by Ben Hogwood

If we know anything about Paul Woolford and his Special Request moniker, it is that he never stops giving. After a prodigious run of albums in 2021 he took his foot off the gas a little in terms of releasing records, but returns with the first in a run of four releases to show he’s been anything but idle.

This is not just any old release, either. With the blessing of The KLF he has reimagined and recast one of their biggest and most influential tunes, What Time Is Love? While remixing the original would surely be foolhardy stuff, Woolford has been far more imaginative. He takes his own spin on the original, putting it in the centre of a new album, around which orbits a number of tracks written and executed in respect to how The KLF were working at the time.

That means a contrast of out and out, acidic rave highs, and ambient dropout patches, where field recordings and relaxing textures combine to soothe the fevered brow. This being Paul Woolford, however, it’s not quite as simple as that – as you’ll find out when you listen.

Released today, the What Time Is Love? sessions are not to be missed – and will be reviewed in full on Arcana soon.

Published post no.2,018 – Thursday 23 November 2023