Well done remixes that show a different side of Trent
591275
With "The Fragile" taking a much different take on Trent's industrial background. This shows Trent's abilities to remix his songs differently.

Further down the Spiral was a good effort from Trent and a few others, it offered a darker and more complex look at TDS along with remixes that still had that industrial sound (along with a couple brilliant mixes from the Aphex Twin).

Here though it seems as if Trent tried to create an ambient-drivin remix album. This stuff here is almost the complete opposite of Further down the Spiral and Fixed. Here it's more light on the heavy, trashy synth sounds and it feels new again. I like Trent's approach to the electronica/ambient/techno genre, he does it so well without the music sounding flat or lame (Metal is a good example of that). As interesting and cool as this is, there is some room for improvements, alot of it sounds like it was a bit rushed (even though this came out in 2000) a few songs sound a bit too simple, while others (Starf*ckers remixes) sounds nothing like the original at all, or even comes close. It's a bit disappointing to hear after all the great stuff we all know Trent can do (or has done) with his own music.

Slipping Away is a good remix of Into the Void, mixing not only samples of the tune but re-samples of most of the synth.

The Great Collapse is pretty interesting to hear, I found it rather boring though. It's still close to industrial then ambient.

The Wretched remix didn't have the interesting, edgy feel that the original song has, the remix still is pretty listenable. It also has the "industrial" feel. But that feel pretty much ends here.

Starf*ckers Inc is where the Aphex Twin influnce sets in. Really loud and noisy but more on the electronica side then industrial. Worth listening too.

The remix of The Frail is pretty amazing. Mixing glitchy gadget sounds with classical instruments over the piano. Very well done.

Starf*ckers Inc remix number 2 is pretty much the same thing, kinda boring and not interesting.

But what makes up for that? The remix of Where is Everybody. This remix is also pretty brilliant, a real big ambient sound mixed with the harsh industrial sound of the original track. Very good.

Metal is amazingly done, perfect to listen too at any time or anywhere, no matter what, you'll like this song if you pick up this disc. Very, very catchy and well done.

10 Miles High was dropped from the CD version of The Fragile and was kept on the vinyl release. Here it's remixed slightly. It's very cool, and I'm a but shocked that Trent didn't allow the original to the CD release.

And the last remix of Starf*ckers Inc brings closure to this remix album as well as closure to the Fragile era. This remix cuts in and out of samples of The Day the whole World Went away and a few others, it's kinda incoherent but somewhat listenable. It's still better then Screaming Slave or Erased, Over, Out from the previous remix records.

So if you're looking for a different pace of music from the likes of Trent Reznor and buddies then look no other place then here. I hope Bleedthrough will have a mixture of this sound and the TDS sound, just imagine that!

Recommended for open-minded NIN fans.
2005688
Note here my title; these mixes are a lot closer to Coil's aesthetic than NIN's, so if you're looking for a more orthodox collection of remixes like Further Down the Spiral etc. you're going to be a little disappointed by Coil's complex, relentless murk.  That said, this is Coil, and their complex, relentless murk is unrivaled, and now that both main members have passed away the band is over and the material difficult to find, so if you're a Coil fan this is a must-buy, especially at the mp3 price, because any "new" Coil is essential Coil.

And the music here is relevant to where Coil were at in the mid-'90s, post-Love's Secret Domain, down a rabbit hole of what you might want to call "dark ambient" and it recalls their Black Light District project in particular, so again, for the price it's a must-have, the only unfortunate thing being it's only an ep instead of a full album, but if you line it up with other Coil remixes on official releases from the same era you'll have a great, deep listening experience on your hands.
1054290
I'm not exactly sure what people expected? As with any remix project, there's bound to be a few tracks we like, hate, or could care less about. And although I don't love every one of them (some mixes are clearly better than others), this is a fine collection of remixes from some pretty talented guys! The one thing I truly appreciate, is for the most part, Donna's vocals are brought front and center, which is rare on projects of this type.

Having said that, there's always a fine line between re-stylizing a song, giving it a fresh perspective, and completely destroying the original integrity of the artist's work. I think the people involved here managed to get it right. Is it perfect, no. Is it worth buying, absolutely!

Standouts:
01) Love to Love You Baby [Giorgio Moroder f/ Chris Cox Remix] - By far, the best track on the CD. 
03) Hot Stuff [Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper as Director's Cut Signature Mix] 
05) Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger) [Chromeo & Oliver Remix] 
08) Bad Girls [Gigamesh Remix] 
12) Last Dance [Masters at Work Remix]
2681510
I was disappointed by the lack of tracks on this single. But when I took a listen I was pleasantly surprised.

The radio edit is self explanatory. It comes in at 3:39.

