KMFDM
AGOGO
Wax Trax!/TVT
KMFDM are a completist record collectors’ wet dream. Even when they remix the same song, the transmutation yields versions standing as separate parts of a single musical entity. Appropriately, AGOGO is a superior quality montage of rare, discontinued and previously unreleased tracks worthy of the band whose foray into industrial dance territory successfully embraces the visceral elements of heavy metal, while flirting with reggae, jazz, funk and hip hop.
KMFDM’s European releases often predate the American version by a few years, thus familiar hits are going be a bit different than their popularized versions. “Virus Dub” is a Jamaican Dancehall mix from the European version of Naive (later released in the States as Naive/Hell To Go). The relentless aggression of “Godlike,” presented here in its first recorded version, is propelled by the pummeling fists of Bill Rieflin’s drumming. This stripped-down “Godlike” contains neither the familiar sampling nor female chorus of the club mix. Together on this disc you will find a cover of U2’s “Mysterious Ways” (taken from a Cargo Records compilation) and “Ooh La La,” recorded for the soundtrack of the film Hellraiser III. Additional guitars on “Hole in the Wall” turn this well-disguised love song into a demonic, heavy metal brain hammer. “AGOGO” is a seven minute instrumental with techno-funk overtones and a heartbeat bass riff. Lastly, this band’s unique sense of humor is clearly in evidence on “Zip,” – a minimalist, scratch rap warning against the dangers of catching “the most sensitive part of your body” in “the zip of your pants.” With no cast-offs or third-rate out-takes in the lot, AGOGO is absolutely essential music. **TVT Records, 23 East 4th St., Third Floor, New York, NY 10003; http:www.tvtrecords.com**
