Archive for the ‘Depeche Mode’ Category

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Filibuster with Synthesizers

Friday, February 17th, 2017

I managed to write a post comprised entirely of electronic music and didn’t mention a Japanese artist once! I’m surprised too.

Depeche Mode
Wrong (Magdas Scallop Funk Remix)
Wrong (Frankie’s Bromantic Club Mix)
Wrong (DIM vs Boys Noize Remix)
I’m not going to say much about this song, I feel as if I’ve probably written about this song before. I like this song. Good song. These are good remixes to a good song. Okay, now let’s move on.

Have you heard the new Depeche Mode song, “Where’s The Revolution?” It’s fucking great. The vocals by Gahan are on point and the production finds a nice middle-ground between vintage Mode and a more modern take on synthpop.

But the best thing about it? The lyrics. It’s like someone drilled a hole in my head and extracted my exacts thoughts on the current state of the world. There’s so little good political music these days, who’d of thought we’d get an incendiary political track from motherfucking Depeche Mode?

I think the only other political Depeche Mode track I can think of is “John The Revelator.” That was the first Depeche Mode single I heard as an adult that really go me into the group. So maybe I’m just biased towards the group being political. Regardless, I hope “Where’s The Revolution” gets some dope remixes. We need more politics on the dancefloor.

Mito
Droid
Mito is a pseudonym for Stefano Secchi, an Italian musician and producer who has over two hundred releases under his belt. Don’t know anything about him other than what Discogs tell me. What I do know is that this song is some dope shit. Classic Italian electro disco at its finest. Listening to this track puts me in a real headspace. I imagine a 1980s vision of what a 2020s nightclulb would look like, with everyone decked out in neon fringe and Mylar clothes. Robot bartenders serve glowing drinks and everyone has a jetpack for no reason.

I’m gonna run for President and that mental image is going to be my campaign. Vote For Lost Turntable – Neon and Jet Packs for Everyone!

If this song installs similar optimistic feels of a retro-future and you want more, then you’re in luck, you can grab several other mixes of this track on iTunes!

Telex
Moskow Diskow (1985 Version)
Moskow Diskow (French Version)
Moskow Diskow (English Version)
I posted a version of “Moskow Diskow” six years ago. In my continuing adventures of reading old posts of my own blog, let’s see what I was talking about on June 6th, 2012.

Hm. Nothing really all that special I guess. Just a call out for questions about recording vinyl. I must’ve been in a good mood that week. In fact, browsing that whole month I seemed to be rather content and chill. I guess that was the start of my run-up to my Japan visit, so I was probably focused on that. Good times.

But yeah, “Moskow Diskow.” None of these versions are the same as the version I shared all those years ago, they’re taken from a different 12″ single entirely. Telex is dope.

Posted in Depeche Mode, Mito, remixes, Telex | 5 Comments »

Fantasia Stupidia

Sunday, November 27th, 2016

How’s everyone doing?

After three weeks of excessive drinking (not non-stop, just on my days off) I’ve decided I need to stop drowning my sorrows and anxieties in booze and try to find a more healthy coping mechanism. For now, that’s buying obscure game music on vinyl. It’s working out for my liver okay, but my wallet is a little pissed.

Additionally, stupid music has been a lifesaver during this time of strife. So to the person who shared the YouTube links of the Hi-NRG versions of “Bette Davis Eyes” in the comments section of my last post, I say thank you. Don’t suppose you have Hi-NRG versions of “Rainbow Connection?”

Moving on, I updated the massive Tokyo record store guide! Now it’s even bigger. A new store opened up in Shinjuku that I thought was worth incorporating because it’s damn good. If you find yourself in Tokyo anytime soon you must make your way to the Shinjuku HMV, the place is a palace of vinyl.

Now let’s dance.

Carmen Electra
Fantasia Erotica (Indecent Proposal Mix) (Radio Edit)
Fantasia Erotica (Erotic Groove Mix)
Fantasia Erotica (Sex Drive Dub)
Fantasia Erotica (Xtra Sex Dub)
Fantasia Erotica (He Dances Instead)
Fantasia Erotica (Double Deep House Mix)
Let me just get this out of the way right now, for those who are wondering why the hell I’m sharing Carmen Electra remixes; this song was produced by Prince.

Does it make sense now?

Oh but don’t worry, your initial thought upon seeing Carmen Electra’s name was correct, this song is quite awful. Even Prince had his fair share of misses. I don’t think these tracks are going to get re-issued via some Prince Vault special edition re-release campaign anytime soon.

Of course, I hope they do. No matter how bad the song is, I hope that eventually everything that Prince ever put his hand on is made available, in-print and easy to purchase either digitally or physically. Because that’s how music should be.

But I hope that they get to re-releasing The Family album before they dig this bad boy up again. This song has the line, “Oh, speak American? No speak Carmanese!”

What the fuck does that even mean? Oi.

Donna Summer
I Feel Love (Mega Mix)
I Feel Love (Edit Mix)
I’m kind of bending my “never share legally available music” rule tonight, because while you can get at least one of these mixes on a legally available CD, it sure as hell isn’t easy.

For those wondering, these are two of the “I Feel Love” mixes that were remixed by the legendary Patrick Cowley, the man who brought us Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and singled-handedly invented Hi-NRG disco.

You can get the “Mega Mix” on at least two compilations. One is the two-disc edition of Donna Summer’s greatest hits album The Journey, and other on a hard-to-find remix compilation series that I have forgotten the name of. Regardless, you can’t buy it on Amazon or iTunes digitally, and you sure as hell ain’t going to find it at your local record store (if you still have one of those, I keep forgetting that most people live in cities that aren’t Tokyo) so I don’t feel too bad for sharing it. Also, I’m fairly certain that the version on The Journey is a straight-up vinyl rip. Mine sounds better (in my opinion).

As for the “Edit Mix,” shit, I don’t know where the hell you can find that. I’m sure it’s been on CD at some point, but that point was probably a long time ago, so I feel safe in sharing it now. I actually like that version a bit more than the full “Mega Mix.” Fifteen minutes of sequencers is a bit much, y’know?

Depeche Mode
I Feel Loved (Danny Tenaglia’s Labor of Love Radio Edit)
I just really wanted to share a remix of “I Feel Love” and “I Feel Loved” in the same post and then have an internal debate about the grammatical differences between the two. These are the kind of things that English teachers think about. It’s a sickness, really.

And for those keeping count at home, it has been approximately 13 months since the last time I posted Depeche Mode.

Posted in Carmen Electra, Depeche Mode, Donna Summer, remixes | No Comments »

I Dream of Swiss/Japanese Synth-Pop Collaborations That Will Never Be

Tuesday, October 13th, 2015

I’m drinking from a tiny bottle of whiskey, which makes me feel even more giant than I already am. One day I’m just going to get wasted and walk around Tokyo whilst vocalizing the Godzilla theme.

Wait, I think that already happened.

Anyway, hey Halloween is coming up! And I actually have some spooky scary songs planned so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, here’s some synth-pop and hip-hop.

Depeche Mode
Suffer Well (Tiga Dub)
According to my relatively in-depth and well-organized cataloging system, I haven’t posted a Depeche Mode track on this site for over two years. That blows my mind. Used to be that this site could’ve been named “That MP3 Blog that Posts Erasure, Depeche Mode and New Order.” Eventually it just got hard to keep that up as A) Depeche Mode finally started releasing their old remixes digitally and B) Look, you seriously have no clue how much Depeche Mode I posted. It was a lot. Seriously.

I still have some honest-to-goodness rare Mode on this hard drive somewhere, maybe someday I’ll get around to posting it. This remix is from a 12″ single. It’s got a good beat.

Sir Mix-A-Lot
One Time’s Got No Case (Bass Mix)
One Time’s Got No Case (Instrumental)
I bought this last year when I was visiting my mom in Oregon. I think 90% of all Sir Mix-A-Lot records currently in circulation can be found in the Pacific Northwest. I like to imagine that Mix-A-Lot himself hawks some off to second-hand shops whenever he’s short on cash. Of course, that’s probably not often right now thanks to the mad “Anaconda” bucks he has to be pulling in.

I really hate that song. But the last time I ranted about that I got called a sexist racist. So let’s move on and discuss Swiss electronic music.

Yello
Live At The Roxy  N.Y. Dec ’83
I’m going to be real and admit that I know absolutely nothing about this. My knowledge of Yello is limited almost entirely to “Oh Yeah,” because even I can’t know everything about every electronic act from the early 80s. I’m sorry. Maybe once I’m done exhuming forgotten Japanese 80s music I’ll move onto Europe. I assume this is some sort of medley, but I really couldn’t tell you. It’s fucking weird though, I can say that much.