On to the Mirwais mix. It's four minutes long. There are plenty of elements from the original track here, and yet it sounds like a whole new song. I like it very much, and I believe it made the purchase worthwhile.

I do however wish more mixes of this track existed, since it is such a wonderful song.

A must have for the Fischerspooner fan. If you are just discovering them, and want to buy a single, the first release off thier latest LP, Just Let Go, features several remixes, all of which are wonderful, plus a bonus non lp track. I'd hoped for the same with thier second single, but I guess they got lazy...
230421
An oddity of a CD, indeed... BT actually dives down the road most of the other "big names" have at least once in the past decade, and that's toss together a mash-up club-style nonstop mix of tracks that were all pretty much electronic ballads originally on the parent album 'These Hopeful Machines'. I'll admit, I didn't see it coming since it's not really "him", so let's call this an experiment.

In short, it works, with a few caveats. All the remixes seem very deliberate to use the original and unaltered voice samples, which is the absolute must-have key connection with the parent album. A lot of the power there came from the almost storyteller-type feeling as each long section ran into the next, and that's still there (but in differing ordering, obviously). Because of the separated nature of the stereotypical remix the transitions are a lot more blunt, but never painfully so.

What I'm left with here is for all these remixes to be un-mixed and separated and made together into the same unique format as their first forms. Each song is almost completely recreated from scratch, and the whole endless 4/4 beat thing feels like an unnecessary distraction. The whole "clean" track is often audible behind the beat and I was left just wanting to yank it away and get a more ambient experience.

That's all really nitpicking, I know. It's hard not to want more, which is exactly the problem! We're getting teased all over again via a fresh grooming of something that was such a piece of art that there'll always be some oddity you feel but can't quite put your finger on. Another iteration of the original album, please! I can't imagine anyone that had a good experience with the original not getting the same here, and for anyone here finding this album without any prior BT experience I'd suggest you check out 'These Hopeful Machines' first because of its amazing overall arrangement.
2830084
There was a time when dub was confined to the island of Jamaica but slowly its presence began to be felt in the world of disco when the art of the remix started to gain recognition and credibility. During the late 70's and early 80's dub techniques were embraced by a number of forward thinking remixers. Francois Kevorkian, Larry Levan, Tee Scott & Shep Pettibone amongst others, realised that these sing along disco anthems could be turned into a new musical beast ideal for the hedonistic, late night drug fuelled dance floors.

Echo and reverb, snatches of familiar vocals chopped, looped or subtly hinted at, extending drum breaks, all these new techniques were combined to create a new phenomenon - the B-Side dub mix. Having lay dormant for much of the 90's and 00's these forgotten flip sides and production techniques have been revitalised to much acclaim by the likes of Prins Thomas, Todd Terje and Metro Area whose new disco sound is of course nothing of the sort.

It was the b-side of D-Trains, `You're The One For Me' that caught the imagination of a young Dimitri from Paris back in the early 80's. Amazed at the new arrangement and sound effected vocals he set about collecting the rest of Francoise K's remixes and was also inspired to remix tracks like his new hero. Consequently 20 years later here we have some of the most creative disco dub remixes known to man all on one lovely plastic disc.

Kicking off with the slow spaced out jazzy keys of Aurra the mix soon warms up nicely with the stripped down sultry vocals of Sandy Kerr's `Thug Rock' before the anthemic chords of Serious Intention are fed through the echo chamber to devastating effect, all a perfect warm up to the first beads of dance floor sweat that are inevitable when the choppy guitar and driving percussion of Michael Wilson "Groove It To Your Body" drops.

The mix then weaves it way dubwise through the 80's dance floor staples of Raw Silk, Radiance, Wuf Ticket,
D-Train, Mikki, The Rah Band and even the guilty pleasures of the dub mix of Wham's `Enjoy What You do' - don't worry it's not as bad as you imagine.

If this inspiring collection of dubbed out dance music from the 80's wasn't enough the modern day dons of disco dub The Idjut Boys have come and leant their undoubted talents to the tracks layering on some extra effects and old school style mixing to make this an essential purchase for curious dance music lovers, disco queens and cosmic disco dons everywhere.
2405172
This remix is "heavy". It's probably not for everyone's taste regarding Electronic/Ambient, and even though I don't usually like the very heavy stuff, this album stands out as one of my top 25 in my collection. It's energetic while at the same time being laid back, if that makes any sense.

