SACRILEGE

Directly or indirectly, Can had a huge influence on a lot of artists working in the trance/techno scene, and Holger Czukay has collaborated with some of the more adventurous exponents of contemporary dance music, so the idea of commissioning remixes of Can classics probably seemed logical at the time. Sadly, the results work neither as re interpretations nor as pieces of dance music in their own right. Brian Eno was moved to comment that there seemed to be little point doing remixes when the originals were so good, which says it all really.

Ok, it's going to be hard to defend why on earth I have given this 4 stars. I haven't even given that to much Can albums. But one doesn't get too many chances to review a techno album on PA so I thought I'd go for the opportunity, especially when it's contains so much goodies like this one.

First of all, this whole album has got nothing to do with the original Can songs in the track list. So if you though 'remix' meant a bit of equalizing left and right then you have entirely wrong expectations. This album is called 'sacrilege' and there is a good reason why. You will hardly recognize any your favourite Can tunes. Few of the remixes use actual melodies or rhythms from the Can songs, the only thing that is vaguely recognizable is some of the sounds used.

This tribute is nevertheless soaked with the real Can adagio: first take everything apart and then construct an entirely new thing from the remaining carcass. While not all pieces work, most do. The dynamic rhythms and richly textured Can samples seem to be perfect material for a fine album in the typical 90-ties alternative techno styles.

A couple of samples.

Pnoom, by Eno. He thought there was little for him to improve on the original Can songs so he chose this little ditty. While there is some truth in what he says, he had better stayed away from this project altogether as he clearly didn't get the idea of the sacrilege idea. His Pnoom is exactly like the original.

Spoon, by Sonic Youth. This song sounds as if it was written for them of course. They stick to the original but add some of their typical guitar textures in the second half.

Tango Whiskeyman, by a Guy Called Gerald. A great remix this one, pure drum & bass techno all the way with some sampled parts of Can's original song. It makes for a chillingly claustrophobic and restless atmosphere.

Vitamin C, by U.N.K.L.E. This one uses the original Can-beat but brings it more to the front and greatly improved the sound.

Future Days, by Carl Craig. A dub groove dominates this one. Lush synths and hazy vocals whispering "Future Days" turn it into almost catchy tune. An improvement over the original.

Father Cannot Yell, by Pete Shelley (yes that guy from the Buzzcocks). Pure drum & bass techno again with nothing reminding me of the original song but this remix is simply ominous. One of the best things I've ever heard in the genre, very dynamic and heavy. Deep trance alert!

Yoo Doo Right, 3P mix. Charming little remix, it got a trip-hop beat and a layer of strings for accompaniment. With Malcolm Mooney's sampled vocals on top, it's almost become a pop song, not dissimilar from early No-man stuff. Great tune.

Flow Motion, by Air Liquide. Another one which bears no trace of the original but with a fittingly funky-industrial kind of beat. The samples used from the song add to the alienating industrial feel.

Oh Yeah, by Kris Needs. A bit of a lengthy dub mix here but still with a nice gloomy mood and a groovy pace.

This album stands as a fine example how experimental rock can transform into something entirely the opposite: a dance album, and one very much to my liking. I wouldn't recommended it to Can fans though, this album is rather meant to introduce fans of the featured artists to the strange world of Can. And it worked for me! Been a Can-fan ever since.

This is a collection of remixes of Can tracks, mainly by people who did techno of the alternative non-mainstream varieties in the nineties, with some for the prog listener familiar names thrown in (Brian Eno, Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy, Sonic Youth). A "remix" here means that parts of the original tracks were cannibalised to create something more or less new and autonomous. The title "Sacrilege" testifies the huge respect that the participants of this project have for Can's work and the influence that the band has had on musicians of various genres and over a long time.

The remixes are quite different regarding how much of the original track was kept and how much they're dominated by it. In A Guy Called Gerald's Tango Whiskeyman one need to look hard for traces of the original, whereas for example Sunroof's Oh Yeah follows the concept of the original quite closely.

I have always enjoyed this double-CD big time, from start to finish, despite the presence of some weaker pieces or at least some pieces that in itself don't tell me that much. Surely there is enough strong material here, although it definitely helps if nineties techno music doesn't make you run away screaming for mercy. Many of the remixes are dominated by heavy rhythms, some pretty dancefloor-proof, split up between sampling and looping the mighty man machine Jaki Liebezeit (RIP), making him even more machine-like, and some techno rhythms created by the remixers themselves. The use of samples and sounds is generally inspired by how the masters themselves did it with material from other sources, and consequently the Can members have enjoyed this collection, too, as far as I know (except Damo, who in the booklet is just cited saying that this is "not his cup of tea").

Overall, despite its dancefloor credentials, this is quite experimental and playful and not always an easy ride. Also in this respect, the collection is varied; 3P's Yoo Doo Right could have been hit single material, so smooth and nice to the ears it is, whereas Hiller/Kaiser/Leda's Unfinished and Bruce Gilbert's TV Sport are rather noise avantgarde, although at least the former treats the listener to some rhythm toward the end. A number of pieces are generous with the rhythm but more modest with melody and harmony (i.e., Father Cannot Yell by Pete Shelley); but melody and harmony aren't necessarily what the Can fan is looking for.

I could nominate quite a number of these as highlights; by and large more of them are on the second CD. The already mentioned Unfinished and Father Cannot Yell are bold and adventurous and pretty autonomous constructions. I also love the addictive underground dance orgy that System 7 (that's Hillage and Giraudy formerly of Gong) made of Dizzy Spoon; these prog veterans surely know how to produce an attractive techno rhythm.

Surely part of the listener's joy comes from looking for and recognising their Can favourites; U.N.C.L.E.'s Vitamin C and both remixes of Oh Yeah make heavy enough use of the original material that they are basically failproof (still there is enough artistic freedom in them to justify their existence in the face of the original) and of course I can listen day in day out to Jaki's drumming, even looping him does not hurt him much. There's a case though for not attributing all the quality that can be found here to the remix collection, a good deal is of course claimed by the originals.

I am really in love with the whole concept and how it plays out, and also some of the highlights. It would be a far stretch to call this "a masterpiece of progressive rock", firstly because it is a far stretch to call this "progressive rock" at all and secondly because this kind of project can of course never reach a sufficiently monolithic experience and everyone can certainly find the odd low point here. Never mind, personally I am fascinated and delighted from start to finish, and so I give it four stars and feel rather stingy.