Only about a half year after their last album release „On The Move“, this German IDM duo returns with this rather companion-like remix output to reward us, the listener, with new, revamped and reinterpreted music stuff out of the Villaborghese sound universe. Friedhelm Kranz and Erick Miotke have collected various remixes by foreign and musically quite differently sounding bands and projects to add their point of view on the spherical and filmic on the Industrial-Ambient-driven compositions provided by this duo. The list of remix contributors consists mostly on projects out of their friendship-base, it lesser takes a note to add the most well-known and recognized remixer for another free slot.
As usual for Villaborghese, also this remix album stands rather for the attempt to provide alternative versions without having a sense on releasing “hit” songs on a loveless compiled collection of tracks. Since this “Remixed” album provides the track-list in the same row like the one being presented on “On The Move”, it is like a little quiz for the listener to figure out the pros/cons of a remix compared to the original track. Additionally as a bonus, also the non-album tracks like “Iced”, “Digitized” or “Beatboxed” which can be discovered on Villaborghese's single output “Close” and “Surrounded”.
So logically this album starts with “Open (Scalar Fields Mix by Spherical Disrupted)” which adds a well-balanced layered and slow-stalking EBM-like note to this track. Mirko Hentrich is the mastermind behind this Audiophob-recording project and he can already look back on a more than 25 years longing career into the experimental field of sound-manipulations out of the Industrial / Ambient / IDM music-genres. Interesting fact asides of this, he is also co-owner of the Audiophob label. “Extractor” then follows, this time remixed by Eli van Vegas who is to me better known as producer / shouter of the old-school EBM project Zweite Jugend. Under his Eli van Vegas pseudonym he flirts a lot of with a Techno-inspired dancefloor-compatibility in a straight 4-on-the-floor outfit filled with creaking 303-like bass line sequences.
Third track is “Amnesia” and indeed – this one is impossible to remix without ruining it completely. That's what I actually thought in advance. Also, I can't figure out who Chris-Rico is as being the responsible remixer - but who cares? To place some distinctive voice samples in a bleeping, strange algorithm-programs Trance-like sound environment and to bring in organic warmth with some vintage 70s-sounding pads was a good idea and unexpected method of resolution.
Germany's international renowned Electropop duo Alphamay follows with a reinterpretation on "Mourn", but yeah... they couldn't make it for me, sorry. But with “Mover”, one of the most action-driven tunes on the original album, I was pretty much excited that the German Dark Electro-virtuoso Nick Jonath aka MC1R would have the challenge to remix it. There's still the speed of the original, still the open/close hi-hats percussion elements, but generally this one sounds more intensely and darker-minded with its various vocal samples surrounded into the mix. Also - a tiny FLA reference can't be argued away.
The wobbling percussion elements in combination with the vocal sample snippets provided by Duo for the track “Give” are also causing attraction, furthermore with the inclusion of the some nice piano lines. “Rising” in its original version has been my personal favorite taken from “On The Move” and it has been surely a wise decision to let the German Dark Electro duo of Amnistia putting their hands on it. Another truly-Blade Runner-like soundtrack with precisely hacking bass line sequences and meticulously chosen FX elements thrown into the mix. Really fine worked out and far away from the original track.
Comes then one of the most unusual remix contributions to this album, Jan-Heie Erchinger and his interpretation on “Chants”. I'd like to pay respect to his musically career, Jan-Heie is a music teacher, has released 11 own produced CD albums, a long-year stage experience and his music-genres are rather based into Jazz and Funk music. Nice late-night entertainment and Lounge music, but not that stuff I'd prefer actually.
It follows the project Sebshow.net and their interpretation on the track “Gloom”. Once again, additional information on the projects, especially those flying a bit under the radar, would have been a great initiative. However, I assume that this another friendship-based collaboration between the Villaborghese gentlemen Kranz / Miotke with the Braunschweig / Germany-based diploma designer Sebastian Schollmeyer. This track is a straight 4-on-the-floor-based Electronic tune with various samples out of the original recording, not bad at all.
One of the best and most surprising contributions follows with the German Synthpop-duo Neocoma and their remix on “Surrounded”. Bleeping, hypnotic bass line sequences drilling its way into brain and leave the listener excited until the main lead synth of this track enters the scenery. The absolutely “WOW” effect so far!
Dubvisionist is a project of Felix Wolter, a drummer, producer and mixer since the early 80s and dedicated to Reggae and Dub music styles. Well... diversity to be added in is also an idea to extent ones musically horizon... so to say. Transmitter is a 3-piece-Electro-/Rock-outfit with a long-year-lasting career and stage experience. I have heard already some of their action-driven tracks with multiple beats and percussion elements and a brilliant vocalist. This slow-stalking version of “Close” is actually a totally difference to the original, but actually I was hoping to hear them hammering out with the speed of the original track.
SphÄrenwandler is a second project of Nick Jonath with which he concentrates rather more on IDM / Ambient music-genres. “Beatboxed” is one of those non-album tracks of “On The Move”, one of the more beat-driven tunes by Villaborghese. The FLA influence on Nick's remix takes a backseat although it is still percussive and beat-driven but now with more glitchy variations and samples thrown in. Trilogy is Erick Miotke's follow-up project to Germany's Dark Electro legend Trial and so he has remixed with “Iced” his own composition. He added a few howling wolves samples and an underlining dark EBM-minded bassline to the icy soundscapes of the original and brings in more movement.
Since Amnistia could put their fingers on “Rising” as written above, also Tino Claus aka TC75 and one half of Amnistia is on parade with an own interpretation of this track. Multiple percussion elements and pummeling bass lines once again awake reminiscences to some Belgian EBM traditionalists like Dive, Vomito Negro, or early Insekt. Awesome!
Last appearance belongs to the famous German radio moderator Ecki Stieg who is known for his long appearance of the prominent “Grenzwellen” radio show. “Digitizer” is another non-album track, a noisy one in its original. Also Ecki's version is noisy, nearly anarchic and reminds on some Powernoise collages comparable in some kind with some early-Dive recordings.

It shouldn't wonder anyone that this remix collection adds thanks the chosen contributors a much wider musically spectrum to the soundscapes of Villaborghese. Also the fact that almost all contributions add in some more percussive elements to the at times static and tricky compositions of this duo seems to be a logically consequence. This remix collection compared with the original album doesn't follow the worn-out “increase-sales” formula so often discovered, it rather more adds musically diversity in one or another variable style and finally turns out to be a valuable addition.