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laibach spectremix
Artist: Laibach
Title: Spectremix
Genre: Electronica / Dance
Release Date: 27th March 2015
Label: Mute Records


Album Review

'Spectre' by LAIBACH was definitely one of the albums of the year 2014. With this album the Slovenian art collective managed to re-invent themselves totally, delving deeper into Pop to produce one of the most accessible long-players of their career without losing their edge and provocative stance. 'Spectre' was released exactly one year ago, in March 2014, and has been critically acclaimed since then. Most reviewers don't forget to mention that the notorious troublemakers LAIBACH would have given up their latent socio-political ambiguity to take sides with modern heroes like Edward Snowden and movements like Occupy and the 99-Percenters. It seems that LAIBACH finally took a clear position in the political spectrum for the first time with 'Spectre' but chances are that most reviewers just copied that insight from LAIBACH's press release for the album - which might have been just a trap! 'Spectre' is probably still as subversive and ambiguous as LAIBACH has always been, and we just didn't realize it. Maybe you just have to take a closer look at 'Spectre' to see this, and maybe the alleged demystification of LAIBACH is just another myth about this musical group?

However, if you don't have 'Spectre' yet you should be ashamed because it's one of the essential albums of 2014. But there's a nice way to end your sense of guilt as Mute Records is about to release a special digital version of 'Spectre' including 'Spectremix' as a bonus! As the name indicates, 'Spectremix' is a collection of remixes of songs of the respective album. Among the remixers are techno producer and DJ MARCEL DETTMANN, Mute label mates DIAMOND VERSION (aka Olaf Bender and Carsten Nicolai), Sandwell District’s FUNCTION, long-time collaborator iTURK, Slovenian electro-pop band TORUL, Scottish DJ and producer ALEX SMOKE, German producer KONSTANTIN SIBOLD and Slovenian producer, DJ and musician GRAMATIK.

For an album that explores so much the realms of Pop as 'Spectre' does it makes sense that the remixes browse the latest trends of Techno, Electronica and EDM. LAIBACH are more often than not pigeonholed in the Industrial genre but while this is quite debatable anyway, this narrowed view overlooks that LAIBACH has always commissioned remixes to DJs and producers to cater the dance-floors of the world. LAIBACH were never afraid to utilize the flavour-of-the-month Dance trends to present their music in another shape and form, as remixes by acts like RICHIE HAWTIN, FORTRAN 5, MARK STENT, JUNO REACTOR, JOHANNES HEIL or UMEK proved.

'Spectremix' starts with TORUL's take on 'Eurovision', one of the key tracks of the 'Spectre' albums. TORUL keep the dark, brooding atmosphere of the original intact and add a driving, dance-friendly but still menacing to it. 'The Whistleblowers' is another key track and in some ways the lead single of 'Spectre', although there was never a physical single release. LAIBACH fans will know the remix by DIAMOND VERSION already, as there's a video clip for this remix out on YouTube and Vimeo for quite a while already, and if you saw LAIBACH live on the current tour you will surely remember this remix as it was some sort of "end credits" (complete with video) to the performance. There's also a version by MARCEL DETTMANN of 'The Whistleblowers' which is a much more radical rework of the song than the dubby take by DIAMOND VERSION. MARCEL DETTMANN also did a mix of 'Eurovision', which finishes the 'Spectremix' album and is much closer to the original than his rework of 'The Whistleblowers, rather an extended version than an actual remix.

One of the few (and minor) flaws of 'Spectremix' is that it features several versions of specific 'Spectre' songs while other songs from the album are completely ignored. I would have loved a remix of 'Walk With Me', for example, or a much more bad-ass version of 'Resistance Is Futile', although the rather ambient and trippy remix by FUNCTION is surely quite nice. Other highlights of this remix collection are 'We Are Millions and Millions Are One', which KONSTANTIN SIBOLD turns into a warm and tantalizing three-minute piece. Mina Špiler's vocals have played a bigger role than ever before on 'Spectre' and this is all the more true for 'Spectremix', as songs with her lead vocals are more featured than songs with Milan Fras in charge. A pity, somehow, but then no-one can deny that songs as 'Eat Liver!' and 'Koran' are highlights of both the original and the remix album. With the GRAMATIK remix of 'Eat Liver!' LAIBACH get funky and groovy and iTURK's version of 'Koran' is so enchantingly mainstream-ish and poppy that it should be played to death in radio and at the dance clubs. Well, maybe in another world, we are still talking about the underground art collective LAIBACH, after all!

Another gripe about 'Spectremix' is that it's only available as a digital release. Feel free to go to your favourite music download store to buy this remix album seperately, and in case you don't own 'Spectre' yet simply get it as the SPECTRE DIGITAL DELUXE ALBUM including some bonus tracks and the complete 'Spectremix' as extras. However, a vinyl release of 'Spectremix' would have been the icing on the cake for all LAIBACH fans! Oh, and there are still a few more European dates ahead of LAIBACH's 'Spectre' tour before they head to North America in May and June! Just don't miss it, their current show is one of the most impressive performance you will get to see at the moment! Check our review of the Cologne show last year HERE.


Tracklist

01. Eurovision (Torul remix)
02. The Whistleblowers (Marcel Dettmann remix)
03. The Whistleblowers (Diamond Version remix)
04. Koran (Alex Smoke remix)
05. Eat Liver! (Gramatik remix)
06. Resistance Is Futile (Function remix)
07. Koran (iTurk remix)
08. We Are Millions and Millions Are One (Konstantin Sibold remix)
09. Eurovision (Marcel Dettmann remix)


Line-up

01. Milan Fras (vocals)
02. Ivan Novak (synths, programming)
03. Mina Špiler (vocals, keyboard)
04. Janez Gabrič (drums)
05. Luka Jamnik (synths)
06. Sašo Vollmaier (synths)


Website

http://www.laibach.org


Cover Picture

laibach spectremix


Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 8.5 / 10





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