Let's Get Killed

3.1 2x nothing objectionable nor memorable though

i actually quite like droney electronic music so i think i'm more poised to like this than your average bear. that being said - this isn't really better or more interesting than any other electronic music we've heard so far. while my enjoyment was closer to a 3.5, i feel like it doesn't really earn its place here when there's many better albums that accomplish the same thing.

interesting and cool vibes. pretty good music to have on in the background while i work. but is it enough to earn a place on this list or even be revisited in a foreground context? well, favorites: gritty shaker, rodney yates, radio 7

Listens: 4 Standout Tracks: Let's Get Killed, Radio 7, Freaknik, Don't Die Just Yet I have no problems with this album. I wouldn't call it groundbreaking or visionary, but I found it much more palatable than, say, Fatboy Slim or MJ Cole or a half dozen other electronica/break beat artists I've so far come across on the List. It's pretty basic, standard issue electronica grooves from the 90s. A couple of the tracks I would even say are playlist worthy. There are elements of reggae, ska, rocksteady, dub, hip-hop present in many of the tracks. I appreciate the "skits" on a bunch of the tracks; after doing some digging, I've come to find out that Holmes went around NYC and just sort of found Pimps, drug dealers, prostitutes, etc and just got raw recordings of them saying whatever the hell they liked. On Cadell Returns, that's Rodney Yates (who also has his own song) sounding like, basically, Hunter S Thompson right out of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (which came out a year later). Pretty wild stuff. And then the story on Let's Get Killed is interesting too. A guy beats the shit out of another guy who stole some money from a dead man's hand at a funeral, and then when he showed up randomly at some bar years later, the narrator lost it and beat the shit out of him. Amusing stories from the streets of NYC.

So boring I couldn't finish it.

20-year-old me approves. Back end of the album has the musical tension of Willy Wonka's Chocolate River just before it turns tits up.

Inoffensive but I’m pretty bored. RYM: N Saved a song: N

can't escape these enigmatic sound scapes yet they constantly escape me...

pra falar bem a verdade achei nada demais, so uma ou outra msc me chamou atenção

I could dig this as a movie score, but as a stand-alone album I didn’t really connect with it.

what is this ????

Honestly don't know what this is trying to be. Managed half of it before giving up. Hope it's his only entry!

Made a nice change to the usual rock and pop on the list. Some cool sounds and gives a solid overall vibe. Trendy hotel lobby maybe.

A lot of times... Yes yes yes. This has Fatboy Slim vibes and DJs of the 90s and early 00s. I grooved along well. The vocal samples were sometimes an unwelcome distraction from the energy that the songs gave however.

Ignore the 1 star reviews, this doesn’t deserve it. I wasn’t expecting too much from this but was really surprised, it was a good all rounder well worth another listen

decent

This was too much. Nothing really happened for almost an hour. What was David Holmes thinking?

Good, but not as good as his big beat contemporaries.

Bon, dans l'ensemble l'album est plutôt bien. En effet, je trouve que c'est le meilleur album techno que j'ai écouté, avec pour une fois une diversité assez agréable de nombreuses sonorités dans tout l'album, mélangeant le jazz, le funk, le hip hop et la techno pour retranscrir de manière vraiment juste l'ambiance de la ville qui ne dors jamais. Il y a aussi les passages "interview" en début de morceaux que je trouve vraiment bien, forçant une interactivité entre l'oeuvre et l'auditeur que je trouve très bénéfique car amenant du rythme et du dynamisme à l'œuvre. Néanmoins, malgré la grande variété, le plus gros problème a été pour moi que les morceaux n'agissent pas de manière assez forte chez l'auditeur, qui fini donc par se lasser après les premieres minutes étant donné la répétitivité des titres, propre au style techno. Dans l'ensemble je trouve l'album assez bien, et je salue la performance de Holmes

Seems to be an observational study of urban NYC through sound. The conversations of Big Apple natives really adds to the immersive experience. That said, the tracks carry on for too long. Instead of some being hypnotic, they get repetitive (i.e. Freaknik, Rodney Yates), especially in the later half. (3.5)

Jamais écouté avant. Top : Don't Die Just Yet Flop : Caddell Returns

Good stuff, not my vibe.

Atmosferisch, duister trip-hop album. Ik ben dol op elektronische muziek, vind het bijna altijd heel vet, maar moet toch ook eerlijk zeggen dat deze me niet meteen pakt. Let's get killed is wel vet, de sfeer druipt van dit nummer af met de onheilspellende baslijnen, maar merk dat ik ook een beetje geirriteerd raak dat alle elektronica op deze lijst triphop is. Waar is de techno? De trance? De Hardstyle? Als deze lijst albums bevat die invloedrijk zijn geweest in de muziek dan kan dat bijna niet ontbreken. Dat deze lijst rock-heavy is, dat wisten we eigenlijk al. Maar dat de paar elektronische albums die er op staan grotendeels in dezelfde hoek zitten? Dat is naar mijn mening echt een gemiste kans. Maar goed; hoe is dít album? Het is prima, gewoon hele sfeervolle elektronische muziek. Doet me vaak denken aan trip-hop met af en toe een ambient uitschieter. Ik vind het nooit vervelend, maar dit is wel muziek waarbij ik de klacht 'liftmuziek' wel een beetje begrijp. De sfeer moet dan ook voornamelijk uit sampletjes en dergelijke komen. Ja dit is een prima album, lekker om aan te hebben en vooral niet heel vervelend ofzo. Niet een album waar ik over een jaar van wakker schrik of denk "Goh, laat ik die weer eens even aanknallen!" Maar zolang er niet of nauwelijks Techno, Trance oid in deze lijst staat moeten we ook niet te veel klagen over elektronische muziek die het wél heeft gehaald. FAVO: Lets get killed, Gritty Shaker, Rodney Yates, don't die just yet

This isn't anything

Oh dear. That was a complete waste of time. What was the point to any of it and how did he get to make so many other albums??!!

