Let's Get Killed

Fine to listen to while I work. Not the most engaging though, not sure why it is on this list. I think other albums of this genre could have taken its place.

Boring

An collection of 90s techno. I enjoyed some parts of it, others fell flat. I can hear the stylistic choices Holmes was going for and why it was selected for the Oceans franchise. Overall- decent album. Probably a 2.5/5, not quite a 3

Gritty Shaker was actually how Len used to describe the sexual technique of one of his wives. 2.3

I'm not feeling it.

Let's Get Killed is not my speed for electronica or similar, it's really quite dull or awfully repetitive in placed and mostly sounds like a generic action or spy film soundtrack. It's not without its merits at times, like I really liked Rodney Yates, that sort of approach is much more my thing, so while it hits that spot at times, it doesn't do it often enough to get more than a 2/5.

Didn't particularly enjoy this tbh, a bit too laid back and not enough exciting going on. 2/5.

I found it a little boring.

Great, some more generic 90s electronica. /s. 4/10.

When I found out that David Holmes ended up making music for films, about halfway through Rodney Yates, the album started making a lot more sense to me. I can hear this sort of stuff being played over a spy or heist movie montage, with some sort of narration going on to distract from the fact that the music itself is so highly repetitive. I’m actually not sure if I’d call Let’s Get Killed bad at all, I just can’t picture wanting to sit down and listen to it all the way through again, because the music itself is so highly repetitive. I can’t think of any more ways of incorporating because the music itself is so highly repetitive naturally into the review, I think the album’s sapping my creative, because the music itself is so highly repetitive

I can appreciate why this is interesting but not my thing

Truly all I was thinking throughout this is when is it over. There were a couple songs that I thought would fit in like a spy movie, but I wouldn’t listen to this again. It was different for sure, but not something I’d ever say was necessarily good.

I like the concept of the album - kid visits NYC with a tape recorder and talks to all kinds of characters, weaves a trancey electronic album around it all. The concept was far better than the execution. It's just a tough album to get through - at best it's fine as background soundtrack for doing something active and I could give it credit for that but it's just boring and filled with repetitive loops that would amuse me had I made them myself but as for releasing as-is let alone calling it an album i *need* to hear is a bit presumptive. Pass. 4/10 2 stars.

I enjoyed it, but the fact that it was just 5 minute long instrumentals made it feel like a chore.

With all the car horns and other sound effects probably a bad idea to listen to this while driving. 2.5/5

infelizmente o tamanho das músicas e/ou o tamanho do disco tornou uma experiência que começou agradável em algo que ali nos 30min eu só queria que acabasse logo (e não acabava)

I can see how this genre of music influenced videos games around the time, very Jungley/Breakcorey. Not something I'd listen to casually though.

The longer songs were at least two minutes too long. It's one thing to repeat a theme, but if there's no building up or tension/release, it just gets annoying after a while. I did like a couple of the longer songs, but things like the title track just... trim it down some, man. Top tracks: "Radio 7", "Don't Die Just Yet"

Did I hate this album? Aside from the NY street sounds and dialogue, maybe not. But did I really enjoy it? Nothing really stood out except for Head Rush on Lafayette (but that was only an 80s track), Radio 7" (the Bond redub), and the last song Don't Die Just Yet (ironically just when I was feeling like I needed to die). Still, I found myself reaching for the skip button a lot on this album. Damn 1,001 we were on such a roll there the last few albums. Looking at all the unknown artists (to me) upcoming, we could be going the other way.

Ok bakgrunnsmusikk, langt, spionere, elektronisk, samples

I wish this album was killed before it released. Holy crap it was super generic. Maybe in the 90s this held up, but in 2024 it sounds generic as hell. Also the samples included for interludes and such are uninteresting as hell. 100% more Brit bias on this list.

Ho-hum breakbeat music. It's fine for what it is, a moment in time. Absolutely not essential listening.

Woke up so cheerful on Christmas Eve and got this. The music is fine (reminds me of lots of modern film scores, I guess?) but the title just made me laugh. (ntm.)

Didn’t think this one was anything special, got a bit bored halfway through so not the greatest album on this list

This was not that great… quite basic electronica that went on overly long and didn’t hold my attention.

It took some research but I’ve been convinced of the reasons for inclusion, I just didn’t like it much.

It started off with a song that just kept saying the f word over and over so I kind of lost interest pretty quick. However it wasn't terrible.

