Kylie Minogue - Boombox: The Remix Album 2000-2008

Just to give you an idea how popular Kylie Minogue is: I got an email announcing her first ever US (originally 6 dates), only to find out that her later New York pre-sale tickets were already sold out by the time my eyeballs saw the email. Demands were so high, they extended her New York stay to three nights from her original one night performance. Wow, it's kind of hard to believe that in her 20 odd music career that Minogue have never tour through North America!

Having already sold 60 million records world-wide, with 50+ hit singles, and sold-out world tours... Australian actress-turn-pop diva, Kylie Minogue, or simply known as Kylie, have come a long way from her humble beginnings in the early 90s as an actress.*

Kylie's latest release, at least in the US, is called Boombox: The Remix Album 2000-2008, and as the name implies, this is not a studio album but a remix album. Note that this is her 11^th remix album, earlier remix hits, check out Greatest Remix Hits 1 (1997) followed by Greatest Remix Hits 2 through 4.

The new remix album opens up with possibly the best song on the album. Technically not a remix, but more of a mashup between New Order's "Blue Monday" and Kylie's "Can Get You Out of My Head". The mashup version first appeared live at the 2002 BRIT Award from DJ Stuart Crichton, but later appeared on other releases (including an odd choice of movie soundtrack for Layer Cake, starring current Bond, Daniel Craig).

Other interesting remixes includes Fischerspooner's "Come into My World" remix, which remains intact as sounding similar to the original mix, but adding his own flair to it.

I have never heard of Death Metal Disco Scene (myspace), but I was definitely impressed with their "Wow" remix, where they mostly concentrated on the extremely catchy "bow-wow-wow! just the way that you dance! bow-wow-wow!" section.

I simply hated the original mix of "2 Hearts" that appeared on Kylie's 10^th studio album, X, but Mark Brown made it more bearable by making the song a little faster.

I haven't heard the original "Your Disco Needs You", but the Casino Mix on Boombox is really good. It made the song to sound more like a Pet Shop Boys sound to it, and I'll definitely will try and pick up her 2000 album Light Years to check it out.

The best remixes are the ones that either transform the song, making it their own distinct and unique version. Case in point is The Chemical Brother's version of "Slow". They manage to pull off their usual beats and rave sound, extending the middle part and only keeping mostly the chorus. If you hear this "Slow" version on the radio, you'd swear that it was a Chemical Brothers song.

If you're new to the world of Kylie, this Boombox album does a decent job of compiling some of the best remix. If you're looking for a studio album, I will have to recommend Fever (2001), which features some of her best-known hits, including some Cathy Dennis-written songs like "Can't Get You out of My Head", "Dancefloor" and "Come into My World".

"Come into my World" was also a smash-hit music video by auteur director Michel Gondry.  The video remains one of my favorite Gondry videos (other favorites is the lego White Stripes and Daft Punk's "Around the World").

Boombox is available now at any box store that carries music. Starting in October, Kylie will be over in the US to do a few selected dates for her first US appearance. I'm sure by then tickets will be sold out - so buy your tickets now if you want a guaranteed seat. From watching her concert footage, it's a huge show with lots of costume changes and loads of dancers.

* Although primarily known as a pop singer, let us not forget her appearance in the horrible video game movie, Street Fighter, as Cammy. She made such a wonderful impression, that the Washington Post called her "the worst actress in the English-speaking world". Aw, well she now knows how Madonna feels.