No!

This genre is very much not my cup of tea, so I went into this expecting not to like it and I heard nothing that would change my opinion on the genre. Both uninteresting and repetitive, there's a spy motif throughout the album that's not handled particularly well. It reminds me of the music that you find in a PlayStation 1 game rather than a snazzy spy flick. The album was most enjoyable when more famous works were sampled. The James Bond theme is sampled on 'Radio 7' and some Serge Gainsbourg tracks are sampled on 'Don't Die Just Yet'. I'm not an expert on electronic music, but I know sure as hell that this is not as cutting edge as Aphex Twin. It all feels very nineties and not in a good way.

Liked this back in the day, but found this a bit dull - plenty of big beat better than this out there.

Some sick beats in there for sure but I think it's longer then I'd prefer. 2/5

there were some good songs, and some not so good ones. Rodney Yates was prob my fave.

There's been better electronic from this list, I just didn't vibe with it.

I was a little indifferent until "Let's Get Killed" rolled in and that was bad-ass. Overall, it was fine. Didn't amaze, but was enjoyable. There was better trip-hop of the era, IMHO.

I was excited to listen to this today, I have no real relationship with electronic music, so i'm coming in with an eager and open mind. This seems like it could be good background music, so maybe it's what I'm doing in the foreground (working) that is the issue? Drugs would help this, but alas... Songs mostly start out promising, some interesting conversation samples that blend into some cool beats that then just repeat, over and over(and over).... it's a little too long and - as I'm finding is my biggest complaint about the albums I don't like that much - boring.

Very very bland. Not controversial or impactful, incredibly boring background lounge / shisha sounds.

Maybe this had more significance in 1997 back when electronic music was still in its infancy. But almost 30 years later these beats just feel empty. The skits don't feel like they really add anything either.

Is it a rule that electronica albums have to be an hour long or more? Because I can only take about 20-30 minutes at a time on a good day.

Monotonous beats for six minutes at a time felt like an eternity. For those who need something on in the background? Truly painful.

Don't love the title but do love the beats.

Not bad, in the context of putting it on in the background while I was working. I quite liked the concept. I'm not sure I'd want to engage with it cranked up in a dancefloor setting, but then I'm quite old. Interesting to read about what he's worked on; talented guy. Fave track was the groovy Don't Die Just Yet.

Yep always liked this. Still listen to his Ocean’s 11 soundtrack too.

I got nothing against the album. It's mediocre at it's best. But more to the point: what the fuck is up with this author and adding crap electronica albums from the 90s? It's really annoying how much shit that doesnt matter and/or is bad is in here fron the electronic genre, which has some bangers, mind you. Instead, I have to shit through shit like this, because the author thinks he's a know-it-all prick

HH

Heck yeah, this one was dope!

Went into this completely blind and was pleasantly surprised. Very chilled out but interesting glitch hop record that was really compelling at its best. Parts of it descended into background music territory but when it gripped me I was thoroughly entertained and relaxed by it. Thought that the New York themes and little samples of people talking were very cool and tastefully spread throughout the album.

mega! endlich wieder einmal gute elektronische musik, gemixt von einem meister seines fachs!

Und man denkt " wann ist das Intro fertig?"

The convos with real New Yorkers bring a lot of life to this, but it’s not enough to make it great.

Reading a bit into the background of this album, looks like this album is in a very similar vein of 90s artists trying to push trippy club music towards a more "avant-garde" / storytelling perspective. Unfortunately, this album is essentially Endtroducing without all the elements that made Endtroducing such a compelling album. While Endtroducing sounds alive and interesting, I can't help but feel this album just sounds dead.

This was probably impressive and remarkable in 1998, but is rather uninspiring today when anyone can do this. It was at least interesting to find out that Holmes has scored lots of Soderbergh films, and you can definitely hear similarities to the music from the Oceans movies in some tracks.

I liked the recorded snippets but the actual beats were repetitive and not very interesting for the most part. 3/5.

Dimery was delusional adding this to the list. Glad Holmes switched to scoring Soderbergh movies since he can get only ruin those only so much.

4Ever a cityGirl. Incroyable

Boring and generic.

nice cunk reference

Super

trippy troppy

Nmg da slušam ova sranja ako nemam neku asocijaciju za tu pesmu, npr da je deo soundtrack-a nekog filma ili igrice ili čega god, ovako nije za go kurac.

This is for people who like Tim Westwood.

Slow start, but I ended up really liking this album. Went a lot of places and didn't mind. 4.25. Favorite tracks: Rodney Yates, Radio 7, Slashers Revenge, Don't Die Just Yet.

I'm a bit disappointed in myself that this album and artist has slipped past me over the last ~30 years. This was a really good release, a really mellow sound and feel. I'll be listening again for sure.

Harsh-edged big beat / electronic built from distorted breakbeats, abrasive synth stabs, blown-out samples, and aggressively compressed textures, with vocals used more as chopped, shouted fragments than songs, moves like standing too close to a malfunctioning sound system—restless and confrontational, but so loud and abrasive that it actively strains the ears instead of pulling you in.

Not really noteworthy and a bit dull at times. I enjoyed the Bond track I guess, but it doesn't grab me

Really not my thing, not really into drums and base move music. Couldn’t even finish the album, it’s too repetitive and goes on too long, maybe if I was in a club it would be OK.

Favorite songs: Let's Get Killed, Gritty Shaker, Radio 7", Slashers Revenge, Caddell Returns, Don't Die Just Yet

I'm giving this an extra star because of other reviews. Man, what's with the hate on a perfectly good and interesting album?

Not my thing. Good sounds but would never listen

So ein Mist! Elektroschrott! Weg damit!