Długo się zastanawiałam czy dać jedną czy dwie gwiazdki. Dałam jedną, bo dało się przesłuchać. Monotematyczne, reptytywne, nie rzucające się w uszy. Niektóre kawałki nawet do przesłuchania, inne zbyt irytujące, aby kiedykolwiek do nich wrócić. Nie jest to płyta do której będę wracać i myślę, że spokojnie mogłabym umierać nie wiedząc o jej istnieniu. 2.5/10

Dull, repetitive hotel-ass music. Like I've just checked into the Embassy Suites and the decade-old TV with comically large bezels is welcoming me by highlighting the signature cocktails to be found on the Level 2 mezzanine. I know this guy from his work on Soderbergh movies, and I think a couple of these tracks are actually in Oceans 11. But Holy Christ are these uninspired and unnecessarily long. A 30 second snippet as Clooney and Pitt exchange grins is one thing, seven and a half fucking minutes of the same 5 second loop is something else entirely. And how do you make the Bond theme boring???

I had this on CD first time around - but picking it up again after 20 year plus hiatus I don't think it has aged well. Feels like bigbeat but clinical / by numbers and without any energy or joy. A soundtrack to a forgettable early 2000 action film. A low 2.

I have a high tolerance for crappy techno, but this is some seriously crappy techno

has some good moments but it's tiresome as fuck.

not unlistenable but feels a bit low effort and pointless Standout: Don't die just yet

This was okay. I did really dig one track, Don't Die Just Yet. Then I read that he reworked songs from Serge Gainsbourg's album Histoire de Melody Nelson for that song. I knew of Gainsbourg, but had never actually listened to him, so I listened to the Melody album and really like it. I also love the way Belfast remixed those songs. I'm sure the album deserves better than a 2, but it's not the type of thing I'd seek out again aside from that one song.

2.5

Never heard of this before and come next week I’ll have forgotten all about it. Didn’t hate this, some of it was pretty cool, but found the James Bond song very cheesy. Can’t see why this needs to be on the list.

What the heck was that

Didn't really click with me. Perhaps I wasn't in the right mood for it, but it seemed like pretty generic breakbeat

A little funky, a little strange, a little raunchy, a lot repetitive. I liked some of it.

What a genuinely boring and repetitive album. I can sample street talk and mix it with the 007 theme, too. That doesn't make me an innovator. Sorry, I meant, What a brilliant and captivating album. For someone tripping balls.

Didn't love it, but didn't hate it either. Was fine...at best. Electronica is not my jam.

Not Brilliant

Cinematic but repetitive. Def has that early mid nineties vibe to it. Not quite my cup of tea but captures a niche genre. Background music. 2.5/5

CTRL C + CTRL V. Nothing much to grab onto. The beats are decent, but nothing really stands out. It tries to have the mood of something like Massive Attack, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It just doesn’t stick.

Not bad, just bland and uneventful. 1001 albums to listen to in the background and not pay attention to before you die. Slasher's Revenge is a dub banger, though!

Meh

eh

Weird sound bites and electronic soundscapes. Who listens to this shit?

Muutama kiinnostava biisi, mutta keskimäärin vähän ohut levy.

Eeh, felt like it was tryna be edgier than it really was. Pretty standard techno beats. Good background music but to me a less memorable version of duck rock

Dull techno. Nothing to write home about. Low 2.

Je pense que c'est l'album le moins mémorable de la liste, j'ai zéro souvenir de la moindre toune pis j'suis juste le lendemain

mah come sottofondo ci può stare ma non resta in mente..

My intense hate-on for electronic music continues! I just don't get it. It's so repetitive and boring. Potentially great for soundtracking a DVD menu or a call center queue, but not for active listening. Bits like the James Bond sample were fun for a while, but went on too long. The dialogue samples were sort of neat. But all in all, these cycled and recycled beats aren't for me, and other than the list's obvious UK bias, I have no idea why the author included this.

whatever

Now I mean this is cool, but could use some idk MF Doom on it ykwim?

It's okay.

extremely average electronic music. i like the "Ocean's Eleven" soundtrack too, but this type of music is a lot more boring without Clooney and Pitt talking over it.

On a pretty poor run, it's been nearly a week since something really decent got chucked my way. So I've been listening to Chapelle Roan and Beth Gibbons on repeat instead. Gave this a bit of time in the 00s, when I was breakbeat mad. It didn't take then, so it's definitely not going to take now. Aside from the serge Gainsbourg sample (and I prefer the originals) this is all pretty beige. The gulf in what's going on here and what DJ Shadow managed to achieve is enormous.

Some of this is good. But there is no reason for these songs to be this long.

Ok background music I guess?

Not super into this, although I might get back to this once in a while to try something new...

