Beauty Re-Envisioned

On ‘beauty re-envisioned’,  I basically handed the keys to the car over to an amazingly talented cast of Producers, Engineers, Re-mixers, DJs and Artists; giving them (almost) total autonomy to throw the puzzle of ‘finding beauty in chaos’ on the floor and reassemble it as they hear it.  

I think what we have here are some extremely diverse re-envisions that run the gamut sonically and stylistically, with a few surprises thrown in.  I hope you enjoy this record as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you!

Michael Ciravolo

Curator / BEAUTY IN CHAOS

1. “20th CENTURY BOY”* ft. Al Jourgensen (MGT RMX)

(Marc Bolan)

Al Jourgensen: lead vocals and harp

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitars

Mark Gemini Thwaite: additional guitars, electronic drums and textures.

Michael Rozon: Bass guitar, live drums and percussion

Angela Carole Brown: additional vocals

Gang vocals by: Liz Walton, Michael Rozon and Michael CIravolo

Hand Claps: Tish Ciravolo, Nicole Ciravolo and Sophia Ciravolo

Mixed by Mark Gemini Thwaite

“Michael has been a friend for many years, through our mutual friendship with the late & great Paul Raven of Killing Joke/Ministry, and I was delighted when he sent me his rocking cover of this T-Rex classic with Uncle Al Jourgensen, with a view to doing an MGT remix.. I’m a big fan of both the mighty Bolan & Uncle Al.. it was fun to put a new spin on this classic, adding some electro beats and an old school industrial vibe .. Michael was also kind enough to invite me to add some lead guitar,so couldn’t resist laying down some hot rod bottleneck.” … Mark Gemini Thwaite

4. “UN-NATURAL DISASTER” ft. Dug Pinnick, Ice-T and Zakk Wylde (Collide Mix)

(Pinnick / Ice-T / Ciravolo)

dUg Pinnick: vocals, bass

Ice T: voice

Zakk Wylde: lead guitar solo

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitars

Pete Parada: live drums

Statik: drum programming, textures and synths

Mixed by Statik

“When I start a remix, it’s all about the vocal, so I’ll strip everything else away and start with that.  I’ll usually start with programmed drums, so I usually spend a lot of time finding the right groove to go with the vocals, and building up the different sections, drum-wise.  On Un-Natural Beauty, I didn’t want to lose the guitars, but I wanted them to be a bit more abstract, so I ran them through some Reaktor effect, and experimented with cutting them up.“ … Statik (Collide)

5. “STORM” ft. Ashton Nyte (Acoustic Version)

(Nyte / Ciravolo)

Ashton Nyte: voices, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards and drum programming

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitars  

Mixed and Produced by Ashton Nyte

“When Michael suggested I have a go at re-imagining something for the Beauty Re-envisioned album, I knew it had to be ‘Storm’. As the first song we had written together for the first album, it seemed only fitting that it get a loving remake for the new release.

As a big fan of acoustic music, I wanted to try a stripped down, more intimate approach to this version. This meant re-recording it from scratch, as I wanted to re-sing the vocals in a more introspective way, to match the arrangement I had in my head. One thing lead to another and I ended up recording a number of acoustic and electric guitars, as well as bass, keyboards and percussion as I wanted the song to just keep building to an explosive final chorus. So much for stripped down… :)

Michael then added some beautiful lead electric guitar bits and counter melodies which gave the song the final magic it needed.

In essence this ended up being a mirror version of the original in many ways. I feel it completes the story of Storm and sets the stage for what lies ahead” … Ashton Nyte

“And the storm can wait, wait outside

For another sacrifice”

6. “I WILL FOLLOW YOU” ft. Evi Vine (Cotton Socks Mix)

(Vine / Ciravolo)

Evi Vine: voices

Michael Rozon: pedal steel, electric bass, synth, drum programming

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitar

Mixed and Produced by Michael Rozon

'“This song on ‘Finding Beauty In Chaos’, was in my opinion one of the best tracks on the record. When Micheal suggested that I do a remix of the track , I was most honored.  The harmony of the song got changed , a bunch of pedal steel guitar , bass and some ambient keys were added.  I agonized over a drum track trying many variations to find a compelling part . This never seemed to work well, hence , no drums.  With the new arrangement and approach , drums just seemed to get in the way of Evi’s incredibly intimate vocal performance. I feel the result is a very dreamy ambient version of stunning song with heart stopping vocal performance. Most grateful to be a small part of this beautiful music project.” … Michael Rozon

