Max Tundra shares new remix of "Lights" by A.G. Cook

Max Tundra shares new remix of "Lights" by A.G. Cook

Max Tundra, aka Ben Jacobs, is one of the most influential artists of popular music right now. The hyperpop pioneer has collaborated with the likes of Arca, Daphne & Celeste and A. G. Cook. The natural musical predecessor to the likes of PC Music, Jacobs also boasts a remix roster which includes Pet Shop Boys, The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand

Today, he announces the reissue of his first three studio albums: the uncategorisable 2000 debut Some Best Friend You Turned Out to Be, 2002’s breakthrough Mastered by Guy at the Exchange, and the 2008 masterwork Parallax Error Beheads You. A remix mixtape entitled Remixtape featuring the likes of Julia Holter and Kero Kero Bonito will also arrive alongside the reissues on August 12th via Domino.  

14 years since his last solo album, yet his delightfully inscrutable and slyly tuneful electronic pop sound can be seen in all corners of the contemporary pop world today. These reissues bring Jacobs’ forward-thinking musical vision back to centre stage, showcasing three documents of unfettered inventiveness that’s shaped countless artists’ work since.  

Jacobs’ indisputable lasting influence on contemporary pop musicians has led to the creation of the aptly named remix mixtape, Remixtape. Featuring a stellar line-up, Remixtape includes appearances from the likes of Katie Dey and BABii. Alongside the announce today comes A. G. Cook’s remix of “Lights”. Originally featured on Mastered by Guy at The Exchange, the contemporary remix of “Lights” features raging synths and quick falsetto tones. 


A. G. Cook says of Max Tundra’s legacy: “‘Mastered by Guy at the Exchange’ is a true cult album - a playful monolith that sounds both nothing and everything like the 2000s. Stumbling across it as a teenager, it reinforced a hunch I had: that music is a place where anything could happen, and total chaos could be held together by the lightest of pop hooks. There’s an oddly British quality to Max Tundra’s work, a soft and polite maximalism - pioneering, eccentric and infinitely remixable.” 

On the creation of Remixtape, Jacobs comments: “Much has taken place since my albums emerged at the beginning of the 21st century, though my heart still swells when I play them again. I thought it would be highly appropriate to refresh some of these songs by enlisting the services of a handful of exciting modern musicians, inviting each of them to choose their favourites from the album tracks. I'm thrilled to hear these repurposed tracks, each fizzing and popping with vitality and spark. I also wanted to reinterpret one of the tracks myself - redressing the hectic original in piano-based attire. I enjoy playing the tracks off against their remixed versions, and it is pleasing how much they complement each other." 

Some Best Friend You Turned Out To Be (2000), Jacobs’ boundless debut, was recorded shortly after moving out of his parents’ house using the Commodore Amiga home computer system – a purchase using his bar mitzvah money that would become an essential in the creation of his music: “I was carting my Amiga from house to house for those first three albums.” Seeking to create “genre-free music”, the instrumental album was just the tip of the iceberg in shaping Jacobs’ trailblazing sound. 

Next came Mastered by Guy at The Exchange (2002) which was the first album to feature Jacobs on vocals alongside his sister Becky. Nodding to his laidback sense of humour, the album was literally mastered by Guy Davie at a studio called “The Exchange”. Released to critical acclaim with MOJO praising Jacobs’ “signature blend of off-kilter rhythm” and Pitchfork naming it “a massive achievement”. “My approach transformed into a kind of ‘mutated pop’ aesthetic,” he explains. “Where I would take at least the raw materials of existing genres and remould them into new shapes.” 

“The records became more ‘electronic’ as they went on, as I dropped ‘real instruments’ in favour of more purely synthetic sounds.” Jacobs continues while talking about the natural progression that the Max Tundra discography represents.  

Parallax Error Beheads You (2008), Jacobs’ third solo release, received similar critical acclaim and cemented the Max Tundra sound in all its tactile, toothsome, and tantalisingly indefinable glory. 

Jacobs is a master of the genreless music form touching on prog, jazz, minimalist composition and pop music. These reissues and the Remixtape provide an opportunity for new listeners to have the same experience; after all, a lot may have changed in the last 20 years, but Jacobs’ ability to sound innovative and totally singular remains preserved in amber. 

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mastered by Guy at The Exchange, today Jacobs is also pleased to announce a special one off show at London’s The Lexington for September 2nd. Tickets on sale now from here.  

Upcoming live dates
2nd Sept – London, The Lexington 

Available Formats

LP
Buy Now

Max Tundra Mastered by Guy at The Exchange

Album | 12th August 2022

Max Tundra, aka Ben Jacobs, is one of the most influential artists of popular music right now. The hyperpop pioneer has collaborated with the likes of Arca, Daphne & Celeste and A.G. Cook. We’re excited to announce the reissue of his first three studio albums: the uncategorisable 2000 debut Some Best Friend You Turned Out to Be, 2002’s breakthrough Mastered by Guy at the Exchange, and the 2008 masterwork Parallax Error Beheads You.

Tracklisting

  • 1Merman
  • 2MBGATE
  • 3Lysine
  • 4Fuerte
  • 5Pocket
  • 6Cabasa
  • 761over
  • 8Lights
  • 9Hilted
  • 10Acorns
  • 11Gondry
  • 12Labial
  • 13Souse!
  • 14Our Syllabub
  • 15Coming Up
  • 16Carimeron
  • 17Doggy Biscuits
  • 18Rail Thali
  • 19Chimes Corner

Max Tundra Mastered by Guy at The Exchange

Album | 12th August 2022

Max Tundra, aka Ben Jacobs, is one of the most influential artists of popular music right now. The hyperpop pioneer has collaborated with the likes of Arca, Daphne & Celeste and A.G. Cook. We’re excited to announce the reissue of his first three studio albums: the uncategorisable 2000 debut Some Best Friend You Turned Out to Be, 2002’s breakthrough Mastered by Guy at the Exchange, and the 2008 masterwork Parallax Error Beheads You.

Tracklisting

  • 1Merman
  • 2MBGATE
  • 3Lysine
  • 4Fuerte
  • 5Pocket
  • 6Cabasa
  • 761over
  • 8Lights
  • 9Hilted
  • 10Acorns
  • 11Gondry
  • 12Labial
  • 13Souse!
  • 14Our Syllabub
  • 15Coming Up
  • 16Carimeron
  • 17Doggy Biscuits
  • 18Rail Thali
  • 19Chimes Corner
Buy Now