“EVIL 18DE fits very well in your Moonbooter discography with mixes which offer another vision while keeping a close link with the original versions”
1 Outside Space (Deconstructed Mix) 5:37 2 Inside Space (In The Club Mix) 5:01 3 Perfect Stranger (Season 2 Mix) 7:32 4 Caught by Melancholy (Against All Odds Mix) 7:44 5 Cosmic Thunder (Carpenters Mix) 6:51 6 I Remembered Tomorrow (Kiss Me Tonight Mix) 7:07 7 L I F O (Epic Mix) 6:41 8 Schnurstraks (Deaerated Mix) 6:57 9 Zwischenspiel 0:56 10 Good Bye Elements (Space Travelers Mix) 6:19 11 Now and Then (Nice Mix) 5:58
12 34 Years Later (Ich Bin Alleine Mix) 6:34
MellowJet Records | cdr-mb1802 (CD-r/DDL 73:17) (V.F.)
(EDM, Berlin E-Rock)
EVIL is a palindrome. Simply read it backwards. 18 stands for 2018 and DE for Deutschland. EVIL 18DE was recorded in concert during the performance of Moonbooter at the Electronic Music 2 held at the Planetarium Münster on March 3, two months before the release of Cosmosonic. Offered in CD-r HQ format and download, the album breathes more a performance without public since Bernd Scholl has removed all traces of the attendance, as it does with all his albums in concert. And all in all, this EVIL 18DE breathes novelty too, because very clever the one who could correctly identify the 12 titles on it. Nine tracks, all remixed, of Cosmosonic are present. Some have similarities while others simply come out of nowhere, deep from the left field. There are two tracks drawn from Zeitenwende and Cosmophonica albums and a little new one which is just a short ambiospheric passage.
Like its mix suggests, Outside Space (Deconstructed Mix) is quite the opposite of its version on the album Cosmosonic. It's It is a long title of more or less cosmic ambiances which shows that Moonbooter is very comfortable in the ambient spaces. Meanwhile, Inside Space (In The Club Mix) is the opposite with a more dance mix than the original version which proposed a very melancholic soundscape. Perfect Stranger (Season 2 Mix) is one of the rare titles that can be easily identified. The differences are negligible and both versions are melodious. If the melody of Caught by Melancholy"(Against All Odds Mix) is easily recognizable, the rhythm changes for a more EDM approach. Moonbooter throws great synth solos in this title which is more electronic Berliner here. What is a Carpenters Mix? A groaning lament replaces the synth harmonies in the original version, while the rhythm of Cosmic Thunder (Carpenters Mix) is smoother and has a more realistic decor with extra effects of thunder. So, a Carpenters Mix does more in a ballad mode. No matter the changes, the pace is slower and the violins occupy more space than the synth layers and the electronic effects, the two versions of I Remembered Tomorrow are hard-hearted! L I F O (Epic Mix) is uneventful, while Schnurstraks (Deaerated Mix) puts more emphasis on its ambient passages. The rhythm is less constant and less dance style. Good Bye Elements (Space Travelers Mix) is more vigorous, whereas Now and Then (Nice Mix) is less dance than the original version. But it's still some very catchy music. 34 Years Later (Ich Bin Alleine Mix) ends EVIL 18DE with a much more moving approach than the original version.
In the end, this EVIL 18DE fits very well in your Moonbooter discography. The different mixes offer another vision while keeping, in places, a close link with the original versions. Like every MellowJet album, the mixing and production are top-notch. And it's important to note this, because titles such as Schnurstraks and Good Bye Elements have more scenic depth and a richer tone. Good and great Moonbooter!
Sylvain Lupari (July 1st, 2018) ***½**
Available at MellowJet Records