New Order presents Be Music

"Back when New Order were still anonymous, "Be Music" was the alter ego behind which they hid when they took on producing jobs for other acts on Factory and its associated labels ... The majority of tracks point back to the fertile, swampy era when New Order were DIY-ing the future by cross-mixing guitars, Euro experimentalism, early hip-hop's minimal electro and whatever else sounded good. It was in this period, in 1982, The Haçienda opened, and although the club is associated with its acieed-drenched Madchester heyday, this set suggests more interesting music was being played and made before then, when the dancefloor was half-empty. Not every track is killer, but even the filler fascinates.

"This is what reissues are there for: a huge stack of New Order's scattered productions for side-projects and friends, all brought together in one place for the first time. Obvious highlights include Quando Quango, Section 25's wonderful Another Hilltop, and 22 minutes of New Order's own (interesting if grainy) Video 586, but there's much to get your teeth into here".

"Managing simultaneously to sound like a New Order best-of featuring songs you've somehow never heard, and an excellent oddball dance compilation, which (just about) successfully melds Eighties synth pop to esoteric naughties dance music, ...Be Music is an enjoyable, interesting curio, that sits alongside the 2002 collection as a fascinating companion to one of our most unique groups; and a satisfying journey into electronica in its own right".

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