Absolut wilde Mischung

Lekker die beatjes. Ook hier: elektronische muziek is best te trekken als het (voor het gevoel) maar niet teveel in herhaling valt. En hier hebben gewoon relaxte muziek te pakken, met niet al te veel gewauwel ertussendoor (al weerhoudt die me er wel van om de 5 sterren uit te delen). Verder vinden ze het leuk om met het James Bond-muziekje te knutselen, wie ben ik om daar tegen te zijn. Dikke prima verder.

Wel mijn genre, maar nooit eerder gehoord. Of niet bewust gehoord. Want ook nu valt het vrij makkelijk naar de achtergrond. En dat met al die samples. Ook een kunst. Ook een tweede keer kan ik het vrij makkelijk luisteren. Meestal krijgt achtergrondmuziek een vergeetbare 3, maar ergens geeft deze schijf mij vanuit die achtergrond toch een prettig gevoel.

Na ready to die krijgen we lets get killed. Wat is die fascinatie toch van artiesten met de dood? Sowieso tarten ze al vaker het lot door hun blijkbaar aangeboren liefde voor harddrugs of snelle voertuigen. Of zijn ze zich simpelweg beter bewust van de tijdelijkheid van ons bestaan? Anyway, ik had van de muziek niet zoveel verwacht. Elektronisch uit de 90s, wat kan dat nu nog toevoegen aan wat we al gehoord hebben? Maar ik vond het verrassend leuk. Een lekker breakbeatje, wat geinige samples (zoals het deuntje van James Bond). Het sfeertje varieert tussen relaxte lounge en wat duistere techno, waardoor het ook afwisselend blijft. Het geouwehoer tussendoor, blijkbaar iets van random geluidsfragmenten van mensen/zwervers op straat, had van mij achterwege gelaten mogen worden. Maar dat mag de pret niet drukken, ik heb me hier een uur lang prima mee vermaakt.

Some 1s and some 5s... Even out to a three.

Not a huge fan of electronic

"Let's Get Killed" plays like a jumble of unfinished film scores hoping to attract the attention of some greenhorn movie producer. (It must have worked , as I recognized "Rodney Yates" from the Ocean's Eleven soundtrack.) Some songs are well crafted -- "Don't Die Just Yet", for example -- and work fine as individual tracks. But the sum is somewhat less than its parts: the songs seem random and disparate, as if Holmes gave no real thought to how they might fit together. And I would have left out the James Bond retread.

I don't get this genre of music

Two electronica albums in a row!?? Oh, man. This is going to suck! And you know what? It doesn't suck! I really like the beats, tempos, and all the cool space flairs that show up throughout. While I usually like real life samples in and around songs, here they're either too long or dumb. I can get Why he put them in, but upon repeated listening, they get annoying quick. Outside of that though, this is a vibe. "Head Rush On Lafayette" mars this otherwise completely listenable collection. Why the annoying rap in the midst of this vibe-y, mood piece? Maybe it's just showing how in NYC you can be feeling cool, but them some loud idiot ruins it for you. If that's his intention, he succeeded. But as a listening experience, it's a horrible choice. I'd listen to "Rodney Yates" "Don't Die Just Yet" or "Slashers Revenge" any day of the week. Second time in a week that a soulless electronica album is going to get a 4! It might have even gotten a 5 if they cut down the samples and lost the Lafayette rap.

Again, probably deserves a higher rating but I am over all these albums with no lyrics! Not my cup of tea and it seems to be all this random generator is serving.

Day775 - how did this flaming hot garbage make the list

Not baaad

Not something I would ever choose to listen to, based in genre and description alone. But pleasantly surprising.

It’s not an album I would consider just playing through. It kind of sounded like turning on a PS2 game to its main menu and then walking away

This album is fine. It has some cool break beats that would be great for when you need something in the background that isn’t too distracting. The songs do drag on a little long, but I will definitely be adding some of these songs to my focus playlist for when i’m reading or doing something and I need background music so my mind isn’t racing. If some of these songs were the instrumental for the right rapper, this album would go hard af, but they aren’t. As is, it’s a fine album that i’m not mad if it was played but I wouldn’t seek this out unless for the specific occasion of me needing instrumental background music.

There was a lazy journalistic trope in the mid-90s that electronic artists couldn't make albums. zit would often crop up in damming with faint praise reviews in the UK weeklies NME and Melody Maker where it would be suggested that while dance music was good in a club environment and produced great single pieces of music, this could rarely be sustained cohesively across the 45 minute runtime of a CD. Gradually this began to be dispelled by great acts the Chemical Brothers, Leftfield and Boards of Canada who were darlings of the indie press, but it persisted among guitar = good, turntables = bad middle-aged blokes long after it had ceased to be true. That said listening back to this I did feel there was a kernel of truth to the old trope. This album is a perfectly fine slice of trip hop/big beat but it just doesn't really hang together as an album. Its instrumental other than the samples, which don't really tell any particular narrative, it's fine to play in the background but if you actively try to pay attention to it, you appreciate it less.

Forgot about this gem - loved it then and love it now.

Full on coffee shop background music.

I wish I was cool, so I could enjoy this album. But I did not enjoy this album, and I am not cool.

2,8/5

nope, didn't like this at all, very poor electronic pap

Let’s Get Killed has atmosphere to spare, but it often feels more like a collection of sketches than a fully realized album. David Holmes prioritizes mood and cinematic drift over structure, leaving many tracks underproduced and unresolved. While the raw, lo-fi approach fits the album’s late-night LA concept, it lacks the density and commitment that make more maximalist electronic records hit hard. Interesting as a transitional, scene-setting work—but frustrating if you’re looking for impact or payoff. 3/5

ok

This is a good electronica record. It touches on a lot of different styles of electronica music like trance, beat, techno... It's not generally my style, but every once in a while, I enjoy listening to a record like this.