Listenable and well produced DJ music. Clearly talented... just not my sorta music

Interesting but not for me.

"Let's Get Killed" is what I'll say to my brother when we finish listening to all of these albums because then, finally, we'll be able to die.

Meh

Nope. Didnt like it. It has some good sounds here and there but just having a guy talk behind the music upends it. I get its more for setting a tone but it just annoyed me more than anything.

Didn’t really enjoy this album. Some of the beats were interesting and groovy but overall not for me. Really didn’t enjoy the talking clips just played under the music. So distracting

This is a forgettable 90's video game.

I guess. Not sure what I missed but this wasn't overly impressive or interesting in any way.

Stressaava a-puoli, rennompi ja (vähän) orgaanisempi b-puoli, löysi hyvin tasapainon. Ei puuduttava, mutta jää mulla kyllä vain taustalle.

More pause menu music. Sounds like a rip-off from some late 90s spy film. But wait a minute. That's because this guy literally scored Ocean's 11 and invented this sound, which is now ubiquitous with tense heists in every cool criminal/spy movie since then. I am somehow both impressed and hate this album even more.

Gear: Focal Clear (ZMFed) Artwork: 90s af Mix: bewusst boomy, authentisch analog, sporadisch spektakulär Musik: “Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, daß er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche Wertung: 🎨🎨(🎨)/5

I feel as though there was a genre quota number that needed to be met and people who wanted to sound way cooler than what they are listed this.

This is like solid 90s basic electronic tracks - like the stuff you'd layer under other stuff. It's ok but now sounds dated. Not sure why it's on here. The talking also didn't help. Radio 7 started with potential (seemed like a cool Bond remix incoming), but then went back and defaulted to the same patterns. 2*

It’s kind of strange how many small and rather unknown electronic artists and albums ended up on this list. Unfortunately I think they have stayed that way for a particular reason. Because most of them are very poorly rated. And rightfully so. I have yet to find one i disagree with. They just aren’t all that good. I love electronic music. But I’m also able to acknowledge that some of the most boring music I’ve ever heard comes from this genre. It’s just so easy to mess up, and some people don’t do it right. I’m not in any position to tell someone how to make music of course. But I can still point out where poor decisions were made. Sometimes artists just aren’t cut out to be the next Aphex Twin. They aren’t meant to change the game. Which is fine, because there are people who fit that label and have still found decent success in life. But when you not only don’t fit that label, but don’t have anything going for you to keep things interesting, you end up like David Holmes here. This guy might have made the soundtrack for movies like Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Thirteen, but he is still virtually irrelevant to me, and by no means a household name. If you were to take everything that makes Endtroducing..... one of the most well put together and satisfying albums of all time, and scrub it all away, you would get this album. The sampling is totally lackluster, and pales in comparison to that of which I’ve heard from other producers. Radio 7 is the best example of this. Using a 007 sample is cool and all, but I think to have it so blatantly laid out in the track with so little alteration is sad. It’s the opposite of what sampling should be used for as a medium in music. Considering that the 90s, especially in New York, were a period of peak creativity coming from all fronts like we’ve never seen before, making something this substance-less was a recipe for disaster from the start. Rating: 4/10

If you were a teen or young adult twenty or so years ago - as I was - you likely had occasion to stay over at a friend's place, staying up all night getting intoxicated. When you awoke, blurry-eyed and fuzzy-tongued, on your mate's sofa the next morning your re-entry into the world was often heralded by the looping music of the DVD menu screen from the film you watched the night before. This is that music.

I love late 90s trip hop/breakbeat/techno, but this is honestly some of the most boring and uninspired stuff I've heard come out of the genre. Nothing exciting or notable this whole album honestly. 2.5/5

It’s pretty boring. It’s not that it’s bad, but I kept waiting for it to build or develop into something more interesting, which never happened. I think this could work well as a soundtrack, sampled in a hip hop album, or with vocals. As a stand-alone album, though, it’s just too bland.

Meh.

Why does trip hop sound so dated?

ganz interessant

This is dumb

One has a unified critical theory of electronica/chill: the closer the sound and more proximate the vibe, the lower the rating. The beats and flows are generally fine, if not distinguished, the best of them of only passing interest. The overall effect is of incompleteness, which makes sense given its striving to be a soundtrack. The spoken word bits just don't make up for the lack of the content which the sound is supposed to track. And shouldn't a song called "Freaknik" sound more like, you know, hip hop, and the ATL variety in particular? The 007 version adds nothing but check a low standard for Hollywood work – again, perhaps that was the goal. At some point, amorphousness becomes pointlessness, and such petitoning for work downgrades artistic ambition; this record gets there.

I think a one is a bit egregious, but don’t mistake my two for anything other than me abhorring this album. It’s just that I’ve heard more offensive ones. 2/5

Just alright. listen in bed on sunday.

Meh I just couldn’t get into this at all. The spoken word samples were annoying as fuck. The beats were ok if not a bit generic.

Don't Die Just Yet was OK, the rest seems ... unfinished?

Sooooo boring. If you want some typical late 90s electronica layered with messages from this dude’s microcassette using answering machine, have at it.

This has a few moments; but I find it ignorable at best. It's not even really annoying. The talking parts are kinda fun, in a dream background kinda way. I like the blues groove of Gritty Shaker. After a few songs, I was sorta roped in. I would occasionally pay attention, noting that this or that part was good. By the end I was feeling happy it was over. I would never listen to this again. The album cover art is really interesting, BTW. Took me a little time to see it fully.

There is a cool cinematic feel to this record. The ending track of a reworked James Bond theme song adds to this feeling, for sure. Let's be honest here. This record is... Well, it's here. It sounds like any Soundcloud DJ trying to create a record. A bunch of electronic instruments and layers of samples. Sure there is a following for this type of music. But what makes this any different from any amateur composer behind a macbook? Why is this on this list? I'm beginning to think that this list is compiled of expected records (Beatles, Bowie, Etc) and then, just to be different and unexpected... Some random niche genres. Furthermore, a bunch of random artists from these random genres are thrown into a hat or choice generator app, and chosen.. At random. Alright, the machine has picked David Holmes 'Lets Get Killed." And this record isn't necessarily bad. It's well crafted, I guess. But it doesn't deserve to be in a top 1001 list. Add a few more zeros in there, and maybe. Perhaps I'm wrong. I'd sure like to see why an album makes this list. Because I am starting to get confident that some 5/5 records that exist, won't be on this list. Because this list just simply doesn't make sense. Want to give it a 1 because the principle of it all pisses me off... But I'm sure this was an honest effort. And I didn't hate it. I just find it amateur at best. But who am I? This gets a soft, flacid 2.

Painfully 90s electronic beeps and boops

Nothing terrible, but so not for me. I’m the kind of person who gets distracted by music so easily, like please don’t talk through my favorite albums. But some music doesn’t register past background noise and this is a perfect example. Day 500 could’ve been better, but it also could’ve been Limp Bizkit so I’ll keep my mouth shut.

Was ok

Another bleh 90s electronic album

Album was a bit boring. Samples used were fine. Felt old even for the late 90’s.

This was a bit underwhelming. I prefer the film scores that he's composed for Steven Soderbergh, specifically "Out of Sight" and "Ocean's Eleven."

This was the most boring electronica album I have ever heard.

Just ok

Better than expected but still kind of dull

Pioneer in electronic breakout sound. Good music. Even some good movie soundtracks.

The most interesting part of the album was the snippets in between. Not very memorable overall, enjoyable influence from Latin and jazz beats and motifs.

Spøjs musik, fint at arbejde til. Kunne faktisk godt lide stilen, men jeg tror sgu bare aldrig at lige præcis det her kommer på igen 🤷 2.49/5

noch nie was davon gehört

[I first wrote the below as a one-star review, was about to damn "Let's Get Killed" to the ranks of my "Worst Albums" list, but then "Don't Die Just Yet" came on and elevated the album to two stars on its own. If you're hating the album and about to give up, at least give that track a listen- it's good stuff. Anyway, one star for that and one star for the rest of the album: my thoughts still stand below…] In 1986, Belfast electronic producer David Holmes took a trip to New York and recorded a handful of soundbites on the street with anyone willing to give up their time to talk. Ten years later, he subjected the end result to anyone willing to give up their time to listen. Unfortunately, today that's me. I do try but I've struggled to like most of the electronic albums on this list, particularly the solely instrumental ones which stray towards drum and bass. But what makes "Let's Get Killed" a particularly frustrating listen is that I feel it had real promise, with a solid concept at the heart of it. The vocal samples are taken largely from dealers, pimps and prostitutes: the seedy underbelly of New York in the 80's. It's an intriguing concept, and could have been the groundwork for something really special. It's a shame, then, that these samples are married up to a series of limp, toothless electronic beats [EXCEPT "DON'T DIE JUST YET"]. I stuck with it through the opening stretch, half-heartedly bobbing along to "My Mate Paul" and "Gritty Shaker", but then the record quickly began to feel thoughtless and uninspired [EXCEPT "DON'T DIE JUST YET"]. The title track and "Head Rush on Lafayette" are covered in stuttering drum n bass breakbeats, with little else besides to carry momentum. "Slasher's Revenge" lacks any energy or pace, coming over like a high schooler's demo. "Radio 7"'s re-working of the James Bond film is audacious but pointless. The production casts a muddy sheen over the whole sound, meaning there's no clarity, no oomph and no dynamics [EXCEPT IN "DON'T DIE JUST YET"]. Holmes has gutted promising samples from a fascinating world and dropped them into a paint-by-numbers techno record with no sense of engagement with the source. I would honestly prefer it if Louis Theroux decided to be a musician rather than interviewer, and dropped some recordings into a home-made polka record. New York this ain't, and I don't think I'm ever going to listen to it again [EXCEPT "DON'T DIE JUST YET"]: sorry David old boy.

