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devision-25yearsbestoftour
Artist: De/Vision
Title: 25 Years Best Of Tour
Genre: Synth Pop
Release Date: March 2014
Label: Popgefahr Records / Soul Food


DVD / Album Review

How can you please a Synth Pop fan? Havingtwo2 of the most talented bands releasing their Live DVDs almost the same months! Funny how DE/VISION and WAITING FOR WORDS regularly walk in each other steps. Funny but not surprising the two bands being familiar to each other and having performed live already three times together in Paris since 2008. For DE/VISION, it was about time to have a new DVD! Fans of the Synth Pop kings were desperate to see a live recording, audio or video, to be released one day. Knowing some editing rights were still a topic of conflict with their former manager, to this day, the duet was only able to use their material since ‘Noob’. Years passed by and now that the band is in control of their catalogue again, they are free to use anything... and they do! As the band celebrates their 25th birthday, they decided to produce a DVD but in a total independent way: the fans and the band. They launched a crowd funding project and target was superseded allowing the band to release much more than a live DVD. The list of goodies available (single, demos, instrumental albums...) is far too long and the best thing to do is to check it out at Pledge Music.

So, what about the DVD? I was a bit concerned after seeing the band in Paris as there was no really visual show and the sound of the acoustic drums hardly mixed with electronic production. None of this problems here as a) the band finally included a giant screen in the back of the stage adding the visual dimension to the show that was missing and b) the sound of the drums is awesome, certainly helped by triggering toms with electronic sounding. The setlist is absolutely fantastic, managing a well balance between major hits, ‘Try To Forget’, ‘Hands On My Skin’, ‘Dinner Without Grace’, ‘Rage’, ‘Flavour Of The Week’; and lesser known tracks such as the instrumental opening intro ‘The Day Before Yesterday’ (from the 1993's ‘World Without End’), ‘Endlose Träume’ (a B-side from the 90's), ‘Uncaring Machine’ and the absolutely fantastic ‘Remember’ (both from 2001's ‘Void’). They also perform for the first time their new single: ‘Brother In Arms’. It's a typical DE/VISION club hit single like the band produces since ‘Noob’, which makes sense as it's difficult to include a new song in a “best of” show. It have to fit in the picture and it fits very well though. A huge surprise also comes in with, for the first time since 10 years, ‘Unputdownable’. Overall, the band worked a lot on re arranging their catalogue, even if it's not always obvious at first listening. There's a lot of little sequences here and there or some fully remixed tracks like the terrific version of ‘Time To Be Alive’.

The communion between the band and their audience is at its peak. Fans being of course aware they are part of the project, they give their maximum energy to make this live an unforgettable souvenir and Steffen's performance is certainly one of his best I've seen over the last 15 years. Some bands are sometimes paralyzed by the fact a concert in filmed... it's the opposite way round here. Steffen is absolutely transcended and gives its best, making every song superseding the one before. The sound is awesome, great mixing and production and images rock. On the bonus side, there's a very good documentary taking us though the day of the show. Steffen meeting some fans and having them visit the all “behind the curtain” world: the touring bus, the backstage, the sound checks. The two promotional videos ‘Rage’ (special version) and ‘Brotherhood Of Man’ are also featuring in the bonus. The only regret is not having more tracks on the CD. With 66 minutes used, I guess there was a bit of room to include tracks like ‘Remember’, ‘Brother In Arms’ or ‘What's Love All About’.

But let's be honest, it's just a detail considering the high quality of the all project and the immense joy of having, at last, a contemporary Live DVD of DE/VISION to watch over and over again ! Available only at http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/devisiontourdvd


Tracklist

01. The Day Before Yesterday
02. Dinner Without A Grace
03. Strange Affection*
04. What's Love About*
05. Remember*
06. I'm Not Dreaming Of You
07. Unputdownable
08. Binary Soldier
09. Brothers In Arms*
10. Bipolar*
11. Rage
12. Time To Be Alive
13. Try To Forget
14. Still Unknown
15. Love Will Find A Way
16. Endlose Träume
17. Your Hands On My Skin
18. Uncaring Machine
19. Flavour Of The Week
* Only on DVD


Line-up

Steffen Keith – Vocals
Thomas Adam – Vocals and Keyboards
Markus Köstner – Drums


Website

http://www.devision-music.de / https://www.facebook.com/pages/DEVISION/24741337633


Cover Picture

devision-25yearsbestoftour


Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Image: 9
Bonus: 9
Total: 9 / 10



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