by David Dahl

Studio Wars brings out the old school in you with hard-hitting house, dingy techno, and of course breakbeat. The concept is simple: take two tracks by two different artists. Swap 'em, remix 'em, and you end up with one dirty, complex, and energetically solid album. Since no war is complete without veterans, you'll find names like Simply Jeff, Frankie Bones, Rob Gee, and Ming & FS on the play list.

Remix collections tend to have an overall strange sound; it seems as though the remixing artists' perception of a track can clash with the original artist's idea behind it. This often produces a bizarre but profound composition. The apparent example on Studio Wars is Atomic Babies' Mix of Ming & FS' "Genius". The track drones an enormous retreating bassline over echoing synths to produce a psychologically disturbing ride, accented by the word "genius" repeated over and over again. setting the mood for the entire album. The attitude finally lightens up with Frankie Bones' "Old School Rave Mix" of Rob Gee's "Ecstasy, You Got What I Need." The title is a perfect indicator of how it sounds.

Be aware of the fact that Studio Wars is not easily accessible to the average listener; this album is for true fans of electronic music, old as well as new.

Studio Wars
compiled by Digital Empire
Track Listing:

1. Kelly Reverb "Say What Your Gonna Say" (Woody McBride Mix)
2. Woody McBride "Dance Through the Night" (Kelly Reverb Mix)
3. Ming & FS "Genuis" (Atomic Babies "Intellectual" Mix)
4. Atomic Babies "Aussie" (Ming & FS Mix)
5. Paul Birken "Cued Tip" (Angel Alanis Mix)
6. Angel Alanis "Distortional" (Paul Birken Mix)
7. Simply Jeff "Break It Down" (Drawbacks "Heat Treatment" Mix)
8. Drawbacks "Get Fucked" (Simply Jeff Mix)
9. Brownie "MPORT2XPORT" (Slumlord "tech-support" Mix)
10. Slumlord feat. MC Epidemic "Lumber Jack" (Brownie's Lickin' The Bowl Mix)
11. GFS "New3Five" (JL RMX)
12. JL "Confusion" (GFS RMX)
13. Rob Gee "Ecstasy, You Got What I Need" (Frankie Bones "Old School Rave" Mix)
14. Frankie Bones "Sound Of The Bassdrum" (Rob Gee Mix)