SLEAFORD MODS Share ‘I Don’t Rate You (Orbital Remix)’

Today, Sleaford Mods release a brand new Orbital remix of their fan favourite track ‘I Don’t Rate You’. The song, taken from the duo’s angry yet heartfelt sixth studio album Spare Ribs, has been infused with twitchy energy and sharp beats by the electronic pioneers. It is accompanied by a new mix of the same song from Mods’ own Andrew Fearn under his independent production guise of Extnddntwrk.

With Orbital cutting their teeth on the 90s rave scene – itself an artistic and celebratory expression of freedom that the government of the day sought to crush – it was almost inevitable that the Hartnoll brothers would chime creatively with modern-day electronic agitators, Sleaford Mods.  At a time when the present powers-that-be seek to heavy-handily meddle in British culture, the Nottingham duo have similarly melded bleeps and beats – while adding strong, thoughtful words – to assert their own artistic freedom.

Taken from Sleaford Mods’ hit album Spare Ribs, which was released at the start of 2021, Orbital’s transformation of ‘I Don’t Rate You’ proves to be an era-crossing focal point of solidarity and an vibrant expression of independence from the dark forces that abound.

Yet it is also something more. It’s a banger. With the Hartnoll‘s simpatico understanding of Fearn‘s electro minimalism and Jason Williamson‘s venomously spat bars, Orbital’s reimagining of ‘I Don’t Rate You’ is at once a howl of protest and rave crescendo. It is a soundtrack for club immersion and a defiant anthem. Political, cultural, dance-floor, this is the sound of freedom.

“Orbital made most other contemporaries look daft in the early days of dance music,” declares Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson of the impact the DJs have had on his music.

“You couldn’t even begin to figure out where they were coming from. It totally belonged to them at that time and indeed carried on being so. ‘I Don’t Rate You’, for me, was inspired by early rave, The Prodigy and Orbital, LFO. That’s the vibe I got when Andrew sent the music through. We both use the benchmark of this kind of music when assessing what’s going to be the best formula for hard hitting tunes. You can’t mess with it. And now we have a remix by one of these hard hitters. It’s proper.” 

As mentioned, Orbital’s mix is paired with Andrew Fearn’s Extnddntwrk reworking of the same track.

“Andrew has done a blinder with this Extnddntwrk ‘You Wanna Sound Cool’ remix,” adds Jason. “The speeded up voice sample and relentless signature beat push this idea of old school new school business. It’s bang, bang grim as fuck non stop. Totally compliments the orbital offering.”

Buy / Listen Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs: https://sleafordmods.ffm.to/spareribs