Вот вроде бы музыка для меня, весь этот трип-хоп, сэмплы и прочее из 90-ых. Но в почему-то не очень интересно. Лучшая песня - Gritty Shaker.

2.5 I saw this was listed as electronica, so I kept waiting for a beat to drop… and it never did. Not to say that’s a bad thing, I’m not really a huge fan of electronica anyway, but I was surprised to hear that this was more chill DJ work. And that being the case, this was a decent listen to get work done to, but it really didn’t leave me with much of a lasting impression. In a lot of ways it reminded me of the DJ Shadow album we had, Endtroducing…, but much more like a lite version of that, with less creativity, versatility, and personality to it across the board. The only thing that I could really point to you as being noteworthy or that I enjoyed was how each track opened with a recording of a random New Yorker going off about something, with the guy talking about how Shaft could kick James Bond’s ass and the dude ranting about how he got kicked out of the Continental Club for moshing being highlights (I guess the place closed down in 2018, so he got his wish). But yeah, this was alright, though not particularly remarkable or memorable, in spite of the fact there’s a whole song worked around the James Bond theme. I can definitely see how this dude would go on to score films, but for an album, this just feels like it was missing something. Hope this dude’s mate Paul appreciated the shoutout at least.

I quite liked this, nice background music.

Nice background music but not life changing. Might listen again. But I’d be doing something else while listening again. Again.

Boring, good for backround noise, if that.

David Holmes produces a few good songs, but his albums always feel lacking, this is no exception

Each song is fun for about 30 seconds. Then they're obnoxiously repetitive. I did like the voice clips at the beginning tho.

Boring pointless. '90s EDM.

I find a lot of this album musically intriguing. But I just don't really vibe with instrumental music that much. The James Bond cover is pretty good. I just don't think this belongs on this list.

What a waste of time, this album is awful, boring and IMO a poor example of the genre (which I don't really go for anyway)

Cat: Meh. It’s cool but then nothing happens

Kind of disappointing and a tad annoying. There was some good electronica in the late 90s that should have been in here instead of this. The reworked James Bond theme is OK but Moby's is better. Just never got out of second gear.

This was a really strange one, a genre I love, by an artist I am at least familiar with, but it just didn't do anything for me at all. Except 'Don't Die Just Yet', that felt exactly how I expected this album to feel. Very strange

meh

This works for like a 30 second montage in a movie. An hour and a half of it, is just... Boring.

it was mostly there. could i write poetry to this? n

Too long. Too repetitive. Too boring.

Some of it was OK, some was a bit boring. The street recordings were more interesting than most of the music. Don't Die Just Yet had a good groove. One thing that was odd was that even though this album came out in the 90s, a lot of the tracks were mixed almost entirely in mono. I thought that was an odd choice. This really doesn't belong on an album of 1001 albums you should hear before you die. It's fairly middle of the road stuff for this era.

Als je je te lui voelt om muziek af te zetten, zegt dat dan wat over de muziek? Een beetje wel, maar echt heel boeiend was het ook niet.

Nope!

Ég er í Big beat liðinu, eða tel mig vera það, en þetta er bara hvorki ekki eftirminnilegt eða grípandi, með einni undantekningu sem er lagið "Don't die just yet", það er töff. Þetta er svo sem ekki leiðinlegt, en ekki mjög skemmtilegt heldur.

Encore un autre album d'electro qui n'est pas tellement mon genre. Je trouve d'ailleurs qu'il y a un gros biais pour les styles similaires (trip-hop, big beat, drum & bass, etc.). J'ai trouvé ça long et répétitif. Je ne vois pas tellement l'attrait. 4/10

90s videogame menu music except some New York guy talks every so often. Got kind of an ambient background quality. Unlikely to listen again.

That was a meh for me. Soundtrack vibes for bad 90s movies.

