Remix Retrospective Part 4: Love Kills (Rank 1 Remixes)

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Stream here 

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Love Kills (Rank 1 Radio Edit)

Love Kills (Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix) b2b (Rank 1 Dub Mix)

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Parlophone | Cat# 8896941

Released: September 4th 2006
Buy here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/very-best-freddie-mercury/id204797072

01. 132 BPM | G_Min | 07:20 | A | Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix
02. 136 BPM | G_Min | 07:05 | B | Rank 1 Dub Mix
03. 132 BPM | G_Min | 03:33 | Rank 1 Radio Mix

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Discogs & additional info
https://www.discogs.com/release/735608-Freddie-Mercury-Love-Kills-Rank-1-Remixes
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Enter July '06: Contrary to what their discography tells you, 2006 would turn out to be a busy year for the guys. Despite there being no official single releases (since they were to be released in 2007 instead), 2006 saw them reveal two collaborations and two remixes (of which the second had two different versions). I had been replaying their This Way Remix like mad and over the course of May, I had also gotten my hands on a rip of Life Less Ordinary, which I was enjoying too. 

During another night of being tuned into ASOT (episode #258), Armin would give their tribute remix for Freddie Mercury a second spin. I had missed the first play on #254, but I had been told by my brother that there was a new Rank 1 remix on rotation, albeit in his words, it was a bit of a let down. I was curious and remained hopeful that it wouldn't be so bad. But initially, during that first play, I had to share his sentiments. The track felt a bit void, didn't have a real main lead or riff and even for a more abstract, Techy kind of tune it really missed something captivating for me. A year later I would rip this remix from the episode again and give it another chance, by that time I liked it slightly more but it wasn't until I bought the vinyl for these Rank 1 Remixes about half a decade later, that I came to see this as a solid remix:

Rank 1 Dub Mix
It kicks of with a faint mysterious background synth and some Techno-ish percussion and minor delayed techy sounds. 00:32 seconds in, this monotone tech synth starts playing which will turn out ot be the track's main lead. At 01:29 the bassline kicks in and extra percussion is added, with an almost tribal-ish feel to it. Interestingly enough, there is something trippy and atmospheric to the whole despite the track seeming to be headed down a sort of Techno-inspired route as it is pretty abstract for the most part. At 01:55 Freddie's vocals are introduced, as he repeats "Kill-kill-kill, love kill-kill-kills" until at 02:52 the track reaches its breakdown. In this bit Freddie sings the full lyrics of the original's chorus. I get the idea they used the same breakdown material from their Extended Vocal Mix but they altered the melody elements by layering some flangers and delays over them. At 03:50 Rank 1's bass pulses in the background before the kick and that tech synth return. Listening to it at home, might make it sound "faint" but in a club setting, it should sound pretty cool. The guitar strum from the original is used like a short echo before the percussion, Freddie's voice and sound fx return together at 04:32, to spicen up this danceable cocktail. At 05:00 the kick turns faint whilst the percussion keeps playing, you can hear a heavily altered Freddie sample in the background, he almost sounds like a pad here! I really love this bit, short as it is! It serves as a sort of intermezzo before that post-climax part is repeated. The percussion is just amazing here and examplary of this era's Rank 1 sound. I have to say that it took a while for me to appreciate this remix and it wasn't until I heard it in full and I sat down to analyze it from the beginning till the end that my respect for it rose. It has a bit of a Techno-driven vibe, but it's very different from the remix they did for On Fire or their own alternate version of their 2008 single "And Then...". It's a very abstract remix, and a pretty obscure one that is hard to find unless you bought the vinyl or got your hands on a vinyl rip (in my case, I have both). I can imagine that not many Rank 1 fans know it or like it, since even compared to Rank 1's techy endeavours on Top Gear, Beats At Rank-1 Dotcom or their Lyteo Remix, this remix doesn't have the same... "Accesibility" or stand-out energy that might attract people that are into rougher sounds. I mean, it doesn't have the madness of TG, the powerful riff of B@R1DC or the hard addictive lead of Lyteo. Even the tech synth that serves as its main lead isn't exactly phenomenal, I can imagine some calling it "bland" or "weak" even. Despite it being one of Rank 1's most abstract efforts, I appreciate this remix exactly for that reason though. It's so edgy, heavy on percussion and it features Freddie's iconic voice as a bonus... Maybe it would have been cooler if they played around more with his vocals. Then again, this was titled Rank 1's Dub Mix for a reason. All in all, after this one grew on me, it proved to be another solid effort from the guys. That said, before I learned to appreciate this mix, I got very easily distracted by that other mix!

