Vortex

Collide | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Noise Plus Music
• ASIN: B0001Z52XY
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,599 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Smother.net

...a true gem. If you’re looking for dark, gothic, dreamy, atmospheric music then this is your cup of tea.

Product Description

Remixers, DJs, and Bands from all over the world lend their passion and inspiration to further expand on the already diverse soumd of Collide. From chunky guitar versions, to slithering lounge stylings to delirium-esq versions that are sure to hit the dance floor. This CD also contains three new covers, including the very poinant "The Lunantics are taking over the Asylum" by Funboy 3.

Some very special guests including Charlie Clouser formally of NIN, Rhys Fulber of Conjure One/Delerium and Mike Fisher of Machines and Loving Grace/Amish Rake Fight, lend their talents to "VORTEX". COLLIDE performs an exotic hybrid of Darkwave, Cyber-Dance, and Electronic, with crossover appeal which will appeal to fans of Evanescence, Massive Attack, Curve, Dead Can Dance, Portishead, and Delirium.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Collide Fans!, July 7, 2005

By 

Clarissa "MoonGoddess" (Ontario, California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Vortex (Audio CD)

For those of you who were either disappointed or only mildly impressed with the results of Collide's last remix excursion, _Distort_, worry not because _Vortex_ gets it right! I'm always leery about remixes as they rarely ever breathe new life into the originals, but despite the fact that most of the DJs here are relatively unknown, these remixes are very well done! I honestly can't say there's one dud on this mind-blowing 2-disc set.

The remixes include tracks that are taken from their _Chasing The Ghost_ and _Some Kind Of Strange_ releases. Collide, which is essentially kaRIN and Statik, have been creating neo-Goth for years now with their distinct blend of powerful, exotic rhythms and sensual, tantalizing vocals that are breathy yet dynamic. But with _Vortex_ they've brilliantly reinvented many of their pieces by incorporating a plethora of different styles so that one song never sounds identical to another. The Antistatic Mix by Remko Vander Spek of "Like You Want To Believe", for example, infuses heavy metal with crunching guitar layers while the Conjure One Mix by Rhys Fulber of "Tempted" has the opposoite effect and is melodic and trancy. "Predator", which is actually a Front Line Assembly song, mixes a hybrid of Delerium-like beats with dark electronica that's trademark FLA, only better because of her wonderful contribution. And the Orchestral Mix by Mark Walk of "Somewhere" showcases kaRIN's voice like never before with classical instruments such as strings and piano.

Aside from the many remixes there's also some note-worthy cover songs that are simply incredible. My one gripe, though, is how I wish they would have done more of those and less remixes of the same song used over and over again. Maybe I'm just craving new material from them but I especially enjoyed the funky electro grooves of "The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum" (they performed this song live when I first saw them in concert last year and it was a real highlight for me), as well as "Haunted When The Minutes Drag" (which is originally done by Love & Rockets) and "Feed Me to the Lions" (this sounds like it could have belonged on their debut album, _Beneath The Skin_)!

All in all this did not let me down. It merely provides the listener, with their own personal preference, more options.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars best remix album you'll find, October 14, 2004

By 

Brett Corkins (Hutchinson, KS) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vortex (Audio CD)

I got this cd because I'm a pretty big Collide fan, but I didn't realize this was a remix album when I bought it. I was surprised to say the least, but it's actually really good. It contains three new covers, Haunted When The Minutes Drag, Feed Me To The Lions, and The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum. All of which are amazing to say the least. kaRIN's vocals are great like always but it's the instrumentation that really catches your attention, the way statik arranges the music is just utterly and completely amazing. Another great thing about this disc is that it contains over 140 minutes of music, which you just don't get anymore. The reason this is only four stars though is because they redo the same songs about two times each, which can get old hearing the same lyrics, that's the only reason though. Other than that little problem, this cd is perfect, I loved every minute of it.
A few of the best songs are Euphoria-Emirian Mix, Like You Want To Believe-Antistatic Mix, Haunted When The Minutes Drag, and The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum. I must admit that the first disc is better than the second, but they're both great. So in concluding, I recommend this cd to fans of bands such as Kidneythieves, The Gathering, and maybe even Lennon Murphy.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Really Great Remix Album, February 1, 2005

By 

Keira (Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vortex (Audio CD)

As remix albums go, this one is actually pretty fantastic. Collide went all out with this ambitious 24 track double c.d. set, pulling in heavy hitter collaborators from the bands, Conjure One, Skinny Puppy, NIN, and Machines of Loving Grace. In fact, Rhys Fulber's Conjure One remix of Tempted is about the best remix I've ever heard. I do really love this album.

So why didn't I give it 5 stars? Repetition, my friend, repetition. The same 3 songs are repeated over and over and over again. Couldn't they find artists who wanted to remix a larger variety of their songs? Check the track listing for yourself. "Crushed" is remixed 4 times, and both "Wings of Steel" and "Like You Want to Believe" are remixed 3 times.

Luckily the 3 new covers on this album are indeed good, especially the catchy "The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum". And the additional remixes are also mostly top notch. But let's face it, if the remixes weren't as good as they are, the lack of song variety on this album would sink it. No one wants to listen to the same thing over and over again, do they? I personally feel that a better variety of remixes would have really made the album much more listenable.

In the end, I do highly recommend this album. It's really great. If you like Collide's previous albums, you will definitely enjoy this one. But the lack of variety of songs covered prevents me from giving this album the 5 stars that I would like to rate it.