DE/VISION VOID ALBUM WEA, WARNER RELEASE: MARCH 1, 2000 REVIEW: MARCH 14, 2000

De/Vision is one of most popular electropop bands of today and there is no longer any doubt why. They have worked long and hard to reach these hights, by constantly improving and pushing themselves.
It is their latest work that really have caught my attention. The 1998 masterpiece “Monosex” was my breaking point. This was the first album on the major WEA and maybe the new deal made them work even harder. The album reached as high as 30 in the German charts.
“Void” carries the same spirit, but now it’s more of everything. Most of all its harder and more modern. The old synthpop roots is still present, but they are surrounded by so much more. Several songs float on a carpet of fat bass lines, rhythm loops, slightly broken melodies and cool effects. I’m sure De/Vision have listened a lot to modern electronics from the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Fat Boy Slim and Underworld. But while the electronica acts often lose themselves in instrumental and boring soundscapes, De/Vision is always with us - with one foot in the pop tradition. They write truely excellent melancholic songs.
The guys have managed to incorporate lots of new influences without becoming another pathetic band that feels an urgent need to refresh their material. No, De/Vision have succeded to a degree where they inject new blood into the electropop genre. This have been done before, but only rarely the end product is so perfectly balanced and well-made. It’s stunning.
Well performed guitars in songs like the indie flirt “Freedom” (a possible future single choice if you ask WEA, I guess) and the choirs in the growing “Self-Deception” is other new grips. I also want to mention the strong choruses as well as the healthy breaks within songs like in “Give in”.
The magnetic “Foreigner” is of course a killer single. “Blue Moon” from 1995 is included in a fresh updated version.
The new year (I didn’t say millennium!) have had a tremendous start with at least a dozen fantastic albums by artists like Covenant, Emiliana Torrini, Hednoize, Robot, Primal Scream – and now De/Vision. What a year this can be!

MIKAEL KAHRLE