WENDY & LISA - RE-MIX-IN-A-CARNATION

The one thing I can say for certainty about this release is it wasn't released in the US.  It's a European release, though I'm not 100% sure I know the country of origin.  I remember discovering this disc and going out of my way to locate a copy.  I think I bought it on eBay or Amazon.  I do remember this was a disc I went looking for and I paid whatever was asked to get it.

This disc is basically a remix EP.  The mixes contained on the disc span the duo's first three records.  Two of the mixes are from their debut release, "Wendy And Lisa", three are from "Fruit At The Bottom" and the last one is from "Eroica".

The title of the album is interesting.  It's playing on the word reincarnation.  And that's not entirely far from the truth.  Each one of the songs appearing on this disc is reborn in a remix.  Not always successfully, but reborn nonetheless.

The first track is 'Lolly Lolly' and it's remixed by William Orbit.  It's a fairly straight forward mix.  The drum track is altered and there are some new electro sounds added in.  Some of the instrumentation is stripped out making it a deeper cut, but that move sacrifices the cheerful nature of the tune and makes it sound a little dull.  Nellee Hooper is responsible for the 'Waterfall' mix and this is by far, the best mix on the disc.  It's subdued, flowing and it compliments the song rather than obstructs it.  I quite love this mix actually.

'Are You My Baby' is remixed by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne.  They add some deep bass grooves, but stay fairly faithful to the original.  Nothing wrong here.  I think of all Wendy & Lisa tracks, this one is probably the most remixed.  'Staring At The Sun' is reworked by Youth and The Orb.  It has a psychedelic intro added and then it moves into an almost spiritual tantric version of itself.  The drum track is completely unnecessary.  The piano and vocals could carry this mix all on their own.  It's soaring and lovely.  

D.J. Premier tackles 'Satisfaction' and this is perhaps the most staggeringly different mix of the whole bunch.  Virtually all the music is scrapped in favor of the pseudo swing beat Premier makes.  It doesn't compliment the song and seems quite at odds with the vocals.  About the only thing it does compliment is the rap added toward the end.  Unnecessary.  Finally, Steve Anderson hypes up 'Sideshow'.  This is another great mix with the addition of percussion.  I think this mix demonstrates how instrumentation can enhance a track while the previous number distracts.

Ultimately, this is a great disc and one well worth owning if you're a fan.  I'm not sure what it's selling for these days, but if it's too much, you may want to consider buying a digital copy.  No matter what you do one thing is certain, Wendy & Lisa wrote amazing music and it lends itself well to mixing.  My final words:  DON'T MISS RE-DISCOVERING THESE CLASSIC TUNES IN THEIR NEW FORMS!

WENDY & LISA - RE-MIX-IN-A-CARNATION
01. Lolly Lolly (William Orbit Remix)
02. Waterfall (Nellee Hooper Remix)
03. Are You My Baby (Paul Oakenfold And Steve Osbourne Remix)
04. Staring At The Sun (Youth And The Orb Remix)
05. Satisfaction (Gangstarr Remix)
06. Sideshow (1991 Remix)

RAVE 'TIL DAWN - RAVE 'TIL DAWN

This is a compilation disc of various rave groups in the early 90's when rave was taking off.  Most of the groups are Euro electronic outfits.  And almost half of the material comes from Praga Kahn and Oliver Adams of Lords Of Acid fame.

I originally had this collection on tape and I loved it so much when I found it on CD I had to buy it.  The songs are interesting and often humorous.  And the beats are quite infectious.  However, on recent listening, I feel the music is a bit dated.  It hasn't aged well at all.  Lol.

The first track is from a Belgium artist going by the name Ottorongo.  A basic shout and response song, 'Fuck You' is basically just a list of organizations the artist wants to rebel against.  Not exactly deep philosophical lyric content, and it's not a song you can play in public.  This one, although enjoyable, hurts the compilation in my opinion.  It limits the play-ability of the disc.  It's followed by 'Jump'.  The Movement was a short lived dance band who signed a record deal in 1992 after they changed the lyrics from this song from "Jump, motherf*cker, jump" to "Jump, everybody, jump".  This is another song that hurts the compilation.

The next track is 2 Unlimited's 'Get Ready For This'.  This band is made up of Dutch and Belgian members.  They had a series of hits throughout the early 90's and continue to record.  It's probably the most popular song on the collection and also my least favorite.  I never really got into this group.  Blue Pearl appear next with 'Can You Feel The Passion' and is a duo consisting of Youth musician, Martin Glover and American diva, Durga McBroom.  I love this song.  It's got great lyrics and an infectious sound.  One of the strongest on the record.

Code Red is the first LOA Trio number appearing on the disc.  'Dreamer, Dream' was released as a single under the band name, Code Red.  As previously mentioned, Code Red is just a pseudonym for Lords Of Acid.  It's an ok, number but you can tell it's one of the first these guys worked on.  The production is a little bogged down.  It's an interesting idea and blends a little  bit of house in with the chorus.

Two Little Boys are a band I know absolutely nothing about but I love the song, 'Stylophonia'.  It's fantastic and quite fun.  Next up is Praga Khan's 'Injected With A Poison'.  This song has been used on so many compilations and appeared on multiple albums and singles.  It's almost impossible to follow it through the years.  This version seems to be one of the original if not the actual original.  Once again, the LOA Trio strike!

English band, Shut Up And Dance are next with 'Green Man'.  This one is a bit of a challenge.  It makes use of progressive scales in a repetitive motif as a music.  Although that can be highly creative, here it slows the progress of the song down and feels like you're waiting for something to go nowhere.  Lords Of Acid make an official appearance on the release with 'Take Control'.  It's a good song, though not their best.  And it works nicely on this collection.  The final number is a LOA Trio number called 'A Million Colors' by Channel X.  Channel X was a bit more than just a pseudonym for Khan, Adams and Lierop; they actually released an entire album of music under this band name. 

So it's a great little collection and gives you a comprehensive idea of what was happening with Rave music in 1992.  My final words:  A FUN BUT UNNECESSARY CHRONICLE.

RAVE 'TIL DAWN - RAVE 'TIL DAWN

01. Ottorongo - Fuck You (Singalongmotherfucker Mix)

02. The Movement - Jump (Mutha Mix)

03. 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This (Orchestral Mix)

04. Blue Pearl - Can You Feel The Passion (Palladium Mix)

05. Code Red - Dreamer, Dream

06. Two Little Boys - Stylophonia

07. Praga Khan Featuring Jade 4 U - Injected With A Poison (MNO Power Mix)

08. Shut Up & Dance - Green Man (Rum & Black Mix)

09. Lords Of Acid - Take Control

10. Channel X - A Million Colors