:: David Bowie tribute CD

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

With a music legacy spanning over 40 years, David Bowie has managed to inspire the aspirations and innovations of countless electronic artists. Approaching a careful selection of today's most interesting and important Bowie-inspired musicians, Rapster offered each the unique opportunity to choose any track from Bowie's sprawling catalogue and create their own fresh interpretation; however faithful or different to the original. The result is a fascinating range of interpretations from some of the leading players in contemporary electronic music, ranging from Detroit's Matthew Dear and Carl Craig to Joakim, Kelley Polar, Susumu Yokota and Au Revoir Simone. The compilation is titled “Life Beyond Mars: Bowie Covered”, and it is out on Rapster/Inertia Music at the end of June.

Faced with this challenge, each musician tackles a different era of the Bowie legacy. Some take inspiration from the R&B and electronics of ‘Station To Station’ (1976) and the iconic songs from the Brian Eno produced ‘Low’ (1977), with each album acting as an obvious descendent to the machine music of today. Others revel in the cosmic glam of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ (1972) and the cinematic low art of ‘Hunky Dory’ (1971). Even less acclaimed Bowie albums are re-visited, including the ‘Labyrinth’ soundtrack from 1989 and the dramatic stylings of ‘Tonight’ from 1984. Yet all over, each artist manages somehow to tap into the cryptic, expressionist core of Bowie's originals.

‘Life Beyond Mars’ is sure to go down as a critical for years to come. Featuring specially commissioned illustrated artwork by Berlin artist Maria Tackmann, ‘Life Beyond Mars’ is a powerful and absorbing tribute to one of the most important and enduring superstars of our time.