A laconic stroll in search of some action that didn't materialise.

Not for me

2.1. Repetitive

I could of made this

Sorry, did not like it much nothing that memorable. Electro (soft, with some good samples). Background .

I thought this was going to be a lot cooler than it was from the description. It was mostly boring.

Eh. Long tracks, long intros. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood, but I don’t care for this really at all.

Hip hop/almost light EDM beats, not terribly interesting

"Don't Die Just Yet" was the only interesting track on this album. I found the rest underwhelming and boring.

Occasionally shines but really a little dull- without an actual film, film-less soundtrack albums lose all sense of meaning.

I like David Holmes, but I'm not sure this is his best record. It's edgy, but not in a good way, and the mix is muddy and flat. The remixes on the "Don't Die Just Yet" EP are far better, and "Bow Down to the Exit Sign" is a more coherent and mature album.

I found this to be a rather pointless record. Where does this get played? Not for me.

Instrumental flashero pero no va con la lista me parece

The most interesting thing about ‘Let’s Get Killed’ is that the musician responsible, David Holmes has gone on to compose and score music for a bunch of Steven Soderbergh films.

So uninteresting for most of it. It was going to be a 1 but then I liked the song "Don't Die Just Yet" way more than I liked the others.

Owned this, wouldn't buy it again. Music of a certain time for certain moods and places

Not really worth a spot. 4/10

Me and electronic music do no coexist well. I did not like this. Not even a little bit. I tried guys. I really did!

Yeah... I didn't get through this one... boring.

This list is making me hate electronic music.

Never heard of this guy before. Not really my kind of thing but occasionally don't mind repetitive electronic music.... If it's good This wasn't. Thought "my mate Paul" and "gritty shaker" were quite good but a lot of the rest of it wasn't, and the samples often don't really go anywhere or seem to have a reason to be there. Jamie is right, sounds like heist planning montage music!

Uninspired

Bland and repetitive. I was expecting something similar to DJ Shadow when I heard the first couple of minutes but this was not even in the same ballpark of quality.

triphop I guess, not totally crap but repetitive and not interesting

This album can't seem to make up its mind about what it wants to be. Although the field recordings of NYC people are an interesting thread, when it got to the James Bond theme, it completely fell apart for me.

banal

Meh.

Fairly generic 90s electronic music. This mostly melds into the background, but has a few cheeseily noticeable elements. Is a James Bond theme remix the most 90s thing ever? Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Rodney Yates Date listened: 12/05/23

I don't get why this made it onto the list. I like electronica, and I enjoyed this sort of sampled dub electronic stuff back in the day, but this does not do it for me. It's amazingly bland, and learning that the artist is a white guy from the UK made the attempt at black NYC street cred seem poseur to the max and a major turnoff to put it mildly. I can't bring myself to actually loathe this because it's too boring. 2/5

It's got style. It's got class. But it's just not for me.

The process for choosing electronica albums to add onto this list must have been throwing darts at a board, because I have no fucking clue how they managed to dig up the most obscure albums by DJs that exactly seven people in London have heard of. This album is about as influential in the history of music as me singing in the shower. What going to NYC does to a motherfucker. (Album number 500! Almost halfway done, who would have thought. I really thought I would get bored of this like two weeks in, but here I am and I'm not quitting until I listen to all 1001 of these things)

This dude did music for the Steven Soderbergh Ocean's movies, which should be both a feature and a benefit, despite this album being released four years before Ocean's Eleven. He also did the music for Soderbergh's "Out Of Sight", which is one of the best movies of the past 30 years. I'm guessing this is the album that got him the Out Of Sight gig. Which is, what, fine? Considering the music is the least memorable part of Out Of Sight, I'd say it meant little (the only music I remember from the movie is "It's Your Thing" by The Isley Brothers). I'm trying to give this fella a bit too much credit for having some music in movies I enjoy. And now that I think about it, I'd probably enjoy them more if his musical contributions were eliminated.

Pretty cool street recording with house dub. Freaknik has this piercing synth that is just not pleasant.

You know I love a good electronic album but there was something about this album that was a little off. Like a watered down electronic album. Come to find out this is a UK electronic album. I see what's going on. It wasn't a bad album, I've just heard so many better ones that I know won't be on this list.

Se deja escuchar, me gustó "Don't die just yet" pero aunque me interese el IDM y la electrónica no creo que sea un disco imprescindible. Tampoco es malo pero con 2 estrellas va servido.

