There was a time there where it was almost impossible to head out to a (decent, and even some not so decent) nightclub without hearing Spektrum’s Kinda New, “We all live and die..” sung, or at least mouthed, the nightclub over. Their follow on to Enter The Spektrum, the new Fun At The Gymkhana features a disc of the original production and a second disc, Death At The Gymkhana, a collection of remixes of the tracks featured on the first disc.

Fun opens with the punk funk grooves of May Day, the Euro pop trait of the group shining through but the dark synth line keeps it in line. Horny Pony is much more fun, the cheeky lyrics alluding at the obvious, funky guitar work giving this a 70s feel. A spaced out disco vibe continues in Moody Feels Good, the track not as dark as the title may suggest. European pop has had better days, The Knife a good example, however Spektrum unfortunately don’t deliver on their originals, the new wave vocals are grating before too long.

The remixes disc is a welcome respite – DJ T’s opening remix of May Day is fantastically German. Edgy synth lines and a jacking drum line a welcome improvement, It is sad to say that the snippets of the vocal work better on here than the original, but the truth hurts. Tom Neville is not afraid of serving up some tough beats at the best of times and his re-rub of Don’t Be Shy, is no exception. Using a distorted vocal line, he builds this track into dancefloor dynamite. On a much different tip, Crazy Penis’ remix of Cut Me Off, sticks to the deep house masters formula. Tight broken beats and light keys give this a good going over.

There are plenty of artists out there whose work has achieved new heights post-remix, it is unfortunate that in this offering the originals disc suffers from the ugly sister syndrome. It’s not that it is a terrible effort, it is just comparatively it lacks that special something.

In a word: Jealous.