Children of the Rave Solution - Funkst?rung, Cullman, M.
Tried By 12 - Funkst?rung, Bellamy, S.
No. 9 - Funkst?rung,
All Is Full of Love - Funkst?rung, B., Howie
Mind My Make Up - Funkst?rung, Fini Tribe
Bust It - Funkst?rung, De Luca, C.
Reunited - Funkst?rung, Wu Tang Clan
Henryk - Funkst?rung, Myer, Daniel
The obvious comparison is with Autechre: two charismaphobic European guys who wrench tense, jittery rhythm tracks out of a small armamentarium of computers. But this is Autechre with Top 40 ambitions--or at least what pass... more »es for Top 40 ambitions in these circles. On Additional Productions Michael Fakesch (the German one) and Chris De Luca (the Italian one) peer out of their underground cellar to remix the big-league likes of Wu-Tang Clan and spar with Miami's world-champ hip-hop turntablist DJ Craze. The result isn't club music, but it is club-to-the-head music. Björk is something of an expert at ferreting out producers who can match her parched soprano with equally arid timbres, and Funkstorung's stop-start setting of "All Is Full of Love" is no exception: it is a track as severe as the tundra of her native Iceland. Likewise, the duo's revision of Wu-Tang's "Reunited" turns the original's mid-tempo MC showcase into something as jumpy and paranoid as RZA's most claustrophobic productions. Call it "skip-hop." --Jeff Salamon« less
The obvious comparison is with Autechre: two charismaphobic European guys who wrench tense, jittery rhythm tracks out of a small armamentarium of computers. But this is Autechre with Top 40 ambitions--or at least what passes for Top 40 ambitions in these circles. On Additional Productions Michael Fakesch (the German one) and Chris De Luca (the Italian one) peer out of their underground cellar to remix the big-league likes of Wu-Tang Clan and spar with Miami's world-champ hip-hop turntablist DJ Craze. The result isn't club music, but it is club-to-the-head music. Björk is something of an expert at ferreting out producers who can match her parched soprano with equally arid timbres, and Funkstorung's stop-start setting of "All Is Full of Love" is no exception: it is a track as severe as the tundra of her native Iceland. Likewise, the duo's revision of Wu-Tang's "Reunited" turns the original's mid-tempo MC showcase into something as jumpy and paranoid as RZA's most claustrophobic productions. Call it "skip-hop." --Jeff Salamon
CD Reviews
Intelligent remixes
01/03/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Funkstorung are probably best known for their remixing work, which would explain their first domestic CD release being not original material but rather entirely remixes of other artists. Michael Fakesch and Chris De Luca maintain the principle of creative license, and wield it with full force. The shining moment is the oft-hailed Bjork remix, "All is Full of Love" (significantly better than the original). The hip hop mutations of East Flatbush Project, a collaboration with DJ Craze, and a Wu-Tang Clan track sound like worlds colliding, and it never sounded so good. Other remixes include FiniTribe, Various Artists, S'Apex (Haujobb side project)... Worth looking into for an interesting spin on typical IDM."
Glitch heaven
Sir | seattle, wa | 03/19/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"i must admit, i was a bit worried at first about this disc. i'd only heard of them because of some remixes they'd done of bjork's "all is full of love" and at the time i did not like their remixes, but i figured ..., just give it a shot. and i'm SO glad that i did. they do an amazing job of changing up how a song sounds, while still keeping the overall feel of it the same. they've really opened up my ears to new types of music, especially the more avant garde. and because of this disc i was able to go back to their bjork mixes and truly appreciate them for all that they are. just listen to them with an open mind to what music can be and ears wide open. you won't leave unhappy."
Funked up sounds
C. Huang | brooklyn, ny | 09/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Funkstorung is a at the top of my CD listening list right now. Its amazing listening to these remixed songs that sound like they were dissected and then spliced together to create new beats and noises, that somehow make sense. To me, their songs are a soundscape of hip hop and electronica with messed-up beats. This European duo know how to tear it up, literally! I especially love "Children of the Rave solution", "Bust it" with the amazing Craze and Wu-Tang Clan's "Reunited" mix."
Better techno exists. But, this is excellent.
C. Huang | 08/29/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Very interesting. Arythmic hip-hop mixed with saturnine melodies. I recommend highly for anyone interested in "avant-garde" pop."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1