Pros: Remixes, Arrangements, Exercise into Drum N' Bass, Production, Guests, & Vocal Mixes.
Cons: Some of the Electronic Work Might Be Too Weird for Some.
The Bottom Line: With remixes from Meat Beat Manifesto, Plug, Spacetime Continuum, and the Orb, The Perfect Drug by NIN is an essential single for fans. (4.5 out of 5).
thevoid99's Full Review: The Perfect Drug [Single] by Nine Inch Nails
When the soundtrack to the David Lynch movie Lost Highway was released in February of 1997, many Nine Inch Nails fans bought the record to hear the NIN song The Perfect Drug where it featured elements of the drum n’ bass sub genre that was part of the new and upcoming electronic music movement called Electronica. 1997 was supposed to be the year of electronic music taking over the music world with acts like the Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Future Sounds of London, Goldie, and many other established electronic artists that would be the new genre to replace the alternative music scene which had manifested itself into parody and was now renamed as modern rock by radio stations. Unfortunately, the hype surrounding the new wave of electronic music didn’t fare well with the public since they started to turn their attention to the sugary teen-pop scene of acts like the Spice Girls, Hanson, Robyn, and the Backstreet Boys.
Although electronic music didn’t grab the public’s attention, it was however acknowledged by NIN leader Trent Reznor who was a fan of the genre early on in the 1990s and actually fused electronic music structures with rock n’ roll. By 1997, Reznor had already signed industrial music pioneers Meat Beat Manifest to his Nothing label in 1996 where they released their acclaimed double album Subliminal Sandwich and another British-based electronic artist Plug (Luke Vibert) who would receive rave reviews for his 1997 drum n’ bass album. Inspired by the electronic music movement, Reznor decided to release a maxi-single for The Perfect Drug that contains five remixes from him and four other established electronic music artists and groups.
While the original song for The Perfect Drug didn’t appear on the maxi-single (it would later appear in the 3-CD We’re In This Together import singles as an extended mix in late 1999), the single really served more as Reznor’s interest in the burgeoning electronic music scene that would be suitable for raves and other electronic music-based parties. While Reznor enlist new engineer Keith Hillebrandt for the NIN mix of the song, Reznor would also enlist his Nothing Records pals Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto and Luke Vibert aka Plug. Also involved in the remixes were ambient techno music pioneers Spacetime Continuum (Johan Sharp) and the Orb. The remixes of The Perfect Drug are just an exploration into the electronic music genre that should’ve gotten some attention for its music rather than get attention for its hype.
The first remix of The Perfect Drug is a seven-and-a-half minute mix by Meat Beat Manifesto leader Jack Dangers with longtime engineer Josh T. Roberts. Danger’s production mastery that includes beat samples, turntable scratches, and pulsating synthesizers are relevant in the mix that starts off with speedy drum beats and cymbal crashes along with thumping bass beats in the background in the first minute. Layers of synthesizers, guitars, and noises help accompany Trent Reznor’s vocals that are also distorted along with voice samples. In the middle of the track there’s the opening guitar intro to the original song that is then bolstered by its pulsating and break-beating drum machine tracks that are all powered by Jack Dangers production technique that includes the original drum solo from the original song in the fourth minute that goes on through the remainder of the track.
The second remix by Luke Vibert (who’s also known as Wagon Christ) is a seven-minute mix that is basically and drum n’ bass mix that has a one minute ambient-like intro of atmospheric pianos and soft synthesizers with bass beats in the background until it becomes a full-on drum n’ bass track with its pulsating beats that features a bass rhythm and a speed-like distorted snare beat and synthesizer breaks. The synthesizers lead the charge through the remix with the original song’s melancholy piano coda in the background of the track as its covered by its layers of beats and fast-paced synthesizers that accompanies Reznor’s vocals of “Take me, where you are” with its ambient-like coda in the end of the track.
The eight-and-a-half NIN mix done by Reznor and new engineer Keith Hillebrandt starts off with a distorted vocal track from Reznor until the thirty-five second mark with distorted bass beats come in along cymbal-like beats that shows Reznor’s interest in the drum n’ bass sub genre that includes soft but fast-paced synthesizer tracks and layers of speedy drum beats that comes in by the third minute. By the 3:45 mark, the track turns into a faster and more beat-driven track with its distorted drum machine beats, synthesizer layers, and distorted vocals from Reznor until the sixth minute when live drum tracks from the original song comes in accompanied by droning synthesizer layers for about thirty seconds until it returns to its fast-paced drum n’ bass musical structures along with more layers of synthesizers including a melancholy keyboard track in the background.
Johan Sharp’s five minutes and forty-eight second remix is the most accessible of all the remixes and the shortest one in the single. The single starts off with an ambient-techno based track of atmospheric synthesizers and soft cymbal tracks along with Reznor’s whispering vocals in the first minute that then leads into a dance-rhythmic synthesizer track along with a mid-tempo drum machine track that dominates throughout the rest of the track along with soft and speedy synthesizer backgrounds and electronic whistles. The drum machine tracks are not only thumping and rhythmic throughout the rest of the track but they also show the production brilliance of Johan Sharp that makes his Spacetime Continuum project one of the more brilliant electronic artists in the genre.
The final remix is a six-minute mix from the Orb with their longtime engineer Andy Hughes. The Orb’s remix is based on the group’s blend of ambient music structures and psychedelic collages that makes the Orb one of the leaders of the burgeoning electronic music movement of 1997 and their mix is a pure example of their power. The track starts off with a distorted intro of vocals that is mixed with distorted and trippy synthesizers along with psychedelic whistles and soft drum machine tracks that dominates the track for about a couple of minutes until fast-paced drum machines and piano tracks come in as its surrounded by its psychedelic musical layers along with Reznor’s vocals in the background. By the third minute, distorted synthesizers and crunching guitars come in along with its dissonant bass and space-like synthesizer tracks come in for the final minute along with distorted vocals to finish the single.
The Perfect Drug single in comparison to many of the singles NIN has put out is actually one of the best alongside Sin and Closer. Its exploration through the electronic music genre makes the single a standout among many of their singles. For NIN fans, it’s an essential among all of their singles and EPs. For fans of electronic music, it’s an enjoyable single to listen to and it also serves as a very good introduction to the genre itself. Unfortunately, Reznor wouldn’t go further into electronic music in the next phase of his career but The Perfect Drug single was a brilliant study from one of rock’s most unique and influential figures.
Live Shows: (NIN/Bauhaus/TV on the Radio-6/7/06 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater) - (NIN/Deerhunter-8/13/08 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena) - (NIN/Jane's Addiction/Street Sweeper Social Club-5/10/09 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater)
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out
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