I'll be the first to admit that prior to about three months ago, I had never heard of Klaus Nomi. Had you played me anything by him and told me the voice I heard was a male new-wave artist and not a female opera singer, I'd have called you a liar. Then I saw the movie "The Nomi Song." There's too much background about him to cover in this review so if you want to know more, type "Klaus Nomi" into your favorite search engine and have some fun.
This summer saw the release of "The Nomi Song Remixes." Upon my first listen, I was caught a little off guard. I wasn't sure exactly what I was expecting as I put the CD in my player and, honestly, as it played, I wasn't sure if I even liked them. However, as I played the CD a few more times and reflected back to the documentary of his life, I realized that the mixes are really musical interpretations of Klaus Nomi. As he "came from outer space to save the human race," so these mixes seem to come from places beyond this solar system. They offer five completely different snapshots of him and his music. From a rousing, guitar-driven version of "Total Eclipse" by Richard Barone to the breakbeats of Dremstat's 22 Year Remix of "Coeur Total" (marking the 22 years since Klaus' death in 1983) to the operatic, almost extra-terrestrial arrangement of "Mon Coeur" by Moog Cookbook, the remixers seem to capture bits and pieces of his persona in a way that shows respect to a man who was so unique, so ahead of his time, and (yes, I'll say it) so out of this world.
Had I listened to these mixes ignorant of who Klaus Nomi was, my review probably would have been different. However, having watched the movie, I'll admit I was able to better make the connection between the remixes and the original material. If you are a Klaus Nomi fan, then you'll appreciate the work behind the CD. If something in here catches your attention but you haven't seen the movie, watch it first, then buy the remixes. And, if you have have no idea about this Klaus Nomi character of whom I speak, go rent the DVD; I can't guarantee that you'll then dash out and buy The Nomi Song Remixes but you'll have a better understanding of one of most unique characters in music in the late 20 th century.
