Heathered Pearls’ 2017 EP, Detroit, MI 1997-2001, is revisited with a collection of remixes which further interpret the material and the city that shaped the Polish-born, Brooklyn-based DJ and producer.

Jakub Alexander pulls together an impressive cast to tackle the six tracks. Rising producer Sopia Saze engages “The Packard Plant” with rattling urgency. Esteemed NYC selectors Justin Cudmore and Shawn O’Sullivan offer contrasting takes. The former recreates it as a club powerhouse. The latter grinds it down to an industrial hum under his 400ppm alias.

“Under The Bridge” is seen from three angles as well. Matrixxman’s is an 8am techno reawakening. Baltra’s an acidic lo-fi lift. Fort Romeau’s is personal, splicing echoes from a local newscast to underscore the media’s often unfair portrayals of the city. “As someone who’s only been to Detroit once, and quite recently, I wanted to reference that perception from an outsider’s perspective,” he adds. “That view is largely shaped by the media which for many years created this notion of Detroit as ‘America’s wasteland,’ which of course doesn’t reflect the reality of the place.”

That sentiment identifies the driving force behind Detroit, MI 1997-2001: to reflect on an era when the city’s underground “disturbances” were its greatest strength, vital to Alexander’s craft, and to music culture at large.