Conceptually, this is wonderful, I love the use of the NYC street recording samples that Holmes acquired during his time there. There's a gritty cinematic vibe to this and I dig it. The only problem is I think every track goes on far too long and this is yet another dance album that approaches an hour long runtime.

Just a good fucking vibe

Not interesting or enjoyable, and far too long

Was considering being killed halfway through this.

Pretty good for electronica. It’s still electronica though

An album with electro sounds that fits the late 90s. The samples are unique and convey the vibe well. But didn’t knock my socks off overall. Decent though. 2.6/5.0

Es klingt wie ein unfertiges Experiment, das sich für viel cooler hält, als es ist. Die Tracks plätschern belanglos dahin, die Field Recordings wirken eher wie Lückenfüller, und echte Spannung kommt nie auf. Am Ende bleibt ein Album, das mehr Attitüde als Substanz hat.

I find some of the negative reviews a little bemusing. Sure the tracks are long and somewhat repetitive - is this your first experience listening to electronic dance music? Electronic music, by it's nature, doesn't tend to make for great albums, but these tracks never get boring to me. Take Radio 7, for example: elements of the familiar Bond theme tune drift to the fore and fade to the background in an artful way that reminds me of Tubular Bells (maybe I'm making that connection because I knew it from The Exorcist before I heard the original). To me this sounds like the soundtrack from a lost Guy Ritchie movie, and reminds me of the chill out rooms in clubs where we'd start a night out in the late 90s/early 2000s.

2,8

Cool breakbeat, but simply a novelty for me. forgettable

The definition of muzak, I can't think of a context when this would be played and recieved well, it certainly isn't something I'd choose to sit and listen to, and it couldn't be played in a club, its hardly even interesting background music, there's so much better. In short I found this boring, too boring to be atrocious, but without enough substance to gain any enjoyment, it didn't help that it was pretty long, I spent my whole walk home waiting to finish it so I could play something else. This does sound quite negative, and I suppose it is, but as said its less negative and more just nothing at all. The songs felt more or less samey, the talking sections serving as a, sometimes vaguely interesting, change of tone, but other than that there was little difference between songs for me. The highlights of the album (though highlight is a word I use tenuously) were perhaps 'Radio 7' though that's more out of fondness of Monty Norman's music than anything in this album, and 'Don't die yet' which was a pleasant change at the end in that it was mildly okay. If I wanted background instrumentals I'd rather have Jazz or Classical any day, heck even the Virgin Suicides soundtrack. Getting Killed is a much better album with a similar name. 36/100

Please kill me.

Quite a talent to make an album this boring.

nice and groovy

Bad

Not for me. 2.

Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 3/5

Sure sounds like 1997

Gives me Proto Gorillaz vibes

Like to see some different things, wasn't sure what genre was, ended up being background noise but certain clips stood out and I kept listening to radio afterwards

Come album elettronico fatto di sample ci sta ma non mi ha impressionato

it was good but I would not say the best

Makes me wish I'd lived in a place with a solid club scene in the 90s. At least a few of my friends did.

Enjoyable, fun really. An air of fun and newness and lightness and inside jokes.

Good for background music.

3.5

fun energy but gets old quick

Video game background music lowkey. Still a vibe though.

Aged terribly.

Was going to not rate it but ended up with 1 purely because its not that good.

Really dislike this but it has some ok moments, like some of the jazzy instrumentation but it's honestly really quite boring. Very low 2 for me

I did not have a mid-90's DJ set from Belfast clocked as one of my favorite surprises on this list but David Holmes deserves an apology from me. This album works both as a DJ set, a loose concept album, and a deep dive into library records. Everything is clicking, between the samples of NYC life, the nostalgic sampling, and propulsive beats. "Radio 7" feels like it should've just been a remix on the Goldeneye soundtrack and it's a little distracting from the theme but overall this one really grabbed me. It's not life changing but it's a pretty good album that you should check out.

real slick, real cool. some srsly dope tracks. Radio 7 (james bond).

Didn't get my attention at all

This never-ending album seemed like something a 14-yr-old would make on a new iOS app before abandoning the app forever.

Probably would serve its purpose well as background cafe music, but the high-points just felt like theft of classics without adding much to them

Bem música de fundo de filme de espião/hacker anos 2000

I was a big fan of the Ocean's 11 soundtrack, so I recognized the name. Didn't like this album as much as the soundtrack.

“The argument’s over isn’t it, Capitalism won,” is the blithe statement that this record brings to mind, from a friend who I’m fairly sure dug the Holmes-sound. This stuff led the charge through “The End of History”, fated to dial into the most vacuous zeitgeist of my life to date: vocal samples selected for flavour not meaning, hip-hop beats trimmed of any menace or jitteriness, black cultural signifiers dissected, reassembled and shrink-wrapped with the apathetic irony of Damien Hirst, presented with Michelin-star finesse. For a couple of years I felt I heard this stuff most days, mainly via friends who smoked weed daily. I didn’t object, and I laughed when our friend H decided to substitute Philip Glass’s soundtrack to “Koyaanisqatsi” with a Herbaliser album. A few years later, Glass turned up to the one literary party I ever attended, accompanying the boss of Phaedon books, the latter a bald Buddha-shaped man in a black Nehru suit who declared “these parties always have plenty of lovely young things,” and briefly chased my then-girlfriend through the house until she found me and he decided to tell me about how he loved living on Lake Geneva. “That’s nice,” I said, confused. “I could drop-kick every single other person at this party out of the window and it still wouldn’t be enough!” confided a friend who was there; a strong guy, and it was a pretty high window. Holmes loves the good material, the title song a deft melange of contemporary drum n bass’s futurism and the more cubist techno nerdier friends were into; “Don’t Die Just Yet” is a well-informed gutting of “L’Histoires du Melody Nelson” whose sacrilege Gainsbourg might’ve tipped his Gauloises at.

