Art of Noise Album: “The Fon Mixes”

Description :

THE FON MIXES contains remixes of Art Of Noise tracks by top UK dance artist/producers including Graham Massey (808 State), The Prodigy, Carl Cox, Mark Gamble (Rhythmatic), LFO, Youth, Sweet Exorcist, Mark Brydon, Robert Gordon and The Ground. <p>Producers include: Mark Gamble, Liam Howlett, Chaz Stevens. <p>Engineers include: Mark Gamble, Liam Howlett, Chaz Stevens, Colin Elliot, Mike Haas. <p>All songs written or co-written by Anne Dudley and J.J. Jeczalik.

A fairly good techno remix collection, featuring some of the big names...or, at least, those names that were big when this album came out. The results are enormously varied. My favorites, oddly enough, are the "interludes" as done by Mark Gamble, who shows both a flair for remixing and a respect for the originals. Other favorites are "Back to Backbeat", which uses the original in a novel way, "Instruments of Darkness" (even if it more or less obscures the original's anti-apartheid message), "Legs" and "Crusoe". "Roller 1" left me rather uninterested, whereas "LEF" (presumably a remix of "EFL") and "I of the Needled" (presumably a remix of "Eye of a Needle", although it opens with a sample from "Bond", and has scat vocals over top for no apparent reason) are so remixed as to be unrecognizable...and aren't very interesting to boot. "The Art of Slow Love", which is simply "The Art of Love" from AMBIENT COLLECTION played a few rpm slower, ends the album on a rather boring note. All and all, a grab bag, but with some pretty good tracks.

WOW. The Art of Noise put together a great Techno CD with their traditional themes. This CD is definitely for dance and techno lovers. If you are looking for the Art of Noise' sweeping sounds and smooth melodic lines, this is not going to inspire you. However if you are looking for great techno with the creative mastery that the Art of Noise brings, this is the CD for you. A great surprise!