork. With the remix, was just trying to match the floaty-ness of the vocals."

We're pretty confident we'll have this remix on repeat for a long, long time, and we're quietly hoping this isn't the last time these two come together on a song. Until then though, this will do us just fine!

Words by Emma Jones

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