Rating: NNN
The concept behind this compilation was to get various left-field artists to cover their favourite David Bowie songs, which seems like a bit of an odd request to make of techno producers like Carl Craig or Matthew Dear. Nevertheless, Bowie has always shared techno’s obsession with futuristic themes, and the results are surprisingly reverential in many cases.
Generally, the results are more pop than the artists’ own compositions, providing a sturdy structure on which to hang their sonic experiments. Like any compilation of this type, some experiments turn out better than others – Kelley Polar’s edgy Italo disco reworking of Magic Dance is delightfully odd, whereas the Thing’s free jazz impression of Life On Mars is just plain odd and barely related to the source material.