Review: Depeche Mode – Remixes 81-04

Depeche Mode

Remixes 81-04

Reprise

There are a thousand official and unofficial Depeche Mode remixes floating around in the stratosphere and to try and make a single disc compilation of highlights is a rather daunting task. I know because I’ve made a few of my own over the years. This official compilation of highlights isn’t exactly what I would consider their best, but that is a debate that could take weeks to sort out. In many cases, the quality of the remix is overlooked for the name of the remixer.

The cast list includes Underworld, Francois Kevorkian, Kruder and Dorfmeister, Portishead, Daniel Miller, Air and Dave Bascombe alongside two new mixes by Goldfrapp and Mike Shindoa. Surprisingly, the new versions are the compilation’s most alluring tracks and not just filler to attract those of us who already own the majority of, if not all, of the mixes.

Shindoa’s heavy reinterpreted version of “Enjoy the Silence” might raise a few eyebrows with its distorted guitars and more aggressive approach, but I rather like it, and Goldfrapp’s ethereal take on “Halo” is a mutated duet that puts a fresh spin on one of my favorite tracks. Which, when added all together, means I’m going to have to pick up the three-disc version for the additional new mixes; yes, I’m a sucker.

This review originally appeared in Glitter Gutter Trash, December 2004, Issue 192.