Customer Reviews

Tales From Another World (The Best Of Beborn Beton)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the pleasure of attending one of Apoptygma Berzerk's World Harmony shows last May. Because I had never seen Apop live, I was very impatient standing and waiting for them to come on. I had never heard of the opening act Beborn Beton, so I was hoping they would play a short set and get off the stage.

However, once they started playing I was blown away; really blown away. Their sound was intense and precise, with the dual keyboarders and the bald man with the demonic voice. There was a hint of dance mixed in with their industrial beats, causing the crowd to get moving. It was maybe the best opening act I have ever seen, and luckily they were selling CD's at the shirt booth.

When i popped in the CD, though, I expected the same growling, haunting, aggressive sound to power its way out of my speakers, but it was not to be. The music, although still excellent, seemed more mellow, more calm. The bald man's voice was not as deep and the beats were not as heavy. Despite this little difference, the album still remains one of my best purchases. My favorite is "Mindtrap-The Seduction", probably because it is the hardest and the one I remember most vividly from the concert. Other standouts are "Another World", "Peach", "Elaine", "Colour of Love", "Life is a Distance", "Deeper than the Usual Feeling", "Poison", "New Born King", and "Ambush". The rest of the tracks flow beautifully to where you can just press play and not have to worry about skipping songs.

Now onto the remix disc. Im not the biggest fan of remixes, because I think they can get too numerous and all end up sounding alike, and a lot of the electronic world seems to be dominated by remixes, but feeling I was selling out to the artists for not listening to the whole thing, I took it in the car on a long drive.

The first track, a Funker Vogt tweaked "Dr. Channard" was pretty good, and being a song not on the first CD it was nice, but then came number 2, a remix of "Peach". Oooh. Very, very, nice. Has that danceable club thump at first, then devours you in an extremely wicked array of background sounds, mixed with the excellent vocal layout, and is definitely something to be happy about. Highlights from the rest are "Im Innern Einer Frau", "Too Emotinonal", "Vorbei", the other "Peach" mix, and the drums on "Poison" are just sweet.

Beborn Beton is not mainstream in the States yet, since I know of only two other people who have heard of them, but frankly, I hope this music does not get to the mainstream level. It is a great underground sound here and should stay that way. It's quality can go down if it is picked up by, let's say MTV or something like that. Nonetheless, I think anyone interested in electronic music should give this a listen.

BB is one of the less heralded electronic bands on the planet despite having cranked out a decade's worth of very strong music and some ultra-memorable singles. Their sound lies somewhere between straight synth-pop and electro industrial; they probably perfectly define the term future-pop. The biggest splash is undoubtedly the floor stomper "Another World" that was a worldwide Goth/Industrial hit, but believe me it would appeal to any electronic fans.

There are too many tracks to list so I'll just summarize. There are no bad tracks here and many are excellent. However BB takes a little getting used to as they are not trying to be just another Depeche disciple. Beborn writes some strange songs that grow on you with time. "Poison", "New Born King" and "Earth" fit this description. "Another World", "Elaine" and "Vorbei" are tracks that anyone could jump right in and enjoy. Get ready for about 33% of the songs to be in German too, but the songs are catchy enough that you won't mind.

If you like electronic music then you will like this a lot. If you are into Goth/Industrial but don't know BB then run don't walk to get this today!

I ordered this through ArtOfFact because it was about time I purchased a release by these dancefloor wonders. At first I expected the entire release to be club friendly 4/4 typical synth pop, but was very pleasantly surprized. Not only was this not your average electro act but they showcase their many influences in the 80's genre (as stated in the cd liner notes) quite fluently! The lyrics are sometimes kooky sometimes serious, and always intelligently executed by Stefan. This deluxe set is a treasure box for those who can't afford to buy the...imports of their releases. The songs are infectious...believe me...I am still catching myself singing the words to "The Colour of Love", "Peach" and "Poison" as I casually go about my day. =) Well Worth Buying!

If you love the work of this band as much as I do, and are a completist as far as owning everything and anything released by your favorite bands, then it's a no-brainer. You'll enjoy/appreciate it.

If you are just getting into this group, this IS NOT a good introduction. I say that it's not a good intro, because it contains remixes that, for the most part, pale in comparison to the originals. For those new to Beorn Beton, acquiring their full-length, "Concrete Ground" along with full-length, "Nightfall." will give you a sense of how their sound has developed over time. You'll probably be hooked if you do this and will want to own all Bebort Beton releases.

I rate this 2CD set mucho stars 'cuz, for one, I'm a salivating, rabid, completist fan of Beborn Beton. I was immediately drawn to the fact that this release had several remixes listed. Even tho these remixes were unnecessary, my strong appreciation for the band and my completist mentality makes this a must have.

So, overall, nothing earth shattering here. Beborn Beton has a unique, unmistakable sound. For those who aren't familiar, and are into harder edged synthpop/electro with thoughtful lyrics, crazy-good vocalist, and a very pronounced aesthetic that comes across like a warm reliable blanket that has just a few shards of glass in it-U r likely 2 b converted. Those who like the earlier works of Apoptygma Berzerk will surely go berzerk over the two releases mentioned above. It was almost embarrassing to see BB open for Apop and notice that the vocalist for BB, live, sounds so close to the studio track. When Apop came on, Stephan sounded horrid. I digress......

I love Beborn Betton and have wathed them over the years become better and better and better......

They're more like a best kept secret of sorts; an ever-present, mutating strain of synthpop that displays all the classic symptoms but never shows up as a diagnosis. Stop your searching for new music, you've found it.

It's deep, cleverly(often humorously so) written and wonderfully varied. "Another World" might make you think VNV Nation, while "Mantrap(The Seduction") breathes a more aggressive beat into the mix which is reminiscent of Ministry(their early sound) or perhaps even Project Pitchfork. Their themes are varied like shiny, individually wrapped candies. Melancholy("Lost Little Robot",) Futuristic Frenzy("Ambush",) Sci-Fi("Dr. Channard",) Love("Peach")etc. Fast, slow, poppy, abrasive, and unassuming, but synthpop of the highest grade that will pique your interests and make you smile.

I also encourage you to explore further into BB's back catalogue. There, you will find more gems that touch upon all aspects of life, including the not-so-common ones, such as Sadism and taking chances even in the face of death(both of which can be found on their "Tybalt" album.) Enjoy ;)

Beborn Beton totally stole the show away from the headliners, Apop Berzerk, when I saw them live in San Francisco in 2002. Right after their set, I bought this greatest-hits/remixes CD at the t-shirt booth. I wouldn't sell it now for $1,000 (it's signed). And I got to talk to them for a while after the show (mostly with Till--who's incredibly nice and cute!)

If you've never heard Beborn before, their music recalls older Depeche Mode (think "Music for the Masses"), but often with a harder edge. Hints of New Order (in many songs, especially "The Colour of Love") and Apop Berzerk ("Mantrap" and others) are clearly there too. If you like any of those bands, you'll probably love this CD. Danceable and melodic, but not all sunshine and happiness by any means.

The lyrics of one of my favorite songs on this CD, "Poison," seem particularly relevant right now, especially for US citizens. It opens with the repeated line "You think you can do anything you want. We'll you can't" (and a great synth beat starts), and soon it's quite clear that the song is about the USA. The chorus haunts me, given the current state of US government policy:

"What will it be
Seize your final opportunity
For I can't tell
So name your poison"

This was written in '99--I can only imagine what Beborn thinks of the US these days. Have we finally named our poison?

As others here have said, there really isn't a bad track here. Very, very highly recommended!