Aimless soundtrack to nothing, filled to the brim with the 90s' most cliched electronic sounds. Loses credibility instantly with the sampled claim that "New York has the best .. beer"! No.

It just keeps going (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

This isn’t offensive to listen to but it also isn’t at interesting

Most of the instrumental is not exactly as irritating as the vocals.

It was alright lots of unjustified negative comments

Reminds me, of, "Aloft", if their lobby music was inspired by "Goldeneye" on N64.

Por la mitad. No estaba muy en el miod

Listening to this was one of the worst hours I’ve ever spent, it felt endlessly repetitive and downright boring. The only moment that even remotely held my attention was the remake of the James Bond theme. If I could award zero stars, I would in a heartbeat.

Typically, I hold off from giving the boring electronica a 1 because I'm able to see why someone who's a fan of the genre might find it important, but I'm not holding off here. These beats aren't even all that impressive that they even come close to standing on their own, and the street interview interludes just don't do anywhere near enough to save it.

It's like Aphex Twin did the soundtrack for a multi-million-dollar heist

Apparently, this guy does a lot of movie soundtracks. That's not exactly surprising when this does sound kind of like a movie soundtrack at times. It's mostly just decent techno music, however. I quite like the rhythms on display, which is good as there's not much else here. The spoken word interludes are weird and occasionally irritating, but this isn't a bad album. It's mostly just good background music, little more.

Not really much going on to make me want to come back!

More robot music from the bowels of the UK (I love Belfast btw). However, I don't love this stuff but I can see the appeal.

I may be biased as breakbeats are involved in many beautiful memories for me. This album is extra buttery for easy consumption in daily life. It may not be the spectacular, action-packed trip some are looking for, but I don't think that's the point. Pleasant and breezy, it pairs amazingly with technical and challenging tasks.

Wow this album is getting a lot of hate. I really like it. The vibes are great, and I like music that I can just absorb. It does run together a bit, and I couldn't tell you any one distinct song that I liked. I did like the James Bond theme remix too.

Not for me

The only album I didn't finish listening. The song are a single idea looped for way too long

This would have been a pretty good album if it didn’t have all the weird talking before almost every track. It made it near impossible to get into this thing. And even if it was cool the first time around, it eliminates the chance of enjoying relistens. Otherwise, the music itself wasn’t bad. Although I found the random cussing in the background of the second track unbearable, so I skipped that one after half a minute. So, as a whole, could be 4/5, but the thought of listening to it again is all but nonexistent, so I’ll give a generous 3.

Not bad, but nothing life-changing. Good background beats. 3/5

terrible

muy agradable la verdad, bueno para estar trabajando o limpiando por casa

Good for a 'Ocean's 11' soundtrack, not so much for an album. Top tracks: "My Mate Paul," "Radio 7"

Fun stuff. Oceans soundtracks rule

--Listen...short intro --My Mate Paul...interesting beats. kind sounds like we're underwater --Let's Get Killed...two minutes of material that's been stretched into seven --Gritty Shaker...this one is fun. some nintendo-era sounds. don't know why it's seven minutes long --Head Rush on Lafayette...slam poetry? --Rodney Yates...a fun jazzy number. I feel like I'm in an Ocean's 11 sequel (edit: according to wikipedia, he scored the Ocean's trilogy) --Radio 7"...having a little fun with the James Bond theme. sure why not --The Parcus & Madder Show...interlude --Slashers Revenge...nice background music --Freaknik...this is fun, funky, and--yes--too long --Caddell Returns...this is some "Revolution 9" stuff. not sure if I enjoy it yet. meh --Don't Die Just Yet...my ears perked up immediately when the bass dropped. this is a groove. The strings used here sound similar to Beck's "Paper Tiger" --For You...outro

Half decent background house

Good to have some electronic music on here, didn't really like it though (Apart from Radio 7 maybe).

Huh?

hm i feel like im on hard drugs

Had already saved a few of his songs from sundtracks. Specifically oceans 11. Very trippy, cinematic sound. I did enjoy this album as a background work album but didnt feel necessarily groundbreaking. Few standout tracks like Radio 7 and dont die just yet but overall probably a 3. I really enjoyed the mini interviews and samples from NYC people. Im a sucker for NY shit.

I mean it was groovy but not super interesting.

Insignificante e dispensável. Traz somente uma faixa bacana: Don't Die Just Yet.

An hour of monotony from a 90's electronica DJ? No thank you. The skits don't help, either. Shouldnt be anywhere near this list. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ 50% Revisit ❌️ ★☆☆☆☆ (2/10) Total reviewed : 193 Already owned : 44 Purchased : 8 To buy list : 4 Nope : 137

another man. snooze

pretty interesting. i love the sounds of nyc.

Nothing amazing. I really like the way he incorporated recorded sounds and conversations from New York into the music and gave it a very cinematic feel. As a trip-hop album I thought it was cool overall, but not something I would be dying to listen to again. But overall a good sound. Top Songs: Gritty Shaker, Let’s Get Killed, Radio 7”

😐

The kind of album that needs to be listened to from beginning to end, really nice as a background listen, not an everyday listen for me, but enjoyable

I really liked this - a super interesting album blending a lot of different musical styles and samples. Definitely the kind of album I would put on to impress a dinner party, but maybe not one I would actively revisit on my own again and again. A super solid 3.5 stars for me.

Funky electronic -ish

Hip-hop, techno, trance mix-up

Our second trip hop album to come up in a little more than a week. I didn't think this was my genre but I mostly enjoyed this one. It's a very nice background music kind of album. It uses samples from recordings taken around New York City as a throughline, which gives the album more of an identity. And it also samples... Histoire de Melody Nelson? Funny for that to make a reappearance. The best clip is the guy talking about being harassed out of the Continental Club. "Cause, if you can't dance, you can't release THIS ENERGY!!"

