Customer Reviews

Requiem for a Dream: Remixed

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The original soundtrack is a brilliant piece of tense, broody strings with lo-fi cinematic backdrops. This LP isn't really made to cater for fans of the Orignial. This is a LP for fans of a different genre, namely techno and dance. Only people with open minds and wide ranging tastes can appreciate both. Still I agree with critics that this Remix Project could have been better. They should have included more IDM or Alternative Dance remixes by the likes of Boards of Canada, Spacetime Continuum, Amon Tobin, Merzbow, Alec Empire and Lamb. Where were the remixes by other classical composers/ bands? Why was the Kronos Quartet track only 15 seconds long? Whats with the inclusion of 8 Film Score tracks which range from 10 to 80 seconds?

Still theres alot of great stuff packed onto the plastic. The highlights are Plants remix which includes nice samples of speech from the film (making me reminisce a whole lot). Next we have the Oakenfold track which is amazing, just think all the best string parts with a good beat and some haunting samples. Its really good and doesn't ruin the fragile emotion created by the Kronos Quartet. I wasn't expecting anything good from Delerium but their remix is the darkest, most haunting track on this lp. Its a top remix and again it works with the Kronos Quartet's piece instead of against it to create a stunning track. ILS bring in some much needed Jungle/Drum'N'Bass into the equation with a good track (but I think Clint Mansell, 1.8.7, DJ Dieselboy or Bad Company UK would have been a better choice)
Finally the Clint Mansell vocal track with the inclusion of Stone Roses-esqe vocals (very 80's English Music Scene). The vocals are really good and the darkness of the track is immense.

The other full length tracks veer on the boring and 'chillout' side and aren't engaging enough to warrant sustained listening. Owning both the Original and the Remix, I probably would keep the Remix if I had to pick one, and no, I still haven't got bored of that amazing Kronos piece

All in all about 6 great tracks with another 4 decent tracks. I bought my copy in the UK for a shade over 22 dollars. Thats alot of money but I stand by my purchase. For the Amazon USA price I really recommend this Lp for open minded Original Requiem Score lovers or new sophisticated Dance fans.

PS. It would have been great to have the original Kronos track remixed into different genres. Dalek or Company Flow could handle the hip-hop side. Lustmord or Dead Voices on Air could do the Dark Ambient remix. We could get a indie rock remix by Porcupine Tree or Earthone9, a metal mix by Origin or Opeth and a ...(sorry, i'm day dreaming again).

After thoroughly enjoying the movie "Requiem for a Dream," I bought this album mainly because of my interest in electronic music (and the movie, of course). The electronic remixes provide very "interesting" takes on the music of the movie.

Some of the songs are good, but most of them are just too bland to be catchy. Overall, the album has a boring feel to it, stemming from the collection of samples taken straight from the movie. Sure, they serve to create a haunting atmosphere and make you feel like you're watching the movie, but I'd rather watch the movie again instead. Personally, I consider them plain filler. In addition, the little audio clips aren't very ideal for MP3 players (such as my iPod), when I prefer to listen to my entire library shuffled. After all, who likes listening to 10-second tracks mixed in with his or her other songs? But maybe that's just me. People who listen to CDs from beginning to end will have a better listening experience than I did and will definitely be taken for a haunting ride. And to keep the whole ride going smoothly, each song is slightly mixed with the next, which is something that might annoy some listeners (that includes me). Otherwise, the brief interludes serve their purpose pretty well.

As you probably know already, I like only a few songs on this album, and they are:

"In the End It's All Nice" by Plant - It's a remix of the main theme, and it has a dark, bouncy groove. This song should have definitely been the "intro," as the cleverly used samples provide a nice overview of the movie's plot and atmosphere.

"Ghosts In the Machine" by Psilonaut - It's a very interesting take on the "Ghosts" theme. It starts off slow, but eventually the calming, powerful (maybe even a bit repetitive) vocals smoothly take you to the end of the song. The sampling in it is weird (a robot counting from one to ten... whoa), but it adds to the haunting atmosphere without being too distracting.

"Aeternal" by Paul Oakenfold - It's another remix of the main theme, but this time it's a hip-hop sort of beat. The song never really changes its style or beat, but perhaps it's good that way.

"Deluxed" by Delerium - This is the darkest remix of the main theme, done by a very talented duo. The song starts off very slow, builds up intensely, and slowly ends back where it started. It's probably the best song on the album.

"Overturned" by ILS - It's nothing really special, but I like this drum-and-bass remix of the main theme for its novelty value.

As for the other songs, I can't say much about them other than I don't like them. But I do recommend this album to anyone willing to experience something that's new and unusual. The songs retain most of the chilling feel of the movie's original score, while they introduce a cool electronic twist that listeners may really enjoy.

first off, buy the original score first. it's a brilliant disc created by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet with all the amazing music from an incredible film.

now buy this. artists like Delirium, Oakenfold, and Josh Wink put some great spins on the original score takes on this fantastic CD. it's very techno, but all of the remixers were able to keep the original feel of the songs and throw in their signature breaks, beats, and effects. 20 more tracks from this sensational film for your enjoyment

After Requiem for a Dream's initial success, Clint Mansell showed the film's score, which he composed, to several dance producers and asked them to do a bit of remixing. This CD is the result; eleven remixed tracks and nine previously unreleased bits of the original score. Based on the brilliant movie and equally stunning score, this CD should have been quite something. Though not entirely a failure, it did not live up to my expectations.

