(Front) 242 :: Live Code (1994) (Play It Again Sam)

This show embodies their moodiest and darkest sounds of their late 80s and early 90s classics using true to period instruments to pound out the beats. Loaded with organic sounds and analog vocal effects that mesh perfectly with their electronic gear.

Their moodiest and darkest sounds

This 1994 Live album was released under their not so subtle pseudonym 242 and it was originally recorded for VPRO Radio 3 at Muziekcentrum Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands, in October of 1993.

Unlike other live albums that came prior; Live Target or later, the awkwardly titled [ : RE:BOOT: (L. IV. E ]), Live Code lives up to the sound expectations fans would come to anticipate from such a groundbreaking electronic rock band. The CD has that “you’re right there” sound without being overpowered by audience noise. More importantly, this show embodies their moodiest and darkest sounds of their late 80s and early 90s classics using true to period instruments to pound out the beats. Loaded with organic sounds and analog vocal effects that mesh perfectly with their electronic gear, it’s masterfully mastered by Grammy winning Sound Engineer Bob Ludwig.

So, unlike the bootleg sounding Live Target, it sounds rich and full of life. Unlike Reboot Live, which dropped years later in 1997, it didn’t stray from their industrial rock roots. Reboot feels as if it’s an attempt to ride the popularity of the big beat techno explosion popularized by the Chemical Brothers at the time, complete with a Fatboy Slim-styled gratuitous use of the squelching 909 that they never were known for. Live Code sounds like classic Front 242 albums with no need for extra, now dated sounding flare. The arrangements are complex, beautiful and heavy—and now 27 years later it remains just as fresh and energizing as it did when I cracked open the jewel case back in 1994.

Live Code is available on Play It Again Sam.