Headhunter

The international breakthrough for Front 242 came in 1987 following the signing to Wax Trax in the United States and Red Rhino in Europe with the release of the single “Interception” and the albums “Backcatalogue” and “Official Version”. The “Backcatalogue” album does exactly what it says and collects the earlier 242 singles. “Official Version” however had a busier sound picture in contrast to the minimalism of the first two studio albums. Quite Unusual is the late-album highlight, taking the 242 concepts into a slightly more tuneful, radio-friendly direction. Until you get the apocalyptic tone of the lyrics and realise that far from selling out, they’ve actually sneaked one in under the radar.

The big single from the album “Front To Front” was quite obviously Headhunter. When asked during an interview about the concept for the song, Jean-Luc De Meyer replied, "I had the chance to work in an insurance company before, and I worked in the department of human resources and I saw the way that this company was trying to hire people. It was very polite and very nice with men in suits, but at the same time it was very cut-throat. I wanted to make a parallel between tribal warfare and these activities. The song means both of these activities."

1 - You Lock The Target

2 - You Bait The Line

3 - You Slowly Spread The Net

And

4 - You Catch The Man

That distinctive synth line, born after a ‘happy accident’ with a sampler, is iconic; the layers of percussion make it a natural choice for any industrially-fuelled dancefloor, whilst the lyrics provide the catchiest of refrains from the least likely of sources. The standout to me has always been Welcome to Paradise, perhaps the most poignant use of subversive criticism. Here, the rock-solid sequencers are overlaid with samples of Farrell Griswold, one of the most zealous of the Southern Baptist preachers as it ridicules the church’. It is a thrilling listen, and an industrial classic in its own right.

The first rip we have today is from the Wax Trax! CD release of Interception in MP3 @ 320kbps

Front 242; Interception

1.      Quite Unusual

2.      Agressiva

The second rip is from the Wax Trax! CD release of Headhunter in MP3 @ 320kbps

1.      Headhunter [Version 1.0]

2.      Welcome To Paradise [Version 1.0]

3.      Headhunter [Version 2.0]

You’ll find more Front 242 hiding under the net here