Aladdin is an atypical project at Versatile, even for Versatile's standards. In the base, the group consisted of Nicolas Ker — singer, chaotic poet (known from Poni Hoax, Paris, and his solo project yet to emerge) — and Gilbert Cohen, boss of the label. The two met in the studio after breaking up with their then-girlfriends, resulting in an album filled with inner pressure. “We were strong so we got lost”, released only on cd in June 2011, selling only 400 copies. And since then... nothing.

But thanks to a one-week studio session offered by a brand of energy drink, they met again, attracting Syd Barrett-influenced guitarist Eat Gas as a new member, to record new material. Besides Eat Gas and his haunted guitars, other musicians were lured to the studio to contribute to the latest Aladdin EP: “Girls in Uniform”. Long jam sessions took place, featuring motorik drummer Mark Kerr, bass player Juan de Guillebon, and percussionist Francesco Lopez playing Brazilian percussions like the berimbau, and — hold your breath — the mouth harp.

With a cast alike, you’ll understand the listening experience will be a hybrid one; in between rock, dub, kraut, interrupted by a break in the form of a strange fairy tale... Trevor Jackson has been a staunch supporter of the previous album, so asking him for a remix was an obvious choice. Glorified by the success of his compilation on the On-U Sound label, he swings in a remix dark as hell but with an unstoppable heavy groove. At last, Gilb’R delivers a smoky dub, one of the first recordings to roll out of his new Amsterdam studio.