Enter Summer '08: In early 2008, my brother told me he had heard a different Rank 1 Remix for Freddie Mercury on the radio, one that was melodic and synths more remniscent of their older work, he seemed quite positive about it! Obviously, this news caused my curiosity to peak. I decided to visit that now-defunct Bervoets & De Goeij website by Gert Scholten which had over 300 samples of Piet and/or Benno (co-)produced tracks on it. Afterward I went to Youtube to find it. Found the Rank 1 Radio Mix instead. And just like the first time, I was to share my brother's opinion (well, I went well beyond his opinion actually!) on this alternate remix: it rocked!

Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix
Unlike the Dub Mix, the Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix leaves abstractness behind and heads down a far more accesible and melodic path. Its build-up focuses heavily on the original's synthesizer lead line, which gives the track a very catchy and infectious vibe from the word go. This remix opens with the piano from the original. They have it play like a stab the one moment, the next moment they chop it and let its velocity roll in from low-to-high. At 01:13 you hear a sort of "record skips" effect that announces the track is really going to start now. The strumming guitar backs the bassline as a pad capturing a melody line from the original is put on top before Freddie joins in and before we know it we are at the breakdown. It uses melodies and instruments from the original which reach a short stop. Then, at 02:11, they do it. What do they do?! They do one of those things that has made them infamous. They release this typical rhythmic Rank 1 riff with a synth that almost sounds like a "digital organ" if that makes any sense. It doesn't get more typically Rank 1 than this! At 02:26 the strumming guitar, some hats and a faint kick slowly start building towards the climax. As the main synth is heavily flanged, Freddie's "Love Kills!" shout unleashes the drop and we get to headbop (or if you are standing, dance) to an infectious Trance-synth-meets-Rock'n'roll-ish-groove. Freddie's vocals jump in and out of this part, giving this main bit it's extra spice. 03:53 - here the main lead gets partially interupted on top of a faint kick. It serves as the prelude to a "second breakdown", similar to what they did in their 2014 single "Freudenrausch" come to think of it... They keep enough percussion intact in this part to betray that we will soon be dancing again. As Freddie's voice slowly echoes away whilst singing the words "...and leave you alooone!", we can hear the main lead -now heavily flanged- swell back unto the centre stage, accompanied by the guitar strum until it reaches its height at 04:58 and the track's second drop follows. At 05:33ish the main synth starts bending due to the flanger effect used on it and from 05:42 its melody pattern is stretched as it slowly echoes away, getting all the more flanged as more time progresses. At 06:11 it's gone and what's left is that catchy synthesizer lead, the guitar, the bassline and percussion. At 06:40 you can tell the track is about to end. At 07:09 the synthesizer lead is the last element to fade out as a stretched echo.