Hard to like music that gives me a migraine

Not heard before but loved it … one for the listen again list ❤️

just a bunch of sounds put together, not for me. 01/09/2026

More electronica. There were a couple of songs I liked, but overall, I was not impressed with this album.

It was electronic!

Kind of enjoyable. Some people might add it to the regular rotation, but it's not for me personally.

Some great tracks !!

Really not great. Cant really believe this is in the best 1001 albums ever made!

Difficult one to score because at times it felt like good background music, but ultimately it was very dull and formulaic. Vocal sample, music sample, simple beat, repeat. Possibly the nearest thing to music that AI could simply replicate? Shame as there was potential there, just needed some oomph!

Funnily enough I listened to this recently when looking for old 90s trip hop. I guess this is part that, part faster breakbeat stuff. And this I guess is the albums USP, live fast beats, and lots of them. Which is fine, to an extent, but unfortunately the song structures and other electronic or vocal melodies just aren’t there. So it feels fast paced but without the content to keep you very interested. The James Bond and Serge Gainsbourg ones add a bit of interest, but nothing other than novelty. All in all it’s OK, but it doesn’t stack up that favourably against its British EDM peers of the time.

spotify recommended playlist is songs to test your speakers with. I don’t even know if i’d do that

Electronic, trippy, sometimes jazzy and funky - a vibe for sure. It reminds me of New York for some reason. I've never heard this album and wasn't familiar with David Holmes before this, but I'm really digging this album. I can see this being part of my regular rotation. Favorite song on the album? Don't Die Just Yet, probably.

Quite an unusual album. A teenage David Holmes travelled from Northern Ireland to New York City with a handheld tape recorder. Years later, those recordings would form the backbone of Holmes's second album. One gets the impression that he didn't spend his time doing the usual touristy New York things. The central theme of the album is drug abuse in contrast to the public image of New York as having been cleaned up in the 90s. Like Lou Reed, Holmes exposed a side of the city that the tourist boards would like us to forget, though it's probably less scandalous for its time compared to The Velvet Underground. Musically, the album feels like an extension of the gritty electronic tinged rock of Primal Scream, brought up to date with breakbeat rhythms. The standout tracks include some not at all subtle tributes to James Bond and Serge Gainsbourg which add some interesting texture to the sounds. Listening today, this does sound a bit dated. But at the time of the release this album was an interesting personal soundtrack of a Northern Irish kid on a New York drug bender (I assume). Not going to be everyone's favorite by a long shot but I do still like this one.

I was hoping that the overwhelmingly lukewarm/borderline negative reviews on here were a misrepresentation. I would say that I wasn’t miserable while listening, but I also wasn’t moved very much by this record. The trip hop style tracks paired with the fast paced drum patterns were pretty great. Otherwise, the vast majority of the record lacked cohesion.

Interesting enough although I was working when I listened. It was like listening to a 90s caper soundtrack. Felt like I was in oceans 11

dont think i've ever hearda this guy. top track 200k plays on youtubemusic. interested. no longer interested. i made it three tracks. boring

Where will this album take me? Ooh fun, so bouncy...AGGGHH ANXIETYYYY 😥

don’t know if this is controversial but it kinda sounded like he was reheating DJ Shadow’s nachos. It was okay but not my favorite. I saw someone say that it was like background music for a bad 90s movie and i would agree. Higher than just a 2 though so I’m giving it 2.5 stars.

This record is the 90s personified. I really enjoyed.

boring....

> the Beatles Truly shocked by a lot of these reviews. I would happily listen to the Ocean's 11 score over most Beatles songs

3.5 atmospheric and immersive surprised me

Dark

Just a nothing album really.

It’s like electronic jazz - really liked gritty shaker!!

Very Christmas music :-) no, seriously, why is it on the list?

SPACCATO

On song 3 and so far to my ears, this is background noise, not music. To be fair, I will try to listen to the whole album. But if song 3 was his first hit, I'm not optimistic. The song Rodney Yates was the easiest to listen to, but not enough to call this album music.

A combination of chill and rap it was ok not really memorable

I liked the second half more than the first!

When comparing this to the Fatboy Slim album I listened to last week, this pales in comparison. I liked that album, I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed the listening experience. This, not as much.

meh 2.75/5

Just simply a terrible record

It just keeps going and going and going.

Hmmmmmmm no

Decent electronic album. Don't really care for the spoken word interludes.

★★½

Not a fan AT ALL

It's like an album where the goal is to be so boring that I tune out the music.

Completely unremarkable

A little dull TBH, but not bad. The penultimate track was cool, and I enjoyed the sampling a lot. I wish there was more of it. 2/5 stars.

Really confused as to why this is considered a must-listen album. Besides the interludes it sounds like video game backing tracks.

Pretty interesting stuff. The James Bond thing caught me by surprise, but I was very pleased with it.

Nice beats. Varied soundscapes. Some tracks go on a bit too long, and you can tell the producer is a bit too preoccupied with being cool. But I really liked these little distinct beat worlds.

Ugghhhh borinnnggggg!

Interesting

Eh, not engaging enough for me. Felt very performative.

It’s fine.

Not what I expected, enjoyed it

Even as background music this is utter shite. It sounds like the sort of experimentation that would normally be abandoned on the way to producing a decent track, but for some reason, this is the entirety of this album. Dull beats, dull tracks that go nowhere, a random James Bond bit that adds nothing, just boring doodles slung together in some early DAW. I can see the "artist" went on to churn out dozens of movie soundtracks for what look to be pretty crappy movies. Seems like a good fit. I'm amazed that this was even released, it's just so bad. One star.

i saw all the reviews and i thought, this can't be that bad. it's not that its bad, its just mind numbingly dull and uninteresting. how the hell this ended up on this list is beyond me - surely there are better albums than this? stupid ass electronic slop

This isn’t something I would normally enjoy but I quite liked the first track My Mate Paul and was filled with cautious optimism. Unfortunately that was the highlight and the album slowly fell off a cliff after that.

