Dance Project Fleetmac Wood Take Us Through Their Favourite 'Tusk' Tracks

21 December 2018 | 11:59 am | Roxanne Roll

On the eve of their Australian tour, as well as the impending 40th anniversary of Fleetwood Mac’s 'Tusk' in 2019, 'The Music' asked remix project/dance party Fleetmac Wood's Roxanne Roll to highlight some of the 'Tusk' tracks in their set.​

Tusk

For our Smooth Sailing remix of Tusk we combined four versions of Tusk that are found on the deluxe reissue, teasing out the USC marching band at the beginning and moving through various alt versions. There’s something medieval about this rabble-rousing track. I worked on this remix the week after the 2016 US election result and I channelled the feeling of rebellion and people power into this one with the extra percussion and drum solos. There’s a wild energy and a sense of fun that was a brilliantly unexpected move after Rumours.


Sisters Of The Moon

We like to focus on feminine power in our sets, which is often missing in dance music culture. Stevie Nicks is a force of nature in this disco shawl stomper with a bewitching groove. We play my Roxanne Roll remix, which includes a sample from the live version on the 1982 Mirage Tour, which surpasses the album version. Hunt it down on YouTube.


Sara

Each lyric of Sara is like a chapter heading in a Fleetwood Mac bio – a cryptic clue to be unravelled seductively. Cathartic to the max, Stevie Nicks works through the pain of multiple break-ups, betrayals and a daughter that never was? Considering all this disappointment, it’s surprising how sensual this track is... "Undoing the laces." To me, this actually feels like a duet, where Mick Fleetwood’s delicate, considered drums almost answer her call - ecstatic and buzzing with sexual tension.

Sara entrances you with a hypnotic groove that is both soft and heavy. Mixed emotions, extreme loss and an acceptance of – this is the life you lead when you live within the castle walls of Fleetwood Mac. Drowning in a sea of love, where everybody wants to drown... We play a few different remixes of this song and it’s on our to-do list to make more.


Storms

Fleetwood Mac wrote so many hits and potential hits that they literally couldn’t fit them onto records (hello, Silver Springs). Maybe tensions were particularly high between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks when it was Storms’ day/week/month in the studio – it feels like this song was given less attention, or perhaps the simplicity is intentional? It’s understated and almost tearful. I wanted to turn the sadness into an uplifting, joyful moment without losing the drama. It’s all about getting people dancing at our parties and this remix really gets people on the floor.


Brown Eyes

One of our all-time favourite Christine McVie tracks, beautifully layered harmonies over a hypnotic beat make this perfect for the first twirlers on the dancefloor. The alt version with Lindsey Buckingham and Peter Green on the Tusk deluxe edition is a must listen.