Released
1995
Label
RRE/
Play It Again Sam
Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund
Visit
Last Edit/Update
17 March, 1998
Front 242
MUT (at) GE MIX (at) GE
Track Listing
1. Rhythm Of Time
(messengers of Neptune mix by The Orb)
2. Happiness
(dub mix by Underworld)
3. Gripped By Fear
(bunkerclub mix by Rico Conning)
4. Mixed By Fear
5. Crapage
(the float or sink mix by The Orb)
6. Junkdrome
7. Religion
(bass under siege mix by The Prodigy)
8. Happiness
(dance mix by Underworld)
9. Break Me
(female)
10. Rhythm Of Time
(victor the cleaner mix by The Orb)
11. Dancesoundtrackmusic
(d.s.m.)
12. Religion
(trance u down mix by The Prodigy)
Featuring mixes of previously released Front 242 songs by The Orb,
Underworld, The Prodigy, Rico Conning,
and Front 242 themselves, this CD is difficult to talk about as a Front
242 release, but, at the same time, impossible to consider as anything else. To
hardcore Front 242 fans, these reworkings of material from some of the
later Front 242 albums by other musicians may be a bitter mouthful to
swallow. In a number of instances, the original songs are all but unrecognizable after
passing through the hands of the various people who remixed them. By the same token,
however, this is also the strength of the CD. The various mixes by The Orb,
Underworld and The Prodigy bear the clear impressions of
these bands' sounds, and as such, the word 'reinterpretations' may be a better word for
the tracks on Mutage Mixage than 'remixes.'
For anyone who has heard The
Orb's double-CD Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond The Call Of Duty, their
remixes of "Rhythm Of Time" and "Crapage" on this CD will come as no
surprise. The 'messengers of Neptune mix' of "Rhythm Of Time," which opens Mutage
Mixage, finds The Orb in their most trance-ambient corner. Nothing
about this piece spells Front 242 at all, but it is a typical example of
the kind of sonic space adventure that The Orb master to perfection. The
brief, subtle 'float or sink mix' of "Crapage" is cut from this same fabric, but
the 'victor the cleaner mix,' also of "Rhythm Of Time," displays a completely
different side of The Orb. On this track, brief glimpses of Front
242 are discernible; there are momentary samples of Jean-Luc de Meyer's
vocals, albeit manipulated, and the general sound of the original song lurks beneath The
Orb's dominant techno-dance-beat.
The two mixes of
"Happiness" by Underworld again conceal the original source
quite well. Both mixes make repeated use of a female voice sample: "I want you to
find happiness," and the general theme is repeated on both tracks. However, whereas
the 'dub mix' is a laid-back affair, with a nice harmonic flow and a subdued beat, the
'dance mix' is the inverse of that. Numerous breaks and variations notwithstanding, the
'dance mix' is an extremely extended piece, but as far as Underworld's
sound goes, this is vintage material and will not disappoint either the Underworld,
or the dance enthusiasts, in the audience.
The song "Religion" is
also presented in two versions, both mixed by The Prodigy, and aside from
a few scattered samples and sounds, the original song is again quite far from view. The
Prodigy actually out-bpms Front 242 on both of these tracks,
with their extremely accelerated percussionloops and all-out rave attitude. These versions
definitely pervert the original song, but as dance-remixes for the techno-generation, The
Prodigy undoubtedly delivers the goods.
Rico Conning's
'bunkerclub mix' of "Gripped By Fear" is the closest to Front 242's
original song, and indeed does sound as if it had been recorded inside a bunker. Samples
of de Meyer's vocals are again used, along with all the sounds of this mix have
the subdued, dull echo about them as if bouncing off concrete walls.
Finally, there are four tracks on
the CD that have been prepared for the release by Front 242 themselves.
The first, "Mixed By Fear" is taken from the remix-album of the same name, and
is another version of "Gripped By Fear." "Junkdrome" may have been
extended and mixed slightly for this release, but is very close to the original, as it
appeared on Evil Off. It is a track well chosen for this occassion, and it is a
pleasure to once more hear the beautiful, soaring barrage of themes and percussions that
characterize this piece.
The 'female' version of "Break
Me" is a very eager to please dance version of this track, featuring samples of 99
Kowalski's vocals. There are a few nice sound effects added, but as a whole, this is
one of the weakest tracks on the CD. "Dancesoundtrackmusic," on the other hand,
is a nice inventive instrumental dance-trance mix with strong elements of "Gripped By
Fear," "Junkdrome" and "Crapage" thrown in. The track features
the heavy, dynamic bass and percussion lines typical of Front 242, with a
nice break and change of tempo about halfway through the song.
In the end, this CD is a joyful
listen, although it leaves behind something less than the exhilaration that past Front
242 releases managed to stir. It would have been interesting to hear what The
Orb, Underworld and The Prodigy could have made
of older Front 242 material than the songs selected for this release, but
perhaps that will be the subject of a future volume of Mutage Mixage. And, finally,
it would have been really great to hear some brand new songs from these Belgian prodigies
of the electronic music scene...