Listened to the first half, just got tooo bored to continue. I just don't get it. :/

Never heard of this, so predictions based on the album cover: - UK - electronic - running time 1 hour or more hahaha, picked it. Sounds like the soundtrack to yet another shitty PlayStation game. Lots of boring drum and bass noises. From Belfast. But the running time is 59 minutes, so I really misjudged that. lol. 2/5.

Can definitely tell this record comes from a DJ. Some cool beats on here but I don’t care for it.

Not terrible but not great either - when the defining characteristics of multiple tracks is just the heavy use of cymbal, things probably aren’t going well composition-wise.

Meh.

Not my cuppa tea.

Somewhat interesting electro-dance album. I especialy like d the album opner which has really strong, infectious beat and the last which samples from Serge Gainsbroug Ballade de Melody Nelson. 2.5 stars

Still not my thing at all… but is this where Philomena Cunk got the inspiration to talk about her mate Paul? D

2.5

Didn't hate it but it fell flat for me. I was expecting to like it a lot more than I did.

Jazzy 90's electronica. It's fine.

Me ha sorprendido para bien(PSP)

Very odd, doesn't have any recognisable links to Ireland - much more a New York album. Mostly instrumental dance music, with spoken samples, which means it feels more like background music. Very odd remix/reworking of the James Bond theme just dropped in the middle, for no real reason.

JBZ alert! This album isn’t horrible, only sometimes. As background music that comes on with me unaware: I could make it through. There aren’t any songs that I’m excited to hear again. And if I am aware it’s in, I’m definitely turning this off. Buckley has company in the JBZ, although Grace is better.

As I feel about most of the electronic music on this list, it was alright, listenable but pretty repetitive and boring at the same time. I liked the second-to-last song, Don't Die Just Yet, quite a bit because it actually felt like a song. With actual music. Overall though, not for me. 2 stars.

I've listened to a lot of instrumental music over the years, including multiple flavors of electronica (trance, house, old school techno, etc.). As a result, repetitiveness isn't an outright dealbreaker for me, but holy cow, that repetition should build to something. There should be some variations on the main theme. It shouldn't just be the same 8-second snippet repeated over and over ad nauseam, and that's what I felt I was getting with far too much of this album. Aimless, pointless repetition with minimal embellishment. It's a shame, because many of these tracks have solid foundations; Holmes simply didn't build much on top of them.

Did not really enjoy this one

Infelizmente não se confirmou como mais uma opção relevante para escutar mais eletrônica e trip hop.

This was like going on a hike where the most interesting thing you saw was a mildly cool stump. Sparse moments of intrigue 2.5/5

nothing special

meh

This list needs a serious re-evaluation, especially when it comes to late 90’s electronic music. So many of these records have not aged well. And if you’ll excuse me while I dust off an old chestnut from my repertoire…it’s ridiculous that Let’s Get Killed got the nod, but Stereolab’s Dots and Loops (from one year later, 1998) is not on the list. For Christ’s sake, this thing has a electro cover of the James Bond theme song. Come on. We all loved playing Goldeneye on N64, but really - we need to hear this version before we die? Oooookkaaaay. Sorry David Holmes, it’s not an awful record, but I suspect even you were surprised by your inclusion on this list.

It's a DJ album. There are some good beats and mixes but an hour of it is not necessary. I will round up.

zzzzzzzz

Meh

Not as interesting as it should be. All a bit too surface and no depth

I liked Holmes' Bow Down to the Exit Sign, but this felt like sonic wallpaper.

One is post-structuralist (perhaps even anti-structuralist) in other art forms, but in music generally and electronica in particular one finds formlessness much more bug than feature. Even allowing for objective to create an authentic soundscape, the spoken-word segments are more annoying than enlightening. The vibes are okay but, like many mediocre offerings in this segment, it all feels pointless, all premise and no resolution, as if something missing, which it is, of course, because this is a soundtrack. In fact, what this most sounds like is a resume for someone seeking production or soundtrack work, which it seems to have worked out to be.

I probably would have been pretty into this in the 90s, was a big fan of Soup Dragons and their Lovegod album but this didn't really click with me. The live recorded conversations got my attention but in the end left no real impression and did everyone do a version of James Bond type music in the 90s? (Propellerheads comes to mind) Maybe, sure feels like it. In the end, won't be a rush back to hear this one.

A not lousy ambiance song. I didn't get it as a whole, but it's not annoying, as it has nothing special to say.

The album was ok I guess, I didn't like the talking parts of songs, or the fact that almost all of them are at the beginning of songs. That means I can't easily skip past them like I do in Good kid m.a.a.d city. The songs themselves are alright, most feel more like background music than anything. Favorite song: Don't die just yet Worst song: Let's get killed

Every song on this album should be 1 minute, but the artist decided it was a good idea to loop it for 6 minutes. It was nice to hear a song from one of the Oceans movies though.