The opening mix, "In the End it's All Nice," comes from Plant. Listening to it, one can hear the original track, a simple beat and baseline, some of the film's brilliant sound design (from the so-called "hip-hop montage" sequences), and some chunks of dialogue... The track reminds me of a Bach techno mix I once downloaded, something which required very little musical skill to create, and was really nothing more than a bastardization of the original.

"Ghosts in the Machine," one of the more impressive remixes on the album, comes from the multitalented Brian Emrich, also known as Psilonaut. Under a heavy bassline is an ambient-trance piece which is, like most of the other material on the CD, a very listenable, original, and spirited composition.

Listening to this album, I was reminded of something a friend said about the original score, that the entire CD was just three tracks repeated ten times. These remixes are much the same, all by club producers, and all based upon a heavy dance bassline. The repetition in the score is a metaphor for the futile struggles the characters in the film have with addiction. They fight to succeed only to be forced down again by their heroin, their television, their pills. This metaphor is lost on the Remix album. Listeners simply hear people like A Guy Called Gerald and Paul Oakenfold do what they do best - make dance music. While that is certainly not a bad thing, it betrays the meaning and substance which the score has.

Fans of club music might find this album a gem. However, those hoping for a postscript to Requiem for a Dream's music or themes might want to look elsewhere.

After I saw Requiem, I was immediately affected by the amazing score. The movie wouldn't have been half of what it was without it. I borrowed a CD of the original score from a friend, but ultimately was disappointed. The original CD is basically all the music from the film, even background music, with nothing new. Just as the film is nothing without the score, the score is nothing without the film's drama and originality. But then this remix caught my eye. Remixed by some of the greatest producers in dance music, this was something that could be enjoyable by itself. In the world of techno, there is tons and tons and tons of really bad music, so it is hard to pick out the good stuff. THIS IS THE GOOD STUFF. 11 blazingly original tracks, all infused with the film's intense sadness and beauty, do more than justice to the equally beautiful score, while managing to remain quality dance music. If you like good, non-cheesy, original techno, why aren't you buying this CD?
I especially like the Hive, Delerium, and Oakenfold tracks.
Overall, awesome and something to be listened to over and over again.

If you're at all curious about this CD, then check it out before you buy it. I found it kind of boring.

Some tracks seem only slightly altered (bits of dialogue thrown in, pulsing dance floor beats in the background, etc) while others are almost completely unrecognizable. And the tracks that are taken directly from the film ("Seacost Towers," "112," "Sara," etc) are just outtakes from the first, superior, original soundtrack. They're incidental, at best.

So my whole problem is this: why take the stellar Requiem CD & mess with it? Mansell's haunting score is practically perfect! Why ruin a good thing? If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

If you're a fan of the film's score then do yourself a favor & just buy the original soundtrack. I think this CD is only for die hard fans of these DJs (Paul Oakenfold, A Guy Called Gerald, Josh Wink).

I bought this along with the Original soundtrack, however, only a few songs on this album caught my interest. Some of the techno type edits are uninventive and totally cliche. Stay true to the good stuff and stick with the original.

Uh, I was very relieved to find that I wasn't the only person to be disappointed by this album, although the sheer mediocrity of it can be addicting on its own (I actually drove to some friends' houses and proclaimed: "listen to this garbage, you won't believe it!").

This album has really reduced my faith in Clint Mansell's artistic leanings, and I refuse to believe that Darren Aronofsky had anything official to do with it. The thing most disturbing with the music on here is that it was once the score to a film that denounced drug use, but is now rebuilt as the ultimate soundtrack to a discoteque drug scene.

However, the Kronos Quartet's re-rendering of "Tense" is haunting enough to download if you can find it. It was the only track I kept on my computer before ridding myself of the disc. What a shame, what a shame. I still write down lists of artists who could have remixed the score better. ...

Well where can I begin? I did love the original soundtrack, and I've always been a fan of trance, but this CD still came to me as a bit of a disappointment. I'd say of the 12 original tracks on the album, I enjoyed only four or five. When listening to the CD, several of the new tracks give me that 'cheap, slapped on' feeling. Not really what I was expecting, but if you can get a good deal on it like I did, it's still probably worth the money. The Oakenfold and Delirium tracks were probably the tracks I enjoyed most. I wouldn't say it's a bad CD, but I feel that there was a lot of room for improvement. From such an awesome soundtrack, I expected much more in the remix....

I had been looking for this cd for quite some time when I finally found it, so when I listened to it, I put some thought into how good it was. This is a cross somewhere between a dance compilation and a normal soundtrack, and boy did they hit a good combination. I actually found this cd very 'chill' and relaxing, my favourite track being Body and Fear, by A Guy Called Gerald. If you like electronic music, or the atmostphere from the film, this cd wont disapoint you.