REPLICATE 1.0
control.org - REPLICATE 1.0
Covers of bangers to clangers from the 80s to today in the control freak studio style...
Available for dowload now for supporters and by early donation at control freak studios faircamp page.
TLDR - You don't have to come along for the emotional journey. It's a personal project to push some personal boundaries, trying to get back at the studio desk, and hopefully get a head or two to nod along with the noise inside my head. Done with what I hope is reverance AND the ability to have a laugh. [track descriptions] - TLDR
While I stretched myself to some of the most "pop" regions I have ever navigated for a project, this is ABSOLUTELY NOT accurate and definitely not "improved" covers. It's how I hear the world and make dirty organic noise which has approaching zero mainstream potential. After finding myself in the lowest and deepest health chasm of my life, and unable to do anything creative for far too long, with the inspiration and support of some friends and colleagues, I decided that if I wake up tomorrow I will make music with my friends. To get to that point I needed to do some work alone to try and make space to heal and rekindle and build any physical and mental resilience possible.
That process began with once again doing some remixes for others. Less stress and I find I rather like building tracks for others more than myself, plus I don't have to sing, nice.
The next progression was, even though I've never been a big fan of doing covers myself outside of live and on tours back in the day, to peck at a massive list I've always had around of things that would be cool to cover should I ever try.
I attempted to give them reverence and use the project to rebuild creative energy, confidence and craft. The self depricating caveats are severe spacial, technical, energy and physical limitations affecting my already limited production quality, but I reckoned fuck it all, let's do this.
For all the vocals, know that I am an ex-drummer and can barely hold a monotone tune singing. However, the idea was to document where I was in healing or deteriorating and what I could or could not accomplish over the 18 months or so this project has gone through. I am 100% confident there will be tracks that you might have liked but for the vocals. I'm sorry for that, but this project was a bit of a time capsule for me. See the below rules for the project on why I didn't and won't redo vocals even though I "could" do better. If there is anything that does resonate with you, I'm super chuffed to have you along for the ride. Let's stomp.
The Project rules:
- Rule 1: No matter if it is a legit "banger" or a verified "clanger", if the original comes up for play when I'm wearing my closed ear headphones out on the tractor the sheep 3 paddocks over are gonna hear me belting them louder than my body can reasonably power, then it was on the list!
- Rule 2: I have to do all the vocals, and I only get one or two maximum takes per vocal part. That's it. Can I have maybe done better on many vocals especially at later times, absolutely, but this was the rule. The decision to do a vocal session was sometimes because I felt like I could and sometimes because I felt there was no way I could, each surprising me at times in all directions. Also, nothing is ever "done". As a healing project, it was important to document where I was and what I could or couldn't do. There is pain and failure and determination and success all in here and I'm enjoying the reflection. Did I text a friend a couple nights in this progress that I blacked out during vocal tracking, yes, yes I did. LORE!
Oh and if you are wondering about the Texas Instruments "C 2" in every track, it has been in every non ghost producer remix I have done sice 1995. It shows up in regular C2 project tracks as well. No great brand awareness reason. If anything it was a bit more tongue and cheek as a KMFDM fan and it just stuck.
So here is control.org's REPLICATE 1.0 track list with individual lore.
When the disco ends up in a rusted out old factory or industrial warehouse...
Track 01 Control, I'm Here - Nitzer Ebb - 1988
Having used the moniker control for music/art/self for over three decades, I mean this one was a no brainer. The absolute working class of the sub-basement of the underground which, in fact, for this track actually reached a hell of a lot of underground adjacent scenes and plenty of percolations above because of its absolute infectious groove albeit with a grit and clang that I loved the most. Aggro AND dance! Fucking deadly. I for sure wore out a fair few Belief and Showtime cassettes in the car. If you don't do this regularly already, find the old video of live at Technoclub Berlin 1989 and you're welcome.
A massive influence at the time on solidifying my lifelong artistic home in industrial electronic dance.
RIP Douglas.
How meticulous were you about your blacks clashing?...
