Gary Numan- Dead Moon Falling

Artist: Gary Numan

CD title: Dead Moon Falling

Label:  Machine Music Ltd

It’s always a little difficult to review a remix album when you haven’t heard the original material and while I am a huge Gary Numan fan and own most of his albums, somehow 2011’s Dead Son Rising slipped past me. Well I plan on rectifying that almost immediately. I was already excited to review Dead Moon Falling just because of some of the remixers/collaborators such as Tim Burgess (Charlatans), Alec Empire, The Duke Spirit, Gazelle Twin and Sonoio (Alessandro Cortini from Nine Inch Nails) as well as working with The Officers and Andy Gray.

In no way was I prepared for what came out of my car speakers, not since some of  Nine Inch Nails “Downward spiral” remixes have I been this impressed by the quality and production of all of these mixes. From the opening drum beats of Tim Burgess’s mix of “Big Noise Transmission” you are just sucked into a massive track that is just building and building and building included layered guitars, sick drum beats and robot voices. The next track, Sonoio’s remix of “Dead Son Rising” is just as haunting and just as good. “When the Sky Bleeds” is probably the closest you come to “classic Numan” and starts out sounding a bit like “Are Friends Electric” but ends up sounding much like NIN’s “Closer” with it’s back beat and synth work, another stand out track. The next mix of “The Fall” had me a little confused because the bass nearly shook my car speaker’s right off and I thought “Wow Alec Empire is bringing it”, but to my shock it was actually done by The Officers, Alec’s mix is actually of the following track “For the rest of my life” and takes a much more spacey chill out mix than I ever would have anticipated. England’s Is Tropical takes on the same track and this time adds more of a Drum’N’Bass feel to it. The Grayed out mix of “Dead Son Rising” brings cold synths, haunting guitars and crunchy beats which is a combination that can’t go wrong with in my book. All in all a great remix album that made me turn around and purchase the original songs on “Dead Son Rising” the next day. It’s funny how Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails has influenced Gary Numan so much since about 2000 after Gary Numan influenced Trent and company for their entire careers as more and more Numan is using the NIN formula and in some cases does it even better. Grab Dead Moon Falling as soon as you can,  9 out of 10

 Take a listen: Gary Numan-The Falll (Officers Mix)

Buy Gary Numan- Dead Moon Falling