I really like it. Shit, does this mean I have to start buying Yello albums?

Hey did anyone ever do a Yellow Magic Orchestra/Yellow mash-up? The could’ve called it Yello Magic Orchestra. This shit writes itself. Someone combine “Behind The Mask” with “Oh Yeah.”

Posted in Depeche Mode, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Yello | 8 Comments »

Depeche Frankenstein

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

Yo.

Want some advice on home ownership?

TIP NUMBER ONE: NEVER BUY A HOME.

That’s the best way to ensure you never have to deal with the shit that’s involved with selling a home. The only way to win is not to play. Argh. You know…when you have to drive to your appraiser’s house and leave a threatening note on the motherfucker’s door to ensure that he gets the appraisal done A WEEK PAST THE DEADLINE HE GAVE YOU, that’s probably a bad sign. Bastard had no problem cashing my check on time though. I want to know what makes people think they can get away with that shit, especially with me!? What about me, a six-and-a-half-foot large man with a short temper, screams “easy mark”?

Anyways, yeah. Musics.

Edgar Winter
Frankenstein 1984 (Monster Version)
Frankenstein 1984 (Human Version)
Frankenstein 1984 (Monster Rap)
I originally posted these in 2009, I am reposting them tonight for three reasons.

  1. I meant to post them for Halloween but got busy.
  2. I recently re-recorded them and they sound hella better.
  3. These tracks are the illest shit ever.

“Frankenstein 1984” is an electro remake of the original “Frankenstein.” The original version is one of the greatest instrumentals of all-time, so it goes without saying that this version is one of the greatest electro instrumentals of all-time. It’s certainly the greatest electro track ever written and performed by an albino keyboardist from Texas. From what I can tell, all the instrumentation of the original version is replaced with various synthesizer and synth effects. There are no drums, no bass, no guitar, just rad synths rocking synth basslines, synth licks and synth rhythms. Oh, and there’s even a vocoder. And as we all know, vocoders make even the dopest shit more dope.

I have no idea if any of these versions ever appeared on a proper Edgar Winter release, I sure as hell can’t find any evidence of such. The “Monster Version” is the uncut version, and that runs nearly a full 10 minutes. The “Human Version” is a single edit at about half the length. The “Monster Rap” version, as the title suggests, features a full rap section, although I don’t know who by. This entire release is lacking credits other than “Edgar Winter,” and while I’m liable to believe he did perform every instrument on this release (the man can play just about anything), I really don’t think he did the rap. At least, I hope not.

Depeche Mode
Should Be Higher (Truss Remix)
Should Be Higher (MPIA3 Definition)
Should Be Higher (Koen Groenveveld Massive Remix)
Should Be Higher (Pangaea Dub Remix)
Should Be Higher (Uberzone Remix)
Should Be Higher (DJMREX Remix)
There are at least 10 different remixes of this track. There are four on the CD single (plus a radio edit) and these six additional mixes that are all exclusive to the 12″ vinyl single. And when I mean they’re exclusive to the vinyl I mean it. As of right now, the only place you can get them is on that record, no digital versions are available anywhere – which is why I feel okay with sharing them here tonight.

I just wish they were better. The first one is okay as a dance track, but it really doesn’t sound much like the original tune, ditto for the two that follow it. The best of the bunch are the last two, which are the only ones to really keep any of the structure from original version at all. If you’re a DM completist (like me) you’ll probably find something to like about all of them, but otherwise I would just stick with the Uberzone and DJMREX mixes and leave the rest. And if you’re looking for a solid remix of a Delta Machine track, check out the Steve Angellos/Jacques Lu Cont mix of “Soothe My Soul.” That shit is epic, although the original version is pretty great too.

 

Posted in Depeche Mode, Edgar Winter, remixes | 4 Comments »

If Congress Doesn’t Get Its Shit Together I’m Gonna Make Them Listen To That Korn Dubstep Album

Monday, October 14th, 2013

Yo, if the government defaults and the world descends into a Mad Max-style apocalypse before I move to Japan I’m going to be really pissed off.

