Unicorn R.I.P

About the track

Alexander explained in November 2003 that it was not a remix of Lobotomized Unicorn but a continuation of its theme. The project was called UNICORN, and its versions were meant to symbolise events in the life of the unicorn: Lobotomized for "Brainstorm", R.I.P for a farewell song or march. He hoped to put the project on a 12-inch EP once he had made three or four versions.¹

On 11 November 2003, after some 12 hours in the studio, he finished the 10:25 extended version and offered it to forum members to download; the regular 6:12 version, made the same day, went straight to MP3.com, where the band described it as melodic "retro/oldschool" trance. He added that apart from two slow variation loops in the break, the track used a single loop, the rest being drum programming. Both versions are on MISSION 2002 Vol.3 (2004).^1,2,3

On 28 November 2003, days before MP3.com closed, its front page listed "UNICORN R.I.P" among a handful of songs to play. In the release thread's poll 13 of 22 voters gave it five stars, and the extended version was fourth in the band's own track list for Club Sensation in Borås on 3 April 2004.^4,5,1,6

While working on it Alexander wrote that the bassline and some effects were made with the TB-303. At first he thought only one of the two versions would go on MISSION 2002 Vol. 3; both were on the album when it came out on 30 April 2004, the extended mix as the last track. In the forum's poll on the planned 12-inch EP it had 4 of the 56 votes. It was a free track of the band's podcast in 2005 and is on the remastered MISSION 2002 Vol. 3 of May 2012, which named Unicorn R.I.P among the band's hallmark tracks.^1,7,3,8,9,10

In their words

“M2002 #21 is actually not a remix of LOBOTOMIZED UNICORN, it's a continuation of the theme.”

“UNICORN R.I.P and UNICORN R.I.P [Extended] are the same track made in two diffrent versions...”

Played live

1. Club Sensation · 3 April 2004 · Borås

   Track 4 of 12 in the set, as the band listed it.

   

On the band's forum

• MISSION 2002 Release #21 · 9 Nov 2003 · 43 posts
• MISSION 2002 Release #22 · 13 Nov 2003 · 25 posts
• trance[]control LIVE @ Club Sensation! · 21 Dec 2003 · 41 posts
• trance[]control - 12" EP's [2004] · 15 Feb 2004 · 36 posts
• MISSION 2002 Vol.3 RELEASED! · 30 Apr 2004 · 22 posts