Man, that was a groovy ride! Fantastic synth play and instant ear-pleaser. As opposed to its darker sibling, the Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix fits more in line with Rank 1's melodic and euphoric mood, albeit on a more Proggy than Trancey vibe. I am suprised Armin chose to play the Dub Mix twice and give no attention to this, I'd say this could have served as a nice, moodsetting opener back in the day. Aw well. For me this is a great, fun remix with nice synthwork and I enjoy the overall groovy energy and feel-good vibes. And of course, mr. Mercury gives it that extra bit of magic. It's kind of funny: I have a high intolerance for male vocals in Trance-based music, but if all vocals were nearly as epic as Freddie's (or cool like Ronald's), I'd be the biggest fan of them. Rank 1's 2006 remixes completely focused on male vox but for me both sets of remixes worked out very well. Big up, Rank 1! Legends remixing Legend = Win

vs. the Original
The song starts with a pretty strong drumbeat, backed by some piano stabs and play as well as some guitar strumming. At 00:32 Freddie starts singing. Soon we have synthesizer pads and a pretty wicked bassline added to the whole. At the chorus part, Freddie is backed by a few other voices which gives it a Queen-style choir effect. It's interesting to note that only at the chorus parts do you actually hear a lot of melodic/instrumental backing and after the last chorus: guitar riffs and xylophones can be heard from the 3rd minute onward. In the short verse parts however it's mostly the bass, the guitar, that infectious synthesizer line that runs throughout the Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix and of course Freddie's infamous vocals. It's hard to compare a pop song to two more club-oriented mixes but I have to say that structure-wise it seems both Rank 1 Remixes reflect different parts of the original. The Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix seems to focus on the melodies of the original in the chorusses whilst the Rank 1 Dub Mix seems to focus on its groovy, deeper verse parts. Obviously, both remixes lean towards those different bits in a Dance music friendly way. Overall I think the guys did a good job in using elements of the original in both mixes, whilst giving both a typical Rank 1 treatment.

Rank 1 Dub Mix vs. Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix
The Dub Mix obviously serves as the Club-oriented weapon of the two, whereas the Extended Vocal Mix serves as the primary remix, keeping most hints to the original preserved, although with a typical Rank 1 touch (it was the mix that appeared on the Tribute CD after all). Whereas the Dub Mix reflects the Rank 1 of that particular moment, I feel the Extended Vocal Mix captures a general Rank 1, one that goes beyond that specific Tech phase of theirs, whilst at the same time revealing their ability to adapt to the changing times in Trance music. In that regard, the Extended Vocal Mix is truer to what was to become the core of the Rank 1 project than the Dub Mix. What I mean to say is that whereas the Dub Mix was the perfect example of the Rank 1 at that particular moment (2006), the other version combined new grooves with a hint at the older Rank 1 through its main lead. To phrase it in a pretentious, mystic way: The Dub Mix focused on their Here And Now. The Extended Vocal Mix focused on What Had Been and What Was To Come. Generally speaking, "melodic & accesible" defeats "dark & abstract" and in the case of these remixes I feel the same way though the difference in preference is not as huge as it might sound: the Dub Mix has been guaranteed of being played as well throughout the years. It's just that the Extended Vocal Mix tends to be my primary choice of the two.

Final verdict
I am not big on Dance remixes of Pop originals, but I find the Rank 1 Extended Vocal Mix highly infectious and the Rank 1 Dub Mix is a nice gritty club track for when I'm in a more Techy mood. Are they mindblowing remixes? Do they live up to the original? Imo all three tracks are enjoyable in their own way but do not necessarily represent the elite crop of music in their respective artists' discographies: they do however, get the job done. Isn't that what matters the most? All in all I find this a very solid release and I think it must have been very special for Piet & Benno to have been approached to remix one of the most Legendary Performers ever, especially considering at least one of them once said in an interview that they were a fan of Queen's music. It's a bit sad that these remixes are often overlooked or unknown to people claiming to be Rank 1 fans. If your support for them stretched beyond their Supersaw Days and if you, like me, cherished their ecclectic Progressive meets Electro meet Techno inspired era, then do yourself a favor. Get your hands on these remixes ASAP. They are a vital part of your Rank 1 collection! And if this review hasn't convinced you to get them, than I honestly don't know what will...

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NOTE | This review is part of a larger Retrospective feature:
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