Search - Depeche Mode :: Free Love / Zenstation

"Flood" Return To Remix Freelove, DM's 3rd Single on Exciter

Mr. | USA | 03/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Freelove is the third single off of Depeche Mode's Tenth Album of original music: Exciter. And Flood, the guys who helped make Violator (DM's seventh original album) such a huge success, are back, doing the single mix of this great song (my favorite, off of Exciter). This U.S. CD single, contains a total of six tracks, including four different remixes of Freelove. The Flood Mix is just beautiful, and much shorter than the original version (3:59). But much of the original is still intact. A different background mix is used while a beatbox machine is also included. Very very danceable. Truly another work of art from Flood. Nice work guys. Besides the Flood mix, you get the DJ Muggs remix which turns the piece into more of a rock 'n roll song. The Bertrand Burgalat remix (who's members also worked on a remix for the Dream On single) gives Dave's voice an echo and some bits of feedback that clear up hear and there. Kinda reminded me of one of those big dance numbers you see on TV, with a bit of a 70's feel. Strange, but interesting. Then there's the Schlammpeitziger "Little Rocking Suction Pump" version (say that 10 times fast :-)which mixes it up with many different electronic sounds, but mostly using and reusing the chorus part from the original version. The only thing Dave sings throughout the whole song is: "And I'm only here". That's it. Out of all of them, the Flood remix is the best. Also included is a new instrumental song from Martin Gore, entitled: Zenstation. Two versions are given: the Original version & Atom's Stereonerd Remix. The original version has a slow yet irratic flavor, almost a strange kind of japanese ala electronica, with some strange familiarity, in some ways, to Little 15. Although it's an instrumental, Martin does add some harmoney backgrounds of his very own to it. The second version has more of an electronic urban feel to it, with spiratic bits of electronic added to Martin's harmonies, along with a steady heavy bass. You'll notice through much of the track a feeling of it being turned on and off, which actually works in sync. Quite an interesting remix.All in all, this is a very enjoyable CD single to listen to. And unlike the UK, which has to split singles that run long onto two CDs for some strange reason, the US version is all on one disc. For those interested, check out the DVD Single of Freelove, which although is a bit pricey, contains live tracks from the Exciter tour concert in Philadelphia back in June of 2001.Track Listing:(1. Freelove (Flood Mix) 3:59 (2. Freelove (DJ Muggs Remix) 4:24 (3. Zenstation (Non-Album Track) 6:24 (4. Freelove (Bertrand Burgalat Remix) 5:27 (5. Freelove (Schlammpeitziger "Little Rocking Suction Pump" Version) 6:50 (6. Zenstation (Atom's Stereonerd Remix) 5:35Stay Devoted!"

1 song, 2 producers, and a B-side

J. C. Gnam | Providence, RI United States | 05/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What makes this single interesting is that not is the single version substantially different from the album version (something fairly common of Depeche Mode songs) but the single mix is done by Flood, who mixed Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotiona, but was not included in the roster for Ultra or Exciter.



What's surprising is that while Mark Bell's production for the Exciter album has been described as very minimalistic compaired to previous albums, instead of bringing the song back into the more layered realm of previous DM albums, Flood's mix is even more minimalistic than the album version. Everything is basically reduced to just the beat, the guitar, the vocals, and a background tone. However, the mix actually does acheive a sound and mood more reminscient of previous DM songs, particularly with the background tone being very similar to the sort of synthesized vocal chorus sounds used on songs like Never Let Me Down, Strangelove, the 101 version of People are People and even the age old See You.



The B-side, Zenstation, is one of the more inspired instrumental tracks in recent DM history, especially compaired to Headstar from Only When I Lose Myself. It is actually extremely organic for a DM instrumental, with heavy use of various live string instruments and Martin's lyric-less vocals. While Kaleid and Painkiller were driven by heavy percusion and rythim, Zenstation is driven by melody, with very light percussion. Besides being unique, I would say it's a strong contender for best B-side in recent DM history.



Unfortunately, I can't judge the entire single, the used dealer I ordered from through Amazon sent me a version with only 3 tracks, instead of the full 6 or 7 it's supposed to have. What I did hear was very good though, and if you're interested in the production process of DM, hearing Flood's mix of Freelove against Mark Bell's album version is rather educational."

The only mix that matters is missing from this release

hou_music | Houston, TX | 11/28/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

""Freelove" was a huge club track for Depeche Mode in early 2002. The ONLY mix that got any play in the clubs was the "Deep Dish Freedom Mix" - by far the best of all the remixes of this song. Deep Dish even went so far as to make two versions of the mix (one for Europe and one for the U.S.) to promote to the clubs. Their stellar version of "Freelove" was a standout in the fact that it actually sampled DM's own "Enjoy The Silence" and in how it brought Dave Gahan's vocals out into the forefront. Unfortunately for Depeche Mode fans this mix has never been released.



Without the Deep Dish mix the rest of this CD appeals only to the most hard-core fan."