👎🏻

Pretty much washed over me. Didn’t hate it by any means, but not overly interesting

electr., rap, rumba, 1997 -> 1

expected to hate it but it is actually pretty decent music too work to

the production is nice enough and it's not a bad sounding album, but i found myself quite bored listening to this one. felt like i got the picture in the first track. not my thing.

this was boring and trash

Not my type, not bad

interesting album but i have heard better in the same style of instrumental heavy music

Mad tracks type beat 🔥

The most boring use of percussion-heavy music I've ever listened to. I don't hate the idea in theory, but it's so lazily executed that there's nothing to take away from this album. To say nothing of every song having the same tempo and structure

I'm pretty sure I've never heard (or heard of) David Holmes' music before listening to this album, and I largely enjoyed the experience, although the general lack of vocals made it hard for me to stay focused on the tracks. I was occasionally reminded of Barry Adamson's "Moss Side Story" (perhaps just because they both sound like soundtracks to some not-yet-made movie), and I love it that the vocal recordings were all made in the mid-80s in NYC with people on (really, *from*) the streets when David Holmes visited New York as a teenager, lugging around a DAT recorder. I know the Wikipedia entry claims that he has a wide range of music styles in his dance beats, but I would have enjoyed more variety among the tracks (e.g. more tracks like "Gritty Shaker", "Radio Yates" and the decently reimagined Bond theme in "Radio 7"). Given that he worked with artists from Sabres of Paradise, I'm glad he managed to elevate this album a fair bit higher than their "Haunted Dancehall" album. I'm also glad his success on his solo work helped him land the score to the various versions of "Ocean's Eleven" (and Twelve and Thirteen).

I liked the found recordings and the electronic music had a good bouncy groove throughout.

Shitty industrial electronica. Sounds like of Trent Reznor had a massive stroke and forgot how to make good music. 2/5

Me encanta

а где здесь работать музыканта? типа накидал драмки на тему из бондианы и теперь ты король? пиздец епт ) балл накину только за концепцию

Very 90s, captures NY

I agree, NY is known for a lot of things. But I guess that doesn't include electronic music.

Really boring electronica.

Pretty good for an instrumental album. But it’s still an instrumental album.

4/10

Another new to me album and artist. I like this type of laid back music with good beats. Solid.

I am partial to this great album

Spoken/interview parts at the beginning of each song.

1. lizten - 0 2. paul - 1 3. killed - 1.5 4. gritty -0 5. ruzh - 1 6. yatez - 1 7. radio - 1.5 8. zhouu - 0 9. revenge - 1.5 10. Freak - 1.5 11. Returns - 1.5 12. Die - 2 13. You -0

kinda repetitive and boring. some cool stuff in it but it doesn't need to be that long

This album gets incredibly numbing. It may be labeled as breakbeat and trip hop, but is neither trippy, nor energetic nor interesting. Is very dull. The tracks may have some decent beats and good moments, but the vast majority are extended past the necessary. I think this album is in the borderline between bad and good. However, as background music, it gets more tolerable, so I giving it a positive score.

I guess if you made techno in the 90's you're just automatically on this list or something.

dnf, made it to about halfway. 90s instrumental techno isn't really my thing lol. enjoyed some of the soundbites though, especially track 4 "gritty shaker"

Pretty horrible

Like autechure and De La Soul had a baby. I actually enjoyed this. Felt like I was in a film like fallen angels, walking around a bright light neon city at night a bit drunk and the ‘camera’ is swaying fast, side to side, especially in my mate paul. Gritty shaker sounds more like the morning, then it carries on through the afternoon, then back to the evening again. It was a story.

Really enjoyed this, felt like a journey all the way through. Lots of different textures and variety of sounds. The James Bond theme was funny. Aware of David Holmes through Mary Anne but it was good to hear one of his albums.

1.5

Not for me

Filmic. Interesting in parts. A bit samey and a bit dated in others.

Decidedly average. 'Propellerheads' - 'on her majesty's secret service' did it better.

In theory I should enjoy this. A film composer makes a jazzy trip-hop and breakbeat record. But it honestly bored me. Maybe it was the non-existent songwriting that made everything mood pieces, or maybe I just wanted something with more film music influence. Either way, big disappointment. As far as 90's film composers making trip-hop go, I will always have the great Craig Armstrong.

This is #day459 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… are these my electronica days or what? Yesterday it was Underworld, and today it's David Holmes, whom I'd actually never heard of before. Turns out it's late-'90s NYC-inspired trip-hop/breakbeat, which I don't mind, but don't feel like turning back to soon, if ever. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day460.

Chill beats to study to

Music from a 2000s era "cult classic" film that was never released. Gets fairly boring 2*

Well, this is very bad as it is written in most of the reviews. I listen to this album while running and running went well. I don’t think I will ever come back to listening to this album because electronic music is not really my type.

So boring

Album #955 Mostly instrumental beats and whatnot, with added and unnecessary profanity for some reason. The James Bond song was probably the highlight.

God what is it with electronic albums from the 90s being hour long slogs to get through?

