Spun: Various Artists

By Kyle Francis

Eighties pop music was dominated by the new wave movement, with artists like Depeche Mode, The Cure and Devo controlling the airwaves. On Future Retro, various modern artists like The Crystal Method, Tiga and Infusion remix classic new wave hits, resulting in a decent electronic album with moments of brilliance.

Future Retro succeeds best when the remixing artists toy with the classic hits without completely changing the entire structure of the song. On tracks like The Cure’s “The Walk,” remixed by Infusion, and Depeche Mode’s “Shake the Disease,” remixed by Tiga, the excellence of the original shines through, yet we’re given a new perspective on it. However, on other tracks, like B-Movie’s “Nowhere Girl” remixed by Adam Freeland, the artists got a little production happy and the result is far from the original, far from interesting and closer to an exercise in tedium.

Future Retro is worth a listen for anyone interested in new wave as well as those interested in dance or electronica. If you fall under neither of these categories, then it probably isn’t worth your time.

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