A Review by Rupert Till 12/11/02
So there's yet another version of the Dr. Who theme available. A million and one versions are already out there, so you may wonder what this one might have to offer. Well it's a remix of the Vulture Squadron Remix of the Vonal KSZ trance/techno limited edition remix of the track. What???? Okay let's take it slowly.
The Vonal KSZ version: Some people have slated this 12" vinyl only version of our beloved Dr. Who theme music, but I have actually seen Vonal KSZ live, and seeing 800 lunatics in an underground club dancing their socks off to the Doctor Who theme at ear-bleeding volume, bare chested crusties jumping around as the bass rips across the room, is an experience I think any Dr. Who fan could imagine is worthwhile and enormously entertaining. Some have said that the record doesn't really catch that energy, but I guess the point is this is not music to listen to at home, this is aimed at DJs, and you are not supposed to listen to it but to dance to it. As for the science fiction element, well I think many of the fans are probably on another planet...
On the 12" was a strange and minimal version of the tune, the vulture squadron remix. Produced by remixer Paul Sikorsky, it was minimal and odd.
Vonal KSZ now also plays with electronica group the Chillage People. Live they use the vulture squadron remix as a backing tape, and play over the top of it. They add a mad out-of-controlness that is missing perhaps on the vinyl, throwing huge chunks of technology at the tune in a fashion the radiophonic workshop would have been proud of. This is a group whose last concert was a four hour semi-improvised radio and internet broadcast.
They performed this version of the great theme tune, live, at a club called (suitably) Destination Venus. This version of the tune has been released on a compilation album, "UNITY DUB'S VOYAGE INTO PARADISE" CD on the UK record label liquid sound design recently. The rest of the compilation is mostly dub tinged elecronic music, good music to relax to late at night. If you like chill out and/or dub there's a lot to interest you here, including tunes involving the liquid sound design label's main man Youth (formally of Killing Joke and The Orb).
If you do an internet search for the album you'll find some reviews. Why am I not reveiwing it in a 'I think it's great/sucks' way, well I am Dr. Chill and one of the band members of the Chillage People. I watched Dr. Who avidly as a kid, I owned a complete collection of the original Dr. Who UK comics (which I sold to a bigger fan, physically and emotionally). I loved the theme and am no bandwagon jumper. And I want you to make your own mind up. You can hear or download the track (it's called Dr. Whooo) on the Chillage People website as an MP3 at www.chillagepeople.co.uk on the http://www.chillagepeople.co.uk/page3.html page (downloads).
You can buy the compilation or order it at 'good record shops' and its catalogue number is BFLCD56. visit their website at http://www.liquidsounddesign.com/releases/releases.htm. If you do a websearch for the album you'll find a number of places where you can buy it online. Please let us know what you think. Perhaps some conventions will invite us to do our video projection accompanied set live, so maybe we'll be seeing you.