This is the electronica equivalent of a tribute album: Instead of gathering bands together to cover the songs of an influential group, here we have a bunch of more or less well-known DJs (including members of Goldie's Metalheadz crew) remixing and reconstructing actual recorded works in their own image, namely with drum and bass (a.k.a. jungle) beats. In this case, the object of affection is Art of Noise, a clear forerunner to the current boom in sampled and spliced dance music. The Drum and Bass Collection is the latest in a series of Art of Noise remix compilations, following 1990's The Ambient Collection and 1991's more techno- and rave-oriented release, The Fon Mixes. Considering that Drum and Bass is, thus, the third new Art of Noise record since the group disbanded eight years ago, perhaps the only tribute here is to the infinite possibilities for recycling old songs in this high-tech age. Then again, there's little here to suggest these tracks have anything to do with Art of Noise. For instance, in the hands of the London duo Flyright, Art of Noise's hit "Peter Gunn" (itself a drastic remake of the '50s television theme) loses all traces of the original's most distinguishing feature, Duane Eddy's twang guitar lead line. Similarly, Lightfoot's reworking of "Yebo," Art of Noise's 1989 collaboration with South African singing group Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens retains only two syllables of the original vocal part.
The question, then, is: If the rhythms are altered and the melodies disappear, what makes this an Art of Noise record? The answer: nothing. But, then, in the strange world of techno, all matters of source material and songwriting are bound to remain fuzzy. Do yourself a favor: Keep all inquiries to yourself and just concentrate on those crazy beats. --Roni Sarig
Album Details
11 Tracks, Mixes by Doc Scott, Aquasky, Lemon D and DJ Majik. Includes Kiss, Art of Love, Peter Gunn, Island and More.
Login
Add tags