Here's a rather novel way to present a compilation. Novamute's 2 CDs and MP3s is just that: 18 standard audio tracks and 28 MP3s are provided across two discs. Since all 18 of the standard audio tracks are also in MP3 format, there are ten tracks here that are only here as MP3s, which are encoded at 192 kb/s. Since it goes for the price of a single disc, it's a bargain. Most of these tracks were available only in the vinyl format beforehand. Some of the notables: Akufen's remix of Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" scatters the original's elements willynilly -- many completely out of the picture -- and sounds a lot closer to an original production from the remixer; likewise, Thomas Brinkmann's Ester Brinkmann remix of Echoboy's "Südwestfunk No. 5" improves the original with a roiling bassline full of tension; Thomas P. Heckmann vs. Nitzer Ebb's "Join in the Chant (Knarz Is Machine)" puts a crisp charge into Nitzer Ebb's industrial classic (too bad about the detracting robo-voice, though). This doubles as a fine Novamute "state of the union" survey, filled out with tracks from Speedy J., S.I. Futures, Plastikman, Luke Slater, and newcomers like T. Raumschmiere and Earnest Honest. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide