single // As Is EP
Four tracks, four different mixers, exactly 20 minutes long, a sleek black sleeve with stark white lettering. The As Is EP represented Nitzer Ebb in transition, a dividing line between the stark EBM electro of Showtime and the future, electro-rock leanings of their penultimate album Ebbhead.
The EP kicks off with the chugging synthesised guitar-style riffs of 'Family Man', mixed by Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman. A tale of a shrewd conman purportedly working hard for his family, 'Family Man' was a strong taster for 'Ebbhead's change in lyrical style. 'Lovesick', with its mirrored chorus of 'Love sick / Sick love', was mixed by Flood. Flood worked with the duo frequently, and as such produces a faithful track for the Ebb canon. Full of dense electronics and percussion samples, the sound on 'Lovesick' harks back to Showtime.
For me, the highlight of this EP has always been the arpeggiating melancholy electro of 'Come Alive', mixed by then-Depeche Mode man Alan Wilder (who went on to produce Ebbhead). 'Come Alive' is sensuous, desperate and emotional unlike any of the Ebb's other work. Similar in a sense to Depeche's 'Dangerous' (from the 'Personal Jesus' single), this is an incredble track. The final track, 'Higher' was mixed by Barry Adamson. While not the strongest track here, 'Higher' points toward 'Godhead' from Ebbhead, with guitar-like synths, shifting tempos and a litany of sonic detritus recalling Adamson's occasional dabbling in the sound design aspect of electronic music.
I have a 7" promo version of the EP containing edited versions of 'Lovesick' and 'Come Alive'. I also once bought a 12" promo containing a rather flimsy Mute press release that looks like it was prepared on a typewriter. The sleeve has been signed, although not, it would seem, by the band.