Fixed is the second extended play (EP) by the industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. It was released on December 7, 1992, by Nothing, TVT, and Interscope Records. It serves as a companion release to Broken (1992), and includes remixes by Coil, Danny Hyde, JG Thirlwell, and Butch Vig, as well as then-live band member Chris Vrenna.
According to Trent Reznor, Fixed was not intended to be a remix album, but instead a reinterpretation and deconstruction of the music found on the 1992 EP Broken, where the songs were in their “proper form”. After Reznor hired Peter Christopherson of Coil to direct the accompanying film to Broken, they developed a friendship.
Shortly after, Reznor asked Christopherson to contribute to Fixed. JG Thirlwell and Butch Vig were also recruited for the remixing effort. Thirwell’s second Wish remix, Fist Fuck, features samples of Timothy Leary while the final track, Screaming Slave, contains various samples of Bob Flanagan being tortured that were recorded during the filming of the Happiness in Slavery music video.
When it was finished, Trent thought the front part of the mix didn’t fit the EP, so he just used the ending. Reznor and Chris Vrenna completed many of the remixes in-house. Musically, Fixed is a dark, industrial, and noisy EP. Much of Broken’s heavy metal aspects are eschewed and replaced with more beat- and drum-focused sounds. Tape manipulation, unusual noises, and a focus on grinding repetition define Fixed as a distinctly experimental release.
Tracklist:
- Gave Up (remix)
- Wish (remix)
- Happiness in Slavery (remix)
- Throw This Away (remix of Suck and Last)
- Fist Fuck (remix of Wish)
- Screaming Slave (remix of Happiness in Slavery)
Nine Inch Nails
Trent Reznor: writing, performing, production, remixing (3, 4, 6)
Remixing personnel
Peter Christopherson: remixing (1)
John Balance: remixing (1)
Danny Hyde: remixing (1)
JG Thirlwell: remixing (2, 5)
Paul Kendall: additional electronics (3)
Chris Vrenna: remixing (3, 4, 6)
Butch Vig: ending sequence (4)
Bill Kennedy: remixing (6)
Martin Brumbach: remixing (6)
Sean Beavan: remixing (6)
Bob Flanagan: remixing (6)
Additional personnel
Gary Talpas: sleeve design, photography
Tom Baker: mastering