7. “DRIFTING AWAY” ft. Robin Zander (High Water Mix)

(Zander / Ciravolo / Christian / Matchinga)

Robin Zander: lead vocals

Michael Ciravolo: guitars

Kevin Kipnis: 12 String electric bass, keyboards and programming

Additional vocals: Betsy Martin, Michael Anthony, Ashton Nyte and Marc Danzeisen

Statik: Additional keyboards, programming and production

Dirk Doucette: Live drums

mixed by Kevin Kipnis

“When I was given this song to reimagine it was a total score. David Bowie, John Lennon, Brian Ferry, Robin Zander… all my favorite vocalists in the world, and now I had the opportunity to work with one of them thanks to my dear friend Michael Ciravolo! Betsy Martin, who is my other half in music and life, was also asked to contribute to the song and was elated because she is a huge fan of Robin Zander. Not to mention the added bonus of Michael Anthony,  Ashton Nyte and Marc Danzeisen.. One thing that’s always been behind Robin’s voice is a 12-string bass guitar. So, to make a dream come true for me, I added a 12-string bass to this song. As the remix was progressing, I asked another long-time dear friend Statik to contribute. He added wonderful and melodic keyboard that only furthered this re-envision” … Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine)

8. “MAN OF FAITH” ft. Wayne Hussey and Simon Gallup (Kitty Lectro Mix)

(Hussey / Ciravolo)

Wayne Hussey: lead and harmony vocals

Simon Gallup: electric bass

Michael Ciravolo: guitars

Kitty Lectro: drum and synth programming

Mixed by Kitty Lectro

“I selected ‘Man Of Faith’ because’ I was drawn to Simon Gallup's growly and groovy bassline, and the moody guitar melodies which lurk underneath the original version's Rock And Roll surface. I wanted to give the remix a psychedelic but also danceable atmosphere without allowing the beat to overpower the song. Many of the ambient tones and textures which sound like synthesizers are actually sourced from Wayne Hussey's voice and Michael Ciravolo's guitar effects.” … Kitty Lectro (Artist / Producer / DJ)

9. “THE LONG GOODBYE” (Au Revoir) ft. Wayne Hussey

(Hussey / Ciravolo)

Wayne Hussey: voice

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitar

Lola Bates: grand piano

Lyn Bertles: viola and violin

Jeff Roffredo: bowed upright bass

String arrangement by Michael Rozon

Mixed and Produced by Michael Rozon

“I’ve always loved the way the Mission did orchestral and acoustic versions of some of their songs.  I was speaking to Wayne over a glass of wine when he was in Los Angeles about doing a version of ‘the long goodbye’ in the vein of ‘kingdom come’.  A few weeks after he returned to his home in Brazil he sent over a great piano/vocal sketch.  We had a dear friend’s daughter, Lola Bates re-record the grand piano at the famed Capital Studio. Michael Rozon wrote a beautiful delicately under-stated string arrangement which weaves in and out.  I even got to sneak in a few ‘gilmouresque’ guitar bits at the end.  I simply love this song and especially this version.  Wayne’s single vocal is so emotional and pleading.  I think the mark of a great song is how it stands this bare.” … Michael Ciravolo / Curator -BEAUTY IN CHAOS

10. “I WILL FOLLOW YOU” ft. Evi Vine (IVad Mix)

(Vine / Ciravolo)

Evi Vine: voices

Michael Ciravolo: guitars

Tish Ciravolo: bass guitar

Michael Rozon: Drum programming

Dirk Doucette: live drums

John Fryer: keyboards and textures

Mixed by John Fryer

“Michael asked me to do a re-mix of his song "I Will Follow You" with Evi Vine on vocals. I've been a big fan of Evi so it was real pleasure to work on the track for Michael. I really liked the song and vocals, so I didn't really want to change it that much and keep the essence of the original track but give it a much grander ending!” … John Fryer (This Mortal Coil, NIN, Cocteau Twins, Love & Rockets)

11. “STORM” ft. Ashton Nyte (Vampyre Mix)

(Nyte / Ciravolo)

Ashton Nyte: voices

Michael Ciravolo: guitars and bass

Dirk Doucette: live drums

Tim Palmer: additional guitars, keyboards and textures

Mixed by Tim Palmer

“It was great to get the call from Beauty in Chaos to do some remixes for the ‘Re-envisioned’ album. In the 80’s doing a '12 inch Remix' was par for the course, but to do a remix these days is a rare treat.  it was time to be creative and just have fun with the song, ‘Storm’ was already one of my favorite songs from the album, so it was going to be interesting I added some new guitar textures, new keyboards and some percussion to complement the song. I wanted to give some new flavors, but at the same time keep the song as powerful as the original version. I also came up with a fresh groove for the M8 (middle 8th) that takes the section to a new space. The intro now has some crazy backwards stuff that I really enjoy. Late nights and good times!” … Tim Palmer