Track 02 Cities in Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees - 1985
There are so many Siouxsie and the Banshees songs that fall under the category of yes please I will belt them out at full blast no matter what. An artist I usually reckon falls firmly in the do not even try to cover ground although often attempted. Wanting to keep the vibe quite a bit true to the original, but a little more grumpy, I enlisted my friend and collaborator Adam Colegrove who is a much better aggro vocaliser than I for one of only two small guest appearances on the project. Rules are rules, I kept my own very much stuggling vocal layers in this track as well.
The "easier" route for me might have been the synth heavy Kiss Them For Me, but no, Cities is an absolute classic, and nothing about this project was really easy. For 40 years, even with the known Uncle Bob from The Cure crossover in the Banshees, I never would never have realised that in 2025 when I tried to figure out some transposed progression for synths from the original timings and tunings of the guitars, it would basically be A Forest. Yeah, now you hear it too, woah!
Early, grimy, dark, underground crossover synthpop...
Track 03 Memorabilia - Soft Cell - Tainted Love 45rpm B-side - 1981
So kids gather round, a B-Side is a song that was on the other side of the analogue audio media plastic discs called records for what was selected to be "hit" or featured single/radio/dance track from artists. I grew up on the road with a band. At many engagements in the early 80s you'd play both original and cover sets. The Soft Cell cover of Tainted Love was a smash hit and as such, Dad and I picked up this record. After he sorted the arrangments and planning for the band I'd get to keep the records. Cool!
This single had something on the B-side that literally set my artistic life course. Memorabilia was sonically the hardest, darkest, wildest and 100% synthiest my little drummer boy ears had ever heard and I've never looked back. I loved it more than the popular single it was included with. I infinitely poured over the picture on the back of the sleeve of a live setup with archaic synths and the reel-to-reel for the drums and sync. This was to be my thing.
Soft Cell- Danceteria, is due to be released in 2026. RIP David.
It's a good thing tears never show in the pouring rain. Oof.
Track 04 - Be Mine - Robyn - 2005+ various releases
I LOVE ROBYN. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED ROBYN. I LOVE ROBYN'S BUBBLE GUM ADJACENT INDUSTRY OPPRESSION ERA. I LOVE HER TWO FINGERS IN THE AIR TO THE INDUSTRY ERAS, I LOVE ROBYN WITH RÖYKSOPP. I LOVE ROBYN.
Robyn is an absolute juggernaut of a writer, performer and a phenom at encapsulating emotive and temporal journeys music and art can take us.
There is absolutely zero even partially feasible reason that I should or could attempt to even be within 100m of a Robyn track!
Be Mine has quite a few interations and versions from releases to live. Every version is powerful as fuck even the sparsely instrumented ones because it's a good as fuck song. Unrequited love songs are a penny a tonne but this one is Vibranium!
My absolute, undisputed favourite version of Be Mine is the heavily arppegiated and aggressive synth and drums arrangement for the Body Talk Tour [get to a video source and watch that shit right now!]. I latched onto that one and amplified the oontz. That entire tour show gets some of the most spirited top of the lungs "singing" when I'm on the tractor of all the songs in this collection. This is one of the tracks I did quite literally black out while trying to sing. Apologies for the vocals, I went for it from a place of love and with this track especially, uptmost respect!
Track 05 - Papillon - The Editors - 2009
I find this track to be very emotive and always give it the beans on the tractor. Since I tend to walk a much more overtly sinister and angry sonic emotive path, it was a challenge. It almost got binned quite a few times for missing the mark or feeling hollow. After I performed it live this year, I was happy I kept at it.
I remember over the years seeing this performed at festivals and the punters rightfully losing their shit because it is a ripper. But I couldn't help thinking it'd be so much different with some oontz. Only while building this project did I realise there was a hyper processed club remix of it by a VIP hipster dj. I'm fine being the gritty zero commercial corpo festival potential version.
Track 06 Anything Box - I Felt the Pain - 1990
The album Peace has SO much more than just that one banger you probably know. It is a banger, but this is a cassette that if you knew what was up, you wore the whole damn thing out a few times.
This is probably the most painful track of this project. The original oozes in angst and pain and was always my favourite track from Peace when it was new. It's way outside my vocal wheelhouse and this snapshot was at a time I could barely stand up. Aside from my general vocal shortcomings, any stress and pain in the delivery was absolutely sincere. Plus the one take rule.
