The Future Sound of London – Papua New Guinea (Journey to Pyramid)

Released on:
Papua New Guinea (1992)
Papua New Guinea (1996)

Runtime: 5:25

The most radical of the band’s 1992 reworkings of ‘Papua New Guinea‘, ‘Journey to Pyramid’ is almost a separate track in its own right. It still features a cut-up version of the Lisa Gerrard vocal, and a few of the synth sweeps and effects from the original, but without the vocal sample it could easily pass as an entirely original piece that simply reuses some sounds (a common practice throughout the group’s history).

The title is fitting, with a dusty sounding synth pad suggestive of sweltering desert heat, as well as a faux-‘Eastern’ sounding arpeggio melody. The mood is very different to the original, but hugely evocative in its own way. Certainly the synth sounds have dated a little worse than those of the original, but the track has always been one of my 1992 favourites, and is an early sign of the band’s willingness to expand a track into wholly new territories on a single.

Credits
Composed by Brian Dougans & Garry Cobain (sleeve).
Composed by Brian Dougans / Garry Cockbain (labels).
Produced by The Future Sound of London.
Recorded at Earthbeat Studios 1992.
Engineered by Yage.