13. “I WILL FOLLOW YOU” ft. Evi Vine (Eclipse Mix)

(Vine / Ciravolo)

Evi Vine: voices and programming

Steven Hill: guitars, synths, rhodes

Mixed by Christoph Skirl

Produced by Evi Vine and Steven Hill

"Inspired as I am by the Michael’s work, we loved stripping elements back introducing new textures and rhythms; not so much playing with forms but navigating through them ... I hope we have done it justice” … Evi Vine

14. “FINDING BEAUTY IN CHAOS” ft. Ashton Nyte (Fall and Sway Mix)

(Nyte / Ciravolo)

Ashton Nyte: voices

Kevin Haskins: synths

Michael Ciravolo: feedback guitars

Danny Lohner: additional electric guitars and textures

Mixed by Kevin Haskins and Danny Lohner

“I chose ‘finding beauty in chaos’ to remix because I really liked the vocal melody and there ambient guitar parts. The ambient guitars really resonated with me and I thought that it would be more interesting to avoid the obvious approach of reworking the drums and main guitars and instead, strip it down to create a very minimal approach (I like to go against the grain!). In this way the vocal performance is more featured and so I feel that the soul and emotion of the vocal is more evident. I also thought that it would contrast well against the other remixes” … Kevin Haskins (Bauhaus, Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets, Poptone)

15. “THE LONG GOODBYE” ft. Wayne Hussey (Valentine Mix)

(Hussey / Ciravolo)

Wayne Hussey: lead and harmony vocals

Michael Ciravolo: guitars

Tish Ciravolo: electric bass

Michael Rozon: live drums

Evi Vine and Ashton Nyte: additional vocals

Tim Palmer: additional guitars and textures

Mixed by Tim Palmer

“As to not be redundant, please see track #2 ‘Man Of Faith’ (Preacher Man Mix) for the backstory. Tim added a great guitar bit on the chorus that I had to resist nicking for the ‘finding beauty in chaos’ version of ‘The Long Goodbye’ !” … Michael Ciravolo (Beauty In Chaos)

16. “20th CENTURY BOY”* ft. Al Jourgensen (Collide Mix)

(Bolan)*

Al Jourgensen: lead vocals  

Michael Ciravolo: electric  guitars

Michael Rozon: Bass guitar, live drums and percussion

Statik: drum and keyboard programming, textures

Angela Carole Brown: additional vocals

Gang vocals by: Liz Walton, Michael Rozon and Michael CIravolo

Statik: drum programming, textures and synth

Mixed by Statik

“Unlike my ‘Un-Natural Disaster’ remix, I didn’t want to use the main electric guitars on this one, so I had a real sequence-y keyboard part take their place. After that, it’s all about experimentation … finding bits of ear candy here and there” … Statik (Collide)

17. “DRIFTING AWAY” ft. Robin Zander (Synthetic Capricorn Mix)

(Zander / Christian, Matchinga / Ciravolo)

Robin Zander: lead vocals

Michael Ciravolo: guitars

Rudy Matchinga: electric bass

Michael Anthony, Ashton Nyte, Marc Danzeisen: additional vocals

Paul Wiley: synths, drum programming

Mixed by Paul Wiley and Steven Alexander Ryan

“Being a huge Cheap Trick fan growing up in Chicago, I jumped at the chance to do a remix for ‘Drifting Away’. The original version had a signature Zander hook.. I took the approach of taking a great pop song and trying to destroy it with a darker current of sounds and turn it into a goth anthem!” … Paul Wiley (Marilyn Manson)

18. “LOOK UP” ft. Tish Ciravolo (Kitty Lectro Mix)

(T. Ciravolo/ M. Ciravolo)

Tish Ciravolo: voices

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitars

Michael Rozon: bass guitar

Kitty Lectro: drum and percussion programming, Casio synths

Mixed by Kitty Lectro

“I selected "Look Up" because I was enchanted by Tish Ciravolo's ethereal vocal style singing her human experience atop an Alternative Rock masterpiece. I felt these warm vocals would sound disaffected yet still sincere when paired against cold Sci-Fi synthesizers, Michael Ciravolo's celestial shoe-gaze guitar melodies, gentle thunderstorms, and a late-night style electronic beat.” … Kitty Lectro (Artist / Producer / DJ)