I just like it. It's industrial, it gets me moving, and yet it still zones me out.
3165277
Mike Cruz's remixes have been getting better and better, so when I saw he had mixed a compilation, I crossed my fingers that he would bring that style of music to his mix. And did he ever. Unlike some other DJs, this isn't a total self-serving way to get all his own remixes onto one disc. It's also not a simple attempt to throw really obvious club tracks together. And it's not half good, half filler. This is 2 discs of peak hour anthems, with every version running for a good length instead of being mixed out after 3 minutes. And instead of interspersing dubby tribal tracks and vocals, disc 1 focus entirely on diva vocals, while disc 2 is more of an instrumental set with only vocal samples here and there. This is a dance collector's dream disc. Track times are:

CD1

1. as I am (8:29)

2. Voodoo (7:30)

3. I'll be your freak (7:16)

4. Sunshine (6:33)

5. Movin up 05 (8:40)

6. Burnin out (7:15)

7. It's over (7:29)

8. Sit down (4:53)

9. Foolish mind games (9:04)

10. You're my angel (6:37)

CD2

1. The only one (8:35)

2. And now you left me (6:22)

3. Lotta love (5:52)

4. Most precious love (6:37)

5. That's more like it (4:58)

6. going back to my roots (5:45)

7. discussions 05 (5:56)

8. you can make it (4:47)

9. brinca 05 (7:35)

10. Noahs in the air 05 (6:36)

11. oh really (8:17)
4469114
"Seed" is the followup EP to the previous year's Jansen/Barbieri/Karn offering, "Beginning to Melt", featuring a remix of the title track of that record and three new songs, although only the remix and "The Insect Tribe" feature all three musicians, the other two tracks are Jansen/Barbieri only but don't have a substantially different vibe.

The "Beginning to Melt" remix is interesting-- Jansen has added a more rhythmic exercise to the piece, replaced some of the previous drumming with a loop or two and adds some synth bass to the mix-- this minimizes both his own and Karn's unique voice, but the main song structure itself hasn't changed, which means that when either he or Karn's original playing burst through, its really quite catching.  Remarkably, I found the remix to be rather engaging, since I normally don't care for remixes, this suprised me.  The other track featuring all three, "The Insect Tribe", is totally bizarre, rhythms are set up on keyboards, and Karn's bass floats in between everything.  I've owned this EP for about nine years now, and I still can't make up my mind about this one, but its definitely engaging and without having any real drumming for the first several minutes, it manages to have quite a lilt to it, and I love Karn's fuzz guitar playing.  And yet bizarrely enough, when the concrete rhythms kick in, the piece seems to drag a bit as the loop is phrased slightly behind where the keyboard swipes were.  Like I said, totally bizarre.

The Jansen/Barbieri pieces are also quite interesting-- "In the Black of Desire" is rhythmically faster paced and more engaging in a visceral sense than most the Jansen/Barbieri material (mind you, I love their stuff, but its more trancey than this), and the piece keeps you guessing with vocal samples, synth violin, and guitar swipes coming and going throughout.  The same is true for "Prey", with its circular beats and arpeggiated keys, but this time we get some funky guitar from Steven Wilson-- this one would have benefited strongly from inclusion of Karn on it, a funky bass would do well here, but the piece itself is, like the rest of the EP, extremely good.

Remarkably, given its relative short length and the fact that 11 of its 27 minutes are given over to a remix, this is probably the best of the JBK releases.
3698928
I started listening to NIN during the Downward Spiral period, and my interest has since extended backwards and forwards, as I enjoy both the Fragile and Pretty Hate Machine.  I must admit, however, that the Fragile is probably my favorite, followed closely by TDS.  Being an owner of all of the halos, I consider this among the best.
The early remix albums really aren't very interesting to me.  The Head like a Hole single (basically PHT remixes) too closely resembled PHT, and Fixed really wasn't greap in my mind.  Further Down the Spiral was a brilliant album, and in Reznor's tradition, so is this.  My favorite tracks on the album are the Frail, which has been completely redone with strings; the Starfuckers remixes, especially the second one; Metal, by far the best track on here, a song which could easily be released as a single;  and 10 Miles High, which is fairly similar to the WITT single version, but with some minor improvements.
All in all this album is a perfect compliment to the Fragile and the accompanying singles.  If you liked the Fragile, you WILL like this...
1275439
On Trent Reznor's fifth Nine Inch Nails album, he'd like you to believe that the world is coming to an end. Taking a page or two from George Orwell's "1984," "Year Zero" is about a world, not too far into the future, where the government has taken complete control and society lives in a police state, on the verge of implosion. Thinking about the way the world is these days, it's hard to see this, not so much as a work of fiction, but as a glamourized glimpse into the inevitable future. But whether Trent is right or not, whether "Year Zero" is just a liberal nightmare, is irrelevant. For starters, it makes for an intriguing album concept, one which was shrouded in mystery up to it's release with bizarre marketing campaigns, making even the die-hard NIN fan wonder if this was for real. Also, it's Trent at his strongest, coming hot off the heels of the successful "With Teeth" and delivering his best material since the 1990's.