The last instrumental album was better

This album is a chaotic and electrifying escape into the depths of New York City. Built on the atmosphere of city noise and voice clips from its many characters, you really feel a connection to David Holmes and his love letter to the city. At times these tracks are danceable and grooving along until you hit a section where the beat is all over the place. It feels like someone freestyling on a drum machine with zero interest in making sense. Yet its all very effective in conveying the Homes' intention. 3.5 Stars

geese hend albumtitel klaut?? ich mach triphop soundästhetik sehr, sehr warm. my mate paul isch chli sehr stotterbeat findi. aber warm und no cool. de titletrack het de funny delay uf allem irgendwie. sehr fun. au dark as hell und etz nöd meega catchy? he es isch sehr viel s gliich. afoch en passable loop. und denn chli bleep bloop. rodney yates hani etz gad nüt degege aber s sgeht gad chli lang us wnl. es isch lang gsi huii james bond theme isch halt geil. bruchts en break beat drunder? donno. slashers revenge au fett ass. aso beats warm und so. ok. caddell returns schööni stricher. ischs es sample?

ja das bruchemer definitiv uf dere liste nei jz nach 3 lieder findis na kinda fun? wobii, so 80% isch ah mier verbii hahaha gritty shaker langwilig wow s kohärentiste lied isch bis jz de 007-remix oder was das au immer sötti sii slashers revenge isch insane scheisse, wiso würd ich so öppis welle lose monsieur holmes, ich beweget sich langsam uf 1er-terrain freaknik isch na lustig mitem örgelizüg, und drums gönd dumm, chani schätze caddell returns isch v.a. weg de giti cool aber chamme mache don't die just yet isch im ahsatz na cool mite striicher und de gitarre aber es gaht EEEEWIIIIG hey das isch echt hstrengend gsi. glaub vom konzept findis ok, hii und daa hets augeblick gha woni no cool gfunde han aber OEFF überlegmer na öb 1 oder 2

Great album for when you're in the mood for old school intelligent dnb trip hop style music

I went to school with someone called David Holmes, he was a dick but I quite liked his sister - nothing to do with this David Holmes though

Clasico animatis

Whilst far from being an amazing experience, this is a servicable, if somewhat underwhelming, listen.

Feels like a third of this list is electronica. This album is okay, but quite boring. Also feels like a scam to sample entire songs. One song sampled Cargo Culte by Serge Gainsbourg and the song sounded great... because Cargo Culte is great. Not very original. .

Oh, I remember David Holmes. He was really big and "edgy". I forget why.

Decent ambient hip hop album. The pacing was kind of slow for my taste, but the skits throughout paint a vivid picture of walking down an NYC street. I've never been to New York though so I don't think it hit the same.

Really below average electronic music, not what I expected given the amount of damn solid electronica music on the list thus far. It has the problem of not having much of an atmosphere, and just not being memorable in general.

1.4 Meh

Late 1990s British electronica/alternative dance. It started off really badly and I thought I'd give it 1 star, then it got significantly better as the album progressed. Though the songs are either hit or miss and the album itself overstayed its welcome by around 15 minutes, I like the cinematic sound of many songs and it's quite quirky and interesting here and there. It's good background music. I was considering to give it 3 stars overall but I'll round it down to 2 stars as overall it's too long, and after all not very memorable/there are better electronica albums that aren't included. It's a strong 2 stars, though.

Some good stuff here along with some meh stuff as well

4.5

This was a slog and a half. One famous song does not a 1001 album make.

So boring

Not for me

Rubbish

New York stories/ monologs + great beats. Music sounds like it should be on the Oceans 11 soundtrack.

Overall, it overstays its welcome. I might be able to dance to it. I might be able to use snatches of it as a soundtrack. I might find some of it timeless. I might find some of it to be wholly of its time. But one thing I'm not doing — I'm not taking direction from this record. It's only my 777th after all.

Creative electronica

Really enjoyed this once I took the time

Legal. É um disco bem cinematográfico, e não à toa, visto que seu criador também foi compositor de trilha sonoras de filmes. Os samples são imersivos, e as batidas te fazem imaginar diversas cenas contendo estes personagens da vida primal e noturna de NYC. Há momentos em que o álbum se torna som de fundo, mas vou culpar a duração exacerbada. Quase 1 hora passa um pouco do limite da razão, mas dá pra tirar um proveito mesmo assim. O artista explora bem as diversas palhetas do gênero eletrônico. Estilização diversa contida nessas faixas. Um pouco de DnB, Funk inspirado nos anos 70, Jungle, Backbeat, e alguns outros que eu nem saberia mencionar. Tudo com aquele tom cinemático que eu mencionei antes, e temperado com os samples em campo, uma combinação bem intrigante e que mantém o disco em movimento, o mantém cheio de vida e energia. Ah e a canção Slasher's Revenge teve efeitos sonoros de Half Life hehe. Daora. 3.5/5

This is some good shit right here.

Beeps and boops

Listen to this one again.

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Listening felt like someone handed me a beat tape in the middle of New York, and I sat on a porch listening to it while the rabble of the city continued. Pretty cool effect, seemed like the artist accomplished exactly what he was after. Genuine "I liked it" 3 star rating here.

I liked the funkier electronic dance tracks but hated all the violence inherent in some of the darker stuff

Here's what I want out of this list! Knew nothing about David Holmes but liked it a lot. Right up in that Fatboy Slim era where DJs were crafting great cinematic songs that can exist outside of the club. Makes sense that he became Steven Soderbergh's go-to soundtrack producer. I find a lot of DJ-ish things a little ephemeral (my own bias) so I don't know how crucial this is, but I quite enjoyed it.

The audio snippets on this album, which I read that Holmes gathered during a trip to New York City a decade before this album came out, play like a right-wing fever dream about urban decay, and work as an interesting snapshot of a much different era (four bucks for a beer!). Musically, this reminds me of DJ Shadow — it’s instrumental hip-hop that makes judicious use of samples and those man-on-the-street snippets to keep things funky. While it leans toward drum and bass, it has a more of a chill-out vibe than dancefloor fare. Parts of it have a film-score feel, which tracks with Holmes’ back story. I dig the Patti Smith sample in “Caddell Returns.”