19. “BLOODLESS AND FRAGILE” ft. Ashton Nyte (The Ghost Mix)

(Nyte / Ciravolo)

Ashton Nyte: voices

Michael Ciravolo: guitars, and sitar

Dirk Doucette: live drums

Michael Rozon: percussion

Roman Marisak: synths and drum programming

Mixed by Roman Marisak

“As soon as  ”Bloodless and Fragile” began playing, I knew it was the song I should remix. The dark and moody feel  of this song gets set up right in the intro, from the multiple layers of sound effect guitars, as well as  the catchy sitar melody.  It paints such a vivid picture, it feels like the opening of a great film.  When I began creating my remix, it was obvious that I should  first lay out those guitar tracks, making the perfect backdrop for creating my beats and synth lines. The other major element of the song which I would feature in the remix was it’s excellent vocal performance and melody. For the most part, I kept the original vocal and arrangement intact. I instead went with the approach of rewriting the music and chord progressions, to show the song under a different light.  It was very enjoyable working out a new version of this song and I’m glad I was able to  contribute  to the project.” … Roman Marisak (Professional Music Music / Spacetime)

21. “ROAD TO ROSARIO” ft. Michael Aston (Ernesto’s Rapture Mix)

(Aston / Ciravolo)

Michael Aston: voices

Michael Ciravolo: guitars, bass

Michael Rozon: live drums

Mixed by Michael Rozon and Michael Aston

“In the quest for the non-existent 3rd verse, we found Ernesto.” … Michael Ciravolo (Beauty In Chaos)

23. “Storm” ft. Ashton Nyte (Sine Division Mix)

(Nyte / Ciravolo)

Ashton Nyte: voices

Michael Ciravolo: guitars  

Raymond John Ross: synths and drum programming

Mixed by Raymond John Ross

“I was extremely pleased to say the least, when Kitty Lectro brought the Beauty Re-Envisioned project to my attention, as the entire BIC concept resonates with me in quite a personal way. I was specifically taken with “Storm” as a supporter of The Awakening, especially the mid 90’s live shows, I’ve always been a fan of Ashton Nyte’s vocals and the song, in my view, lends itself well to alternative electronica. The main concept when looking at the track overall, was to expose the project to a different audience and to the dance-floor specifically. My usual go to process when approaching a remix is more of a “rewrite”. I generally scrap everything except the vocals and reconstruct the entire song from the ground up, but in this case a clear conundrum was presented. There was no way Ciravolo’s guitar mastery could possibly be excluded and reintroducing the guitar tracks into the mix brought the entire canvas to life in a way I’d never expected. This is the beauty of Michael Ciravolo’s work, it’s the textures, the layers of colour, as well as the catchy hooks which made this mix an absolute pleasure to create.” … Raymond John Ross (Sine Division/ANKST)

24. “Look Up” ft. Tish Ciravolo (Snow ‘n Fire Mix)

(T. Ciravolo/ M. Ciravolo)

Tish Ciravolo: voices

Michael Ciravolo: electric guitars

Michael Rozon: bass guitar

Kevin Kipnis: drum and percussion programming, synths

Mixed by Kevin Kipnis

“When I was asked to do a re-envision of ‘Look Up’ I Immediately gravitated to the fact of what I knew of the journey that got them there. Again the possibilities ran through my head. Family life and love where the themes that kept on popping up. The Snow n’ Fire mix is the outcome of the love I have for the Ciravolo’s. And that is their daughter’s voice I used on a section! I approached my mix with breaking down  sections so each one was another stage of progression of a journey I felt this song was going in.“ … Kevin Kipnis (Purr Machine)

25. “Finding Beauty In Chaos” ft. Ashton Nyte (Broken Ground Mix)

(Nyte / Ciravolo)

Ashton Nyte: voices

Michael Ciravolo: guitars

Tim Perry: samples, drum programming and arrangement

Ulrich Krieger: saxophone

Mixed by Michael Rozon, Ulrich Krieger and Tim Perry

“This track was one of my favorites on the original album and I was thrilled when given the opportunity to remix it. I wanted to do something unexpected and tried to take it in a very different direction. I was inspired by a Neu! song (Hallogallo) when I started the mix, so I stripped it down, created a simple driving beat and added some darker/more industrial sounds. Ulrich recorded some amazing saxophone parts, worked with the spacing and opened up the mix.” … Tim Perry (33.3 Music Collective)