Depeche Mode
Strangelove (Strangemix)
Photographic (Photogenic Remix)
I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead (Deathwish Remix)
These are bootleg mixes taken from an untitled LP, but I thought that were good enough to share here. Although the first is labeled as a remix of “Strangelove,” it’s actually a medley/megamix composed of what feels like nearly a dozen different Depeche Mode tracks. While I think megamixes are typically pretty bland, this one does some interesting things, including modifying the “pain” refrain of “Strangelove” to fit the melody of “Just Can’t Get Enough,” although to be honest I do feel that I’ve heard at least one other remix do that trick before, so maybe I’m giving this release too much credit. I also like the “Photographic” and how it transforms the tune into a more dance-friendly track with an upped tempo and an added synth-melody. The inclusion of a remix of “I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead” is a bit surprising, since that track wasn’t even on the original US release of Speak & Spell (I don’t even have that track, since my copy of Speak & Spell is a first-printing). However, since that track was never released as a single and has no official remixes at all, it’s kind of cool to hear another take on it, even if it is pretty simple.

Korn
A.D.I.D.A.S. (Synchro Dub)
A.D.I.D.A.S. (Under Pressure Mix)
A.D.I.D.A.S. (The Wet Dream Mix)
Yeah, so…I like this song. Always have. In fact, I like most of Korn’s sophomore album Life Is Peachy. Speaking as someone who has admittedly not absorbed the entire Korn oeuvre, I think it’s their best album. I sure as hell liked it when I was in high school. Sure, it stupid, sophomoric aggro-metal meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but it’s really good sophomoric aggro-metal meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator! “No Place To Hide” is a good song! “Good God” is a downright great song! “A.D.I.D.A.S” is…um…well…

I like this song. Don’t you judge me.

Posted in Depeche Mode, Korn, remixes | 4 Comments »

Depeche Minogue

Monday, October 1st, 2012

Records are like drugs, and a good record dealer is like a good drug dealer in that he/she knows just what it takes to separate you from your hard-earned dough.

I was at Jerry’s Records last week (as I am apt to be) and within seconds of walking in he tells me that he has boxes of singles that I’m going to want to look through, boxes filled with “the kind of shit I like.”

Sighing, because I am trying to save money, I am led to the boxes, where I proceed to grab about 50 bucks of awesome 12″ singles from Sparks, Aztec Camera, The B-52s and more. As I go to pay Jerry, he points to two more boxes and says “oh, you should look through these too, they’re all rare DJ mix records.”

I glance over at the stack of boxes and turn my head away, “No!” I say with the kind of authority a junkie says when presented with a hit, “I’m trying to save money, whatever is in there, I don”t need it.”

“Are you sure?” I got some good stuff in there?”

“No, I need to save-”

“I saw some rare Depeche Mode in there.”

“Where are these records again?”

Sigh.

Anyways, he was right. Those boxes did have some pretty oddball Depeche Mode stuff. Oddball Depeche Mode stuff that I of course bought. So enjoy.

Depeche Mode
Mega Mix Part 1
Mega Mix Part 2
Depeche Mode Medley 1987
The two “Mega Mix” tracks are taken from an unofficial 1990 single put out by the bootleg label On-USound, who released several bootleg mixes in the late 80s and early 90s. Despite being a bootleg, it’s very professional sounding, and rather creative as well, incorporating album cuts, single remixes and even some live stuff. Quality shit all around.

“Depeche Mode Medly 1987,” is an official remix, but ironically it’s not nearly as good as the bootleg mix, and the single from which it came is incredibly unprofessional and cheap looking. First of all, it has no real title, just a generic “M” logo at the top, it turns out that it’s from a DJ remix series that was just called “M.” This is the first in the series, so its official name is M1.

On side one are the two standard versions Enigma’s “Mea Culpa” and Eon’s “Spice.”  Good songs to be sure, but they really don’t have much in common so their combined inclusion is bizarre. Furthermore, “Mea Culpa” is spelled wrong (“Mia Culpa”) giving the whole thing a very amateur feel. The DM medley takes up the B-side, and like I said before, it’s not as good as the bootleg mixes, but if you’re like me and worship the Mode, it’s worth a listen if for curiosity sake and nothing else.

