In 2006, Rapster released the acclaimed Exit Music album featuring adventurous new covers of Radiohead songs by artists as diverse as Sa-Ra, Matthew Herbert and Mark Ronson, whose version of “Just” has endured as one of his most in-demand tracks.

In 2007, as David Bowie turned 60, !K7 embarked on a follow-up, seeking out electronic artists that have been heavily influenced by the legacy of the Thin White Duke. The brief was open. The selected artist could choose any track from his catalogue and create their own fresh interpretation, however faithful, or different, to the original. The result is a fascinating range of interpretations by some of the leading players in today’s electronic music from Detroit’s Matthew Dear and Carl Craig to Joakim, Kelley Polar, Susumu Yokota and Au Revoir Simone, all tapping into the cryptic, expressionist core of Bowie’s originals.

Bowie’s Low, one of the famed “Berlin Trilogy” produced by Brian Eno, and the pre-Eno R&B and electronics of Station To Station both loom large as an obvious root source to the machine music of 2008. “It was devoid of spirit,” said Bowie of Station To Station. “Even the love songs are detached.” Elsewhere, the new versions reference Ziggy Stardust’s cosmic glam and the cinematic low art of Hunky Dory. Even less acclaimed Bowie albums are re-visited including the Labyrinth soundtrack from 1989 and the dramatic stylings of Tonight from ’84.

LIFE BEYOND MARS features specially commissioned illustrated artwork by Berlin artist Maria Tackmann.
 

CD Tracklist:

01. Au Revoir Simone – Oh! You Pretty Things 4.15
02. Heartbreak – Loving The Alien 7.15
03. Kelley Polar – Magic Dance (Harold and Baby O in Italy version) 5.15
04. Leo Minor – Ashes To Ashes 3.19
05. Carl Craig presents Zoos Of Berlin – Looking For Water 5.03
06. Drew Brown – Sweet Thing 2.53
07. Matthew Dear – Sound & Vision 4.24
08. Susumu Yokota – Golden Years 3.27
09. The Emperor Machine – Repetition 6.03
10. Joakim & The Disco – A New Career In A New Town 5.59
11. Richard Walters & Faultline – Be My Wife 3.26
12. The Thing – Life On Mars 4.35

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Track by Track breakdown

Au Revoir Simone – Oh! You Pretty Things
Quirky Brooklyn trio Annie, Erika and Heather with a lo-fi, reflective treatment of Bowie’s classic from "Hunky Dory," referencing Nietzche and an “impending obsolescence of the human race.”

Heartbreak – Loving The Alien 
Lex Records’ hotly tipped Heartbreak add plenty of Italo-disco vibes to re-create a minor hit from Bowie’s "Tonight" album from ’84, tackling the thorny area of religious conflict.

Kelley Polar – Magic Dance (Harold and Baby O in Italy version)
The Metro Area cohort blows up a difficult romantic dinner date with a genius re-mould of a Bowie oddity from the "Labyrinth" soundtrack, including verses in DIY Italian. Dance the magic dance!

Leo Minor – Ashes To Ashes

The Milwaukee laptop genius named after a stellar constellation turns in a frenetic update of Bowie’s oblique summary of his ‘70s journey, told through Major Tom.

Carl Craig presents Zoos Of Berlin – Looking For Water
A Detroit soundclash as The Don links up with Trevor Naud’s Zoos Of Berlin, tapping into the nervous geo-politics of an over-looked track from Bowie's 2003 "Reality" album. An essential chrome funk re-work.

Drew Brown – Sweet Thing
Rolling Stone described the themes of “Sweet Thing” and the "Diamond Dogs"LP as “the remnants of the human race living out their dying days in frantic pursuit of sleazy sex.” Californian singer songwriter Drew Brown whispers a simmering acoustic cover. 

Matthew Dear – Sound & Vision
Matthew Dear covering Bowie – a mouthwatering prospect! Detroit’s finest turns in an anthemic, marching take on this paranoid classic, originally recorded for the "Low" album in ’77.

Susumu Yokota – Golden Years
Tokyo’s unpredictable king of lush electronics indulges in some trans-global file sharing with Casper Clausen of Copenhagen pop-experimentalists, Efterklang, and Our Broken Garden’s Anna BrØnsted. A hypnotic update of the first track recorded for Bowie’s "Station To Station" sessions.

The Emperor Machine – Repetition
Chicken Lips’ Andy Meecham enters the cold mind of the wife beater on a belter from Bowie’s "Lodger" album, moving the double time of the original into a sleazy, low slung bassline groove.

Joakim & The Disco – A New Career In A New Town
One of the first recordings made by the French uber-producer with his new band, The Disco. A chugging post-punk instrumental, Bowie’s reflection on moving from Europe to the USA.  

Richard Walters & Faultline – Be My Wife
A wistful paean from "Low" beautifully updated by rising Oxford singer songwriter Richard Walters and Bat For Lashes’ producer David Kosten aka Faultline

The Thing – Life On Mars
Far out junk jazz from the Smalltown Supersound stable and the most adventurous version on the album. The Thing interpret the Ziggy Stardust anthem as a minimal concoction of random instrumentation and sound effects with flashes of the melody appearing on double bass.