Upon your first few listens, you might not 'get' "Year Zero." You may not understand why it has had so much hype and is being heralded as Trent's best in a long while. But like I myself learned, this is an album that needs to be absorbed as much as possible. Each song contains a message and a meaning that helps push the concept along. On "The Good Soldier," Trent sounds like a hopeful, but lost individual, stating "This is not where I should be, I am trying to believe," but turns bitter towards the end with songs like "The Great Destroyer" and "Another Version Of The Truth" turning him stronger, but more and more paranoid and defiant. Despite Trent's insistence that this is a 'noisy' album, it doesn't live up to the thrashier moments of "The Downward Spiral," instead, Trent seems bound and determined to turn any noise into music. Somehow, Trent makes every single ugly noise work together in beauty, making this his finest production effort ever. It truly is a marvel at how he put this all together in such a short time, a true testament to his genius.

For those who like their 'Nails without all the bells and whistles, Trent delivers some strong radio fare here, with the first single, "Survivalism" as well as "My Violent Heart," "Capitol G" and the album's best track, "The Warning." But to understand what makes this album so great, you must devote time to taking in all sixteen of it's tracks. You don't need to get wrapped up in the marketing campaigns -- which includes a toll-free hotline on the back of the album for turning yourself in and a CD that changes colors -- to appreciate and understand
"Year Zero." Because underneath all the hype and all the drama, this album is a stark peek into a future that sadly might not be so far off.
4211192
beautiful single I love the remixes and the songs
2497100
Ever since White Zombie, Mr Zombie (Rob) has delved into the practice of remixing his tracks or having remixes done by other producers or artists... Much like NIN. Most are excellent and different enough from the originals to keep your interest or become a completely different track unto itself... These are no different. Even though just an EP this is definitely worth picking up if you're a fan or a completist like myself. *****
1573199
The remixing of the album is clearer and more stellar.
3949801
The first time I heard "So under pressure", I loved it. This cd includes So under pressure and five remixes-

Soulseekerz remix-Very good! You know how some remixes drag on? This isn't the case with this remix. 5/5

Extended remix-Fabulous!! 5/5

Steve Pitron remix-not as good as the first two but still excellent 4/5

Riffs & Rays mix-my favorite remix off of the single. The beat is just so good on it! 5/5

Thriller Jill remix-Probably my least favorite remix on here but it's still good. 4/5

This single also includes the ultracool So under Pressure video. If you're a Dannii fan, this single is a must!
1300313
This is your typical, finely done, Pet Shop Boys remix EP.  They made some odd choices to remix - "Time On My Hands", "Try It", "Somebody Else's Business", and "If Looks Could Kill" are unfamiliar, yet nicely done songs.  "Time On My Hands" could easily be a Depeche Mode song, and it seems as if the remix were a conscious effort to recreate a "Speak & Spell" vibe via the Pet Shop Boys - very clever and very enjoyable for a synth-pop fan like me!  "Positive Role Model" has a great Barry White sample on top, and that keeps the song grooving along, despite Neil's "spooky-whispered" "singing", but is great once the vocoded vocals come in.  "Try It (I'm In Love With A Married Man" is an intriguing premise for a  PSB song, but the execution is a little limp.  The first remix of "London" is fabulous, very 70's disco, with "disco farts" and a Giorgio Moroder sequencer in the background.  My fave track is the Blank & Jones remix of "Home and Dry" - it starts out very disco-y, but ends up having plenty of "peak-hour" circuit-party drama towards the end.  The final track, a piano based version of London is very enjoyable, but may have been better served if there had been a guest vocalist on the track to sing it, rather than using the same tweaked and vocoded vocal track of Neil's from the original.
1275548
Nine Inch Nails has returned, unannounced this time, with a new album.  This one is a 36-track collection of short, instrumental pieces that have no order, no agenda and no direction.  But this is not a bad thing!  It's vintage NIN.  It's abstract art, coming from the mind of one of this era's greatest musicians.

I LOVED how Trent released this album.  I wish I could've gotten the $300 version.  The presentation of this album is nothing short of immaculate.  Even if you only got the mp3 album, the presentation is a cut above your average internet purchase.  Each of the 36 songs has a different picture attached to it.  On my iPod, instead of the album cover, it shows one of these for every song.  It's little things such as this that make Trent's music so invigorating.

Obviously it goes without saying that this is not an album for the mainstream.  You can't just pop this in and listen to it like you would any other NIN release.  This one requires a certain degree of active listening for you to pick out the subtle nuances that Trent put into these songs.  As background noise, you won't hear much and no songs really stand out.  This is why the best way to listen to it is through headphones, while allowing your mind to fully take in the music.

This is one of the most unique releases ever.  Not for everyone, but still a masterpiece.