Kylie Minogue
Confide In Me (The Truth Mix)
Confide In Me (Big Brothers Mix) 
I’ve mentioned this in the past, but my knowledge of Kylie’s early 90s output is really limited, thanks to be me being in the one industrialized country on the planet who didn’t care about Kylie Minogue during most of the decade. As such, I’ve been trying to catch up ever since. I just heard this song for the first time when I picked up this single last week and, damn if it isn’t one of the best pop songs I’ve heard in a long time. This is an amazing tune: dreamy, sexy, beautifully-produced and, most of all, perfectly sung by Kylie. Damn. It’s annoying that this song wasn’t a hit in the states. How the hell did that not happen? My country is dumb.

Also, while “The Truth Mix” is probably the better of the two, I love the “Big Brothers Mix” because it discos the fuck out the song. Fabulous.

Posted in Depeche Mode, Kylie Minogue, remixes | 2 Comments »

Flock of Bootlegs

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

If any of you follow me on Twitter, then you may already know that I might have to go on another grunge-related rant next week. For that I apologize.

Until then, let’s keep the happy synthpop train rolling!

Depeche Mode
Only When I Lose Myself (Lexicon Avenue Remix) 
It’s come to this, I have so many Depeche Mode singles (over 80 if you count the box sets) that I have to resort to white label bootlegs to get my remix fix. I’m willing to accept that if it means I can get more awesome mixes like this one, however. I’m digging this mix a lot at the moment. It’s very chill and minimal, and it really takes its time to develop. And since “Only When I Lose Myself” is one of those Mode tracks where all you need is Gahan’s haunting vocals, the sparse, bare-bones treatment fits the track perfectly. A quality mix that’s better than a lot of the official remixes that were on the last Depeche Mode remix compilation, it’s definitely worth a listen or twenty.

Flock of Seagulls
I Ran (Flatline Remix)
So one time I went to this weird hipster party in Pittsburgh and a band called Tehran Iran was playing. They came out dressed as sheikhs and played punk rock covers of Duran Duran songs. It was pretty awesome. For their encore they played “I Ran,” changing the chorus to “But Iran/Iran is so far away.”  Good times.

Anyways, this is another bootleg remix, bought in the same batch as that previously mentioned Depeche Mode remix. I never thought I’d find a trance remix of a Flock of Seagulls track, let alone like it a lot. Will the wonders never cease?

Frankie Goes To Hollywood
Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Trevor Horn Remix)
Get It On (Bang a Gong)
Relax International (Live)
Speaking of bootlegs, has anyone ever done a mash-up of “Welcome To The Pleasuredome” with Public Enemy’s “Welcome To the Terrordome?” It seems like the kind of thing that just should create itself into existence, it’s so obvious.

These tracks are not bootlegs, they are taken from one of the 86 zillion Frankie Goes to Hollywood 12″ singles that came out between the years 1983-85.  Because, y’know, the world needed as many remixes of “Relax” as possible! It’s how we survived the Reagan years. That’s a fact. You can look it up.

And that “Get It On” cover is ridiculous and I love every minute of it!

Posted in bootlegs, covers, Depeche Mode, Flock Of Seagulls, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, live, remixes | 2 Comments »

Modes of Depeche

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

If you guess the theme to tonight’s post then congrats, you can read.

Dave Gahan
I Need You (Gabriel & Dresden Unplugged Mix)
I Need You (Ladytron Detoxxmixx)
I Need You (Jay’s Summerdub)
I Need You (Gabriel & Dresden Plugged Dub)
Dirty Sticky Floors (Lexicon Avenue Dirty Sticky Dub)
I Need You (Ladytron Detoxxmixx Instrumental)
I have the 12″ singles for “I Need You” and “Dirty Sticky Floors.” I also have the Hourglass Remixes EP. I do not, however, own either of Dave Gahan’s proper solo albums. It amazes me how often I do bass-ackwards shit like that. My brain is always like “An album I can easily get for a few bucks? Fuck that. I want the rare and hard-to-find 12″ single that is beaten up and scratched so bad that will will take me two hours to record and restore.”

Of these mixes, I prefer the Ladytron one. Not only does it Depeche Mode it up with extra synths and drum machines, but it’s also a scant four minutes long. The rest of these remixes are ridiculously lengthy. Don’t get me wrong, I could listen to Gahan’s seductive voice all day and night (and I have sometimes) but one can only take so much of “You’ll always need me much more than I need you” being repeated ad nauseum.

