Last spotted on Eskimo back in the distant days of 2019, London based duo Horixon return with The Beekeeper, a collaboration with Belgian singer and one half of Hydrogen Sea, Birsen. An understated leftfield pop gem, The Beekeeper's skeletal, dub inflected, rhythms, melancholic piano melody and subtly tropical percussion provide the perfect, balmy, backing for Birsen's gentle, lilting vocals. The perfect soundtrack to lying in a hammock and watching the world around you drift by.
Providing a counterpoint to the more organic, and warm, sounding original Norwegian duo Atella's remix keeps The Beekeeper's slow tempo and dub vibe but brings both their banks of synthesisers and a Nordic touch to the party. Whilst the original whispered of a still, warm summer's day the track's glacial tempo is now matched by icey cool synth arpeggios that glisten and sparkle like frost catching the morning light, whilst Birsen's voice takes on an even more fragile and beautiful timbre.
"His hands in a sea of flowers
He’s got pollen on his gloves
The beekeeper hears them dance
On a current of warm air
Bird beaks carry home ripe fruit
Of a garden bulging with food
The beekeeper hears them dance
On a current of warm air
He handles the wax house with bare hands
He says that bee stings make him strong
The beekeeper watches me
As flowers are made into honey"
Picture by Alexander Popelier. Artwork by Jason Marc Wood.