Northern Exposure: TMDP, 'Self-Taught Learner' (Lissy Trullie Remix) -- Free MP3

Put a cool song by a buzzworthy artist in the hands of a couple of equally-hyped electro wizards and the result is one hot track. While NYC downtown diva Lissy Trullie's been garnering plenty of ink for her recently rereleased 'Self-Taught Learner' EP, rising Toronto disco-dabblers TMDP are likely to turn heads themselves with their remix of the title track, which grabs hold of the power-pop original and pulls it firmly onto the dance floor.

Instead of simply buffing an already-shiny pop song with an extra layer of gloss like too many other tepid dance remixes, TMDP's Jeffrey Addison and Gavin Rough take the opposite approach, stripping off the tough-girl veneer of Trullie's version and giving it their own unique spin by taking the tune into almost minimalist territory with chilly synths and downtempo beats.

TMDP's reimagining coaxes out the melancholia of the lyrics ("Oh, I want to die with you/And are you lonely?") by shrouding Trullie's husky vocal in layers of reverb and replacing the straightforward chugging guitar line with a hazy Italo-disco vibe that evokes the best of that retro sound without veering into its worst excesses. Even at over six minutes, the track doesn't overstay its welcome.

The duo has been racking up accolades for their organic take on electro -- unlike many of their trendy club-friendly contemporaries, TMDP employs a songwriter-like approach to their music rather than coming at it simply as knob-twiddlers. Their spin on 'Self-Taught Learner' happens to be one of those rare remixes that betters the original -- it isn't just an interesting rendering of another artist's tune, but also an excellent introduction to their own sound.

Download: TMDP, 'Self-Taught Learner' (Lissy Trullie) remix (MP3)