Depeche Mode
The Darkest Star (Holden Remix)
The Darkest Star (Holden Dub)
I Feel Loved (Danny Tenaglia’s Labor of Love Radio Edit)
My Depeche Mode singles count is in the 50s now, so I’m shocked when I find one I don’t own. And between the six singles box sets and the two massive remix collections, I am even more shocked when I find a Depeche Mode remix from a single that is a genuine, out-of-print rarity. That’s the case for all three of these mixes though, which I picked up from 12″ singles I bought at Amoeba. These mixes for “The Darkest Star” are great, although the odd scratchy noise (which is intentional and NOT a defect of my record) on the “Holden Mix” is kind of grating at first. In a rarity for me, I actually like this dub mix way more. It’s intense, fast-paced and crazy weird. The “I Feel Loved” mix is great, but I’m not a big fan of that song in the first place.

Posted in Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode, remixes | 4 Comments »

Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode

Monday, June 20th, 2011

It’s tough to be a “good fan” these days.

By “good fan” I mean someone who ignores the pre-release leak blogs, the torrent sites and the file-sharing services and actually pays their hard-earned cash to buy the album legit when it comes out. Someone who coughs up the extra dough for a physical version, not because they think it sounds better, but because they think music still holds some value, not something that’s as disposable as any other downloaded file on a hard drive.

I consider me one of those people. I try so hard to respect and value the bands I love, even when it seems like they are going out of their way to make it as hard as possible for me to do so.

I’ve expressed my disdain before for “exclusive” tracks. Simply put, I think they are bullshit, nothing more than a cheap way for a band to make a quick cash grab when music sales alone aren’t enough. Things have gotten a little better in recent years. It used to be that “exclusive” tracks on iTunes or on like services were only available if you bought the whole album. At least nowadays they’re usually available individually. So if a group wants to stick a B-side up as an “exclusive” track for iTunes or Amazon, I’m willing to live with it.

But sometimes it just goes too far. And if there’s any band who’s “good” at taking the whole “exclusive” thing too far, it’s fucking Depeche Mode.

When they released Sounds Of The Universe in 2008, they put out several versions. One of them was an awesome Deluxe Box Set Edition that cost around $100. That version came with not only the complete album and a ton of nifty booklets, postcards and neat bonus goodies, but two additional CDs of remixes and demos as well. Sure, it was pricey and a bit excessive, but when you got that version you felt like really got your money’s worth.

Well, not really. You see, there was also another deluxe version that was only available through iTunes on their now-defunct iTunes Pass service. This edition of the album included 18 or so additional remixes, most of which were not made available on the Deluxe Box Set Edition. It cost a bit more than the standard version, but it sure as hell cost less than the $100 that the deluxe box did.

Basically, Depeche Mode was saying that if you really wanted all the content associated with Sounds Of The Universe, then spending $100 for the Deluxe Edition wasn’t good enough. You were going to have to buy the album twice.

Now, I’m sorry, but I feel that if I spend $100 on an album, on the physical deluxe edition of the record, the one that I had to pre-order on import to get, then I feel like I should be getting the best version of that album. I should get the most bang for the my buck.

Well, apparently Depeche Mode doesn’t feel the same way, because they’re at it again. Two weeks ago Remixes 2: 81-11, their latest remix compilation, came out. When this was announced, I knew I had to get it on vinyl, if for no other reason than to match my vinyl copy of their first remix collection. So I went ahead and pre-ordered the insanely expensive 6LP edition.

Since I live in US, I had to pay import price for this box set, so it cost me over $100. I finally got it in the mail last Friday. I clawed my way into the packaging, eagerly anticipating to discover what my $100 got me.

Did it get me a download card with access to digital versions of all the tracks? Nope.

Did it get me any exclusive tracks? Nope.

Does nearly every other (far less expensive) version of the album come with exclusive tracks? Yup.

Did I go ahead and find all the exclusive tracks online with plans of hosting them here? You bet your ass.

