![]() Chains, cowled figures, monkish chanting, a damsel gasping – this is an old-school Gothic sensibility, and always welcome. (The track was called “Sadeness” – as in the Marquis – in its European releases). Everything on this track is naff, but the breathy vocals – “ Sade, dis-moi!” – are at least a different kind of naff, putting the single into a tradition of low-budget Euro-schlock as much as a New Age lineage. What sunk them back then is curiously what redeems them a little now, when their music feels so threadbare. Back in 1991 though, with ambient a buzzword again, there was a sense that even if Enigma weren’t touched by genius they were operating at least within shouting distance of credibility. The worst thing that can happen to a track like “Sadness Part 1” is that it starts to sound natural – and this is pretty much what’s happened. Were the group more impressive at the time? Are they a victim of their success? After all, juxtaposition relies for its effect on the idea that its components don’t generally fit together – if they slot in place too well then everyone does it. ![]() ![]() Gregorian chant? Synthesised pan pipes? Give over! Its mysteries have evaporated – what remains is a ponderous mix of particularly banal elements. Time has not been especially kind to Enigma: “Sadness Part 1” sounds today like an almost parodically generic chillout track.
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