Headhunter 2000 (Remixes)

A collection of 17 different remixes of the same song may seem a bit extreme, but nobody said it couldn't ever be done. Headhunter 2000 actually compiles the contents of four different CD singles in one place as a convenience for American buyers, and while only the most hardcore Front 242 fan would necessarily want it, it still has some definite winners. "Headhunter" itself, of course, is Front 242's trademark song and always will be, so if you're going to have a project like this in the first place, might as well go for the best, in this case in its "2000" version with slightly different lyrics, first introduced on Live Code. Most of the remixes keep the stuttering mock-string bassline and/or enough of the memorable chorus to ensure that there's at least some interest in the end results. The other big advantage is that a slew of modern industrial, EBM, and techno outfits get together to work their individual ways on the song; while it's not necessarily an era-defining compilation, it's actually a reasonably good sampler. The first mix comes from the oldest band, Front Line Assembly, whose Bill Leeb wrenches the song into a frenetic industrial/rave fusion that subtly, surely changes throughout its length. Haujobb does some great work, keeping cut-ups of the vocals but changing the music to a smart bit of Warp-style techno circa 1993 and breakbeats combined, while Beefcake's mix keeps only snippets of the original lost in heavy echo behind a weirdly pretty swirl of ambient crossed with glitch-techno. On the second disc, Apoptygma Berzerk and Leaether Strip lead things off with a great one-two punch, the former creating a slamming, huge industrial/techno stomp, the latter's equally intriguing combination blunter but fitting into the same general area. Empirion also serve up a tremendous dancefloor mix later on.