We wrote a few lines about the “gothy industrial” duo Batavia when they released their previous EP Quite Mean Spirited and today they are back with their new remix album where we can find 14 new versions of tracks from their discography. The list of friends/remixers includes Mach Fox from Zwaremachine, Grendel, Spankthenun, Insatiable Void, Syrinx, Beta Virus, Psyence Fiction, Microwaved and Ghstprxy. And also, the duo from Florida remixes five of their own songs.
The first remix, done by Grendel, removes all the darkness from “The Absinthian” and makes it a danceable track that can be enjoyed by a wider audience. Instead, Beta Virus, who also remixes the same track, keeps the mood but makes the song more danceable. The remix by Ghstprxy partly stripes the original, with a quite interesting result. From their last EP, we can also find “Ad Initio” that appears here twice, with two good remixes by Insatiable Void and Psyence Fiction.
From the duo’s previous single Step 13, there are also three remixes: this time we choose Batavia’s first remix as our favorite, although the one by Spankthenun and the second one by the American duo are also quite good. There are also three tracks from the band’s first EP, entitled Graveyard. “Scab Mask” appears three times: the duo makes it less industrial and a bit more danceable, Microwaved instead, focuses on the industrial elements and Mach Fox finds the balance creating a really good remix. From the same EP, we also have “Fields of Gray” remixed by Batavia and “All She Wants Is” by Syrinx, who underlines the fun side of the track. There is something that Batavia proves in this album: they have really good friends.