Depeche Mode
Master And Servant (RSS Remix)
In Chains (Myer vs Wilder Deconstruction)
Sister Of Night (Ida Engberg’s Giving Voice To The Flame Remix)
Sister Of Night (Ida Engberg’s Walking Through The Light Dub)
Sweetest Perfection (Phil Kieran Vocal Miix)
Sweetest Perfection (Phil Kieran Remix Dub)
Personal Jesus (Alex Metric Dub)
I Want It All (Roland M. Dill Lunar Dub Remix)
The Sinner In Me (SixToes Remix)
The Sun And The Rainfall (Black Light Odyssey’s Further Excerpts)
The thing that really irks me about most of these exclusive cuts is that they aren’t really exclusive. For example, as Depeche Mode’s official site (which I am not linking to for obvious reasons) points out, “The Sun And The Rainfall (Black Light Odyssey’s Further Excerpts)” is an “exclusive” track for not only HMV in England, but also for Nokia in Finland; Napster in Germany; both FNAC and Virgin Media in France;  Net Music in Italy, and for Aspiro in other parts of Europe.

“Regional exclusive” and “exclusive” are not the same thing. Of course, all those stores want you to think that their version is special for some reason, so they won’t mention that.

And in some cases, like with the iTunes or Amazon exclusive tracks, if you don’t live in America or England, you’re just fucked and you cannot buy them. For some reason, if you live in the “wrong” country you aren’t able to buy digital music from other counties. Apparently MP3s can’t be imported and exported. I’m sure there’s a reason for that, and I’m sure it’s for the benefit of billion-dollar record companies and not the consumer.

What’s really fucked is that these aren’t even all the exclusive remixes! The online music store Beatport actually has an exclusive version of the album, but I don’t know if I consider that to be the same thing. Beatport is for DJs primarily, and the versions they have are almost all dub and instrumental cuts for DJs, so I’m not going to share those. But the fact that there’s a whole other version of this album that’s only available digitally and not to people who shelled out $100 for a deluxe vinyl set is kind of fucked up.

And even if you think “exclusive” tracks are just great and not fucking over hardcore fans, the fact that I was still able to find all of these tracks online in just 30 minutes of searching shows that, at the end of the day, they’re a pretty fucking useless way of encouraging MP3 sales.

Posted in Depeche Mode, rant, remixes | 31 Comments »

Snow and Synths

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Its snowing.

Again.

You all have seen me rant about concert-goers, hipsters, video game companies, large retail websites, politicians, homophobes, sexists, racists, Jay Leno and Fergie. But man, I really hate shoveling snow. Unfortunately, there’s no point in ranting about how much I hate snow. When I go off about how much I hate rude concertgoers someone might read that and think “Hey, he’s right, I’m not going to talk at concerts anymore!” However, I highly doubt Mother Nature is reading my blog.

The nerve of her.

New Order
 Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Mix)
Crystal (Lee Coombs Remix)
Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock Dub)
Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K Main Remix)
Crystal (Creamer K Main Remix)
I don’t know if I’m more amazed at the fact that I found a New Order single I didn’t own or that the songs from the said single are not readily available online legally. A couple of these tracks can be bought at Amazon, but not individually, since they’re over 10 minutes you have to buy the whole album to get them. I hate that trick. I guess it makes sense for bands like Mars Volta, but it kind of fucks electronic artists over don’t you think? Of course, the worst is soundtracks. The fact that I can’t just buy “You’re The Best” from The Karate Kid soundtrack without being forced to buy the whole damn album is criminal! Bastards. There tracks are all from a 2×12″.

Dave Gahan
 Love Will Leave (Kap10kurt Remix)
Use You (Maps Remix)
Deeper And Deeper (T. Raumschmiere Remix Extended)
Saw Something (Onur Ozer Remix)
Deeper And Deeper (Sebastien Leger Remix)
I’m weird. I know this. Why? Because I own two Dave Gahan 12″ singles and remix compilation but I don’t actually own any of his albums. I had the same problem with Depeche Mode and New Order for a while too, before I went on a binge and bought all of their albums. It’s like I’m a reverse casual fan, who avoids the mainstream, easy to find releases but must have the bizarre, rare and hard-to-find stuff. These tracks are from an EP called Hourglass Remixes, which, as you can imagine, a collection of remixes of songs from the album Hourglass. There are eight tracks on that album, but three of them are available at Amazon, so I’m not putting them up here. Luckily, the awesome remix of “Use You” was not one of those tracks, so you get to enjoy it for free. I love this song, only Dave Gahan can make treating someone like garbage sound sexy.

Posted in Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode, New Order, remixes | 1 Comment »

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