For many people, Hunters & Collectors were an iconic Australian pub-rock band, with their exceptional tunes soundtracking many a watering hole throughout the ’80s and ’90s. For many, ‘Talking To A Stranger‘ was the first song by the band that they heard, serving as the band’s debut single back in 1982.
As such, it was one of those songs that was considered iconic by almost everyone, with the group’s passion and fury on full display. Oddly, while I was a big fan of Hunters & Collectors, it wasn’t until I purchased their Natural Selection compilation that I finally heard the tune people called so great.
In 2013 though, some of Australia’s finest musicians came together to record a tribute album to the band. Titled Crucible, the album featured cover versions of the band’s most iconic tracks. Closing out the album though, was a remix of the band’s first single by iconic Melbourne producers The Avalanches.
Titled ‘Stalking To A Stranger (Planets Collide Remix)’, the tune was one of the first released by The Avalanches in a long time, and was almost something of an immersive cover than a remix.
Stripping the tune down to its bare bones, The Avalanches helped rebuild this tune, dropping in an updated musical backing, while slowly dropping in the iconic vocals of Mark Seymour as the tune continues, one syllable at a time.
While most combinations of pub-rock and dance music rarely work (the less said about Nick Skitz’ remix of The Choirboys’ ‘Run To Paradise’ the better), this remix faithfully complements the original, managing to tear it down, and build it back up into something far greater than it ever could have been.
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