Many thanks to the indomitable Shannon Curtis for classing my muddled mess right the hell up in the chorus replies.
Absolute 2010s synthpop perfection and kiwi as!
Track 07 Letters and Numbers - Computers Want Me Dead - 2011
Remember when there was kinda actually NZ Music Month, openly and almost sort of kind of decently funded NZ On Air and other creative support for the lucky/persistent/connected, and having a home brewed mostly music, music video channel?
Well if you do, or just had a keen ear in 2011, or were lucky enough to run across one of the limited showcases fesitivals or gigs done, you would have caught the absolutely INCREDIBLE EP from Computers Want Me Dead.
I am not being overstated here, for the love of Pete go get the original track and its siblings. Right now! Go.
https://computerswantmedead.bandcamp.com/album/computers-want-me-dead-ep
Cheers to Sam the original artist for kindly and graciously fielding my lyrics clarification query for this weird music for healing project.
The gloriously questionably effective cliche and calculated crossover from bubblegum idol to "sexy" idol...
Track 08 With Love - Hilary Duff - 2007
Yes. I sing Hilary Duff's Dignity singles when I'm on the tractor. You can't hurt me.
Ahh the classic ex-Disney stars' and their now I'm a sexy adult release with obscene over production, 12 writers credited for the worst lyrics you've ever read, and producer farms doing the whole let's be sexy and edgy with a little "distortion" and "goth flair".
Cowards! Here I've attempted to melt that hot mess into an actually sexy and dark EBM thumper for us creatures of the shadows.
I can't help but look on in train wreck terror fashion at the terrible puppy mills of pop, I'm looking at you K-pop, and wish only the best for the folks dragged about in all parts of these wretched abusive and contrived pop factories. Eek that got even darker.
Look, do I like ANY of Hilary's slimey "brand deals"? NO.
Do I like her producers' use of a DM sample as the only hook in that one song? NO!@#$
Would I go mini-golfing or go-karting with her in a heartbeat? Damn right I would.
If you like me wake up and think, god damn there should be more EBM Hilary Duff covers as I did, go ahead and stomp to some Hilary Fucking Duff!
Do you want to hustle? Do you want to Salsa?
Track 09 I Beg Your Pardon - Kon Kan - 1988
I enjoyed taping this one off the radio from dance party shows. And definitely a banger at the roller rink.
And finally, a track that's in my monotone "wheelhouse". Well except the original had a sample for the Rose Garden chorus bits. Solution: fuck shit up! Sorted. No sample clearance, no additional vocalist.
It's the first track I did kinda of as a joke when I was considering the parameters of the project and it never fell off the list for volume one.
This is as "pop friendly" as you will find me, well at least until that chorus. Fuck you hot hits radio.
Not a one hit wonder!
Track 10 God Tonight - Real Life - 1990
Look I know most of the world knows pretty much just the one smash from radio and perhaps from the absolute banger of a clanger BMX flick RAD [1986] starring a pre disgraced era Aunt Becky. Plus I fucking LOVE orchestra hits. It took me 4 days to craft a suitable hit as well as what I was calling in chat with colleagues, the toilet fush, as right as I could. How did I do?
I was on a school trip to the big smoke in 1990 and picked up the Lifetime cassette and holy shit what an album opener this was. Wikipedia will tell you the album was received as solid but the era of synthpop was over. Fuck that shit. It's 2025 and my mum said she was amped for hours after one of my live web concerts ended on God Tonight. A friend of a quite metal and industrial persuasion upon previewing REPLICATE picked this as their standout track. Wild.
Synthpop never says die!
Get REPLICATE now at the control freak studio faircamp.
I am here to type this lore. I am pleased I got to make this album as a time capsule much different to projects I have done in the past to traverse struggle. Beyond that, I hope there is something amongst it you might like to share with the neighbours. Might I suggest EBM HILARY FUCKING DUFF...
Stomp in solidarity.
-controlfreak Dec 2025
happily zero cross domain scripts, zero tracking, zero corporate social, simple embed and optional script to our own domain only for the audio previews
68kb uncompressed at 10/01/25 | 512kb club
