CD Review: "Sweet and Vicious Remixes" by Luxxury

If, like me, you spent most of the late 90s hanging out in industrial clubs, going to Depeche Mode tribute parties, getting all swoony over Groovy Man of the The Thrill Kill Kult, and pondering the intersection of industrial and techno, there is much in the "Sweet and Vicious" remixes from local kids Luxxury (Baron von Luxxury and Johnatron) that you will find both familiar and appealing.

Though "Sweet and Vicious" is the main star of these remixes, the album also contains remixes of "Drunk," "Sex with Rich People," "Understood" and "Rock and Roll is Evil." The titles alone should tell you something; at the heart of all these tracks is the same dark, sexy synthpop sound that drove the glam side of goth into its eventual electro evolution. Of the "Sweet and Vicious" remixes my favorite has to be "All Night Dance Party's More Vicious Than Sweet" version. Big chunky bass thumps with classic acid house handclaps and highhats, crazy phased vocals, ah, I can see the lights sweeping the sweating masses now. Second place would have to go to the "Exxpensive Re-edit," a classic piece of synthpop that puts the vocals right up front and would go lovely with side of Depeche Mode or Wolfsheim. Of the other tracks I really dug the dirty electro sound of "Rock and Roll is Evil (Devin Dirt's Fat Elvis Remix)" and "Drunk (Lovesick Vocoders at Night Remix)," which sounds like something I would have encountered on the dance floor of Berlin's Duncker when the DJ was headed into his harder industrial moments. All in all a great set of tracks for those nights when you want to put on your eyeliner and go play with the disco vampires.

Since Luxxury is a local phenom you have plenty of chances to catch them in both live and DJ incarnations. This Friday at Lights Down Low they'll be having a CD release party, featuring DJ sets by some of their remixers and a live performance ("Two men, two synths, one bass guitar, one vocoder and one talkbox…come smell the magic!"), and every fourth Thursday (that's tonight, kids) Baron von Luxxury and guests set your heart pumping with Disco Workout at Le Duplex (and did I mention the free cupcakes?). And these kids just keep on giving - check out their blog, discoworkout.com for daily MP3s of their favorite artists. And don't miss their YouTube video for "Sweet and Vicious," in which they save London from a LOLcat. Whew, so much productivity!

Now if I could just hook Baron von Luxxury up with Lord Kook . . . .