REVIEW: The Art of Noise, _Drum and Bass Collection

[Consumable]

REVIEW: The Art of Noise, _Drum and Bass Collection_ (Discovery)
_The FON Mixes_
- Jamie Roberts
The Art of Noise are one of the most sampled bands in music
history. Pieces of their work are found in some of the most popular
music of the past 13 years (The Prodigy's "Firestarter" comes to mind
among many many others). Their beginnings in 1983 saw them as a
faceless studio-bound vehicle for Trevor Horn, and their body of
work created "...the blueprint for new styles of hip-hop and
electro-rhythms" and became "...a crystal ball of hardcore
technology". Now we come to the stage where the very people who
were moved by AON's early works to create on their own, come "home"
and put their spin on the work of their mentors.
_The FON Mixes_ are the hardcore's response to their
historical influences. Each original Art Of Noise track is re-mixed
with a burst of energy from noted mixers like Mark Gamble, Youth and
Richard H. Kirk of Cabaret Voltaire (using the pseudonym Sweet Exorcist).
On the _FON_ CD "Peter Gunn" is mixed with "Dragnet". It
gets really campy and exaggerated using vintage Art Of Noise echoes
and backbeat as it lumbers along. This Mark Gamble mix of "Peter
Gunn" is as right-on representation of the original track, as his
mix of "Yebo" is abstract. With its ominous beginning, and its
blend of African chants with mechanized beats, there is not much
of the original to be heard in this mix, which runs just short of
two minutes. "The Art of Slow Love" is brilliantly re-done by Youth
starting off a bit like Primal Scream's "Loaded" easing into a long,
slow, sexy groove. Samples of "Moments In Love" are sprinkled
throughout the track, seemingly reminiscing about the original AON
track.
_The Drum and Bass Collection_ tackles many of the same
songs, but with a more textured approach. This collection features
mixes from ILS, Flyright, Lemon D (from Metalhedz) and Lightfoot
among others. I was not readily familiar with the work of these
mixers, as many Americans will not be, but their work on this CD
speaks volumes.
Flyright tackles "Peter Gunn" in a way that is diametrically
opposed to Gamble's (from FON). Completely unrecognizable as "Peter
Gunn", this track speeds along at a breakneck pace. There is no
exact pattern or reason to this mix of the track, but that is what
grabs your attention, and keeps it to the end. The bassy meandering
of Lightfoot's almost-six-minute version of "Yebo" makes its
numerous tempo changes with low-key grace. The levity with which
ILS attacks "The Art of Love" is not at all like Youth's 'Slow'
version. It owes more to break-beat in the beginning, and its tempo
changes plateau at an ambient groove.
The Art Of Noise has contributed a great deal to the music we
all listen to. Getting your music from the very source of this genre
will show you how it has developed over the years, and will allow
you to pick out samples from this often credited group. Using the
old AON albums as reference points and comparing the mixes is as
enlightening as listening gets.
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This review first appeared in Consumable Online, the oldest continuous
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