NAJM Dance Music Reviews - Information Society - What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy)



			4.5 out of 5 (by PJ)
		Information Society - What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) CD Tommy Boy in conjunction with its 20th Anniversary is updating a dance classic. Minneapolis based Information Society are being re-issued on the Tommy Boy Silver Label. When it was originally released, many thought that Information Society was light years ahead of its time with their futuristic sound and unparalleled similarity to Kraftwerk. The single, "What On Your Mind" is taken from the classic release of "Strange Haircuts, Cardboard Guitars & Computer Samples: Information Society's Greatest Hits". Track #1 is the Pure Energy 2001 Edit (3:48). This mix is very close to the original, although the bass line has been souped up a bit and plenty of rolls and breaks with punchy percussion. The last bit of the song, :48 and counting splits off and does it own jazzy, piano solo. The mix does recover and ends up rounding itself out nicely.

	Track #2 (3:58) treats us to the Boris & Beck Exit Edit. B&B really turn down the bass for this one, and it's a cool effect. All of the really low growling frequencies have been reduced giving the mix a slightly acoustic sound. The underlying string loop maximizes the acoustical effect. Straightforward vocals with little effects give this one a good vibe. Next up, Junior's Blue Zone Club Mix (9:08). This track is a true house stomper and my favorite for mixing because of the epic intro, which always spices up a track. Junior speeds up the vocal creating a sense of energy that often isn't found in some of the mixes today. Of note are the awesome XY effects on vocals throughout the song capitalizing on the recent outbreak of vocoders that everyone feels obligated to use. Like the first track, huge instrumentation/jazzy encore following the song through to its end - kinda unique. Boris & Beck are back at it on Track #4 the Boris & Beck Exit Mix (8:46) handily craft another sheer hard house anthem. Easily blurring a vocal track that borders on dub status, this mix has some great vocal effects including stuttering, fades and loops. Now Track #5 the Sugarpussy Psychic Funk Mix (6:38) is interesting. This mix cleverly includes the retro sound that Madison Avenue has made vogue again. Hugely aggressive with the bass line, this track starts off really dark and brooding and ends with plenty of kicks just for fun. All of these mixes have something that makes them different from the next. Is it difficult to update somewhat of classic? Sometimes, but the remixers and TB Silver Label pull it off without difficulty. These creative mixes should create a firestorm of new fans and maybe even another decade of dance floors fanatics. Well done!


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