David Holmes n'a aucun intérêt si ce n'est d'avoir pondu la bande originale de James Bond. A noter que ledite bande originale est un des premiers morceaux que j'ai appris à jouer sur la guitare gracieusement prêtée par mon camarade d'écoute robaugustiner. En effet, rob m'a prêté une de ses vieilles guitares dans les années 2010, m'encourageant dans mon apprentissage de la "gratte" comme il aime à l'appeler. Seulement, après une virulente dispute suite au refus de rob de rejoindre la soirée trip-hop organisée en fin d'année de 1ère, j'ai décidé de ne pas lui rendre sa guitare. Celle-ci trône par conséquent toujours dans ma chambre d'adolescent, malgré une corde abimée par mes riffs endiablés.

This was OK. Nothing to special in my opinion. I was interested was interested in the little talky bits that intro and outro songs more than the songs themselves. I'd like his movie scores in that context probably.

Not my style but this slaps. Titles are also hilarious. James Bond song in there. Got bored at the end sadly.

Good production and cool groove samples but found myself getting bored pretty quickly. New Yorker samples feel exploitative to anybody? I went to internet to look up where some of the instrumental samples are from- Nautilus by Bob James is a great spacey cinematic 70’s fusion jam.

I think this music is cool but definitely not my cup of tea. I don’t even mind that there aren’t any vocals but house music has never been exciting for me. It did feel like the longest hour of my life.

Had some good bits but i won’t be going back to it

It was ok. So many better electronica/dance djs out there

Well that Bond theme comes out of nowhere! Since this is '97, I'm guessing they also approached this guy to do a version for Tomorrow Never Dies but ended up going with Moby instead.

This wasn't as boring as the other 2s I've handed out, but it's definitely not good enough for a 3, so alas, the lack of .5s means this gets rounded down.

Some cut-price 90s electronica

This album has two things I dislike: being a too long album in the 90s and lots of sampling. Just doesn't do it for me.

Kinda fun voice recordings & kinda interesting beats. But it definitely falls under ‘nice background music’ for me, rather than an album I’d choose to listen to all the way through.

Kolejna muzyczka z windy, sample Jamesa Bonda spoko.

It's an interesting concept, taking conversations from the underbelly of NYC and laying beats beneath them. Some of the stories are riveting. I don't know that this is particularly ground-breaking, but it's okay to listen to. I could have done without the James Bond theme.

Back in '97 I can see this being a well received album because the drum and bass beats and trip hop still sounded pretty cool back then. I see that he also did the soundtrack to Soderbergh's Out of Sight, which was a great caper film with a pretty good soundtrack too. Since Holmes is from Belfast he probably thought inserting the ramblings from various NYC street people would be interesting, but the novelty wears off fast for me. Rodney Yates has a nice chill vibe, but I think the best track is Don't Die Just Yet where he samples and channels the uber cool Serge Gainsbourg.

This was an ok electronic album but really just felt like background noise. Didn’t hate it but it just went by and then it was over. 3.1/10

Ok. A bit crude lyrics

A bit dull, nice background for working but some of his other albums are better.

Well, about two minutes into the second track, ‘My Mate Paul,’ well, about two minutes into the second track, ‘My Mate Paul,’ well about two minutes into the second track, ‘My Mate Paul, well about two minutes into the second track, ‘My Mate Paul,’ well, about two minutes into the… Get it? One word description of David Holmes’ techno LP, 'Let’s Get Killed'? Repetitive. Little, to no music, in the sense of melody, or lyrics, or any of that old fashioned stuff. Mostly random street conversation upon which electronic beats and synthesized sounds are layered. My dog, Boo, and I could have replicated ‘My Mate Paul,’ for example, had I played one piano chord over and over and over again to the repeated beat of a drum machine, while Boo randomly stepped over the buttons on a synthesizer emitting various odd sounds. The only two tracks that came close to music in the traditional sense were ‘Rodney Yates’ and ‘Don’t Die Just Yet,’ with a pretty nice performance from Keith Tenniswood on vibes and lead guitar on both, and the London Session Orchestra on the latter. (I’m not counting ‘Radio 7,’ basically a cover of Monty Norman’s James Bond theme.) “Rodney Yates’ had an Aphex Twin kind of feel, an ambient artist I enjoy. So, I don’t necessarily need melody, lyrics, etc. But upon a first listen, 'Let’s Get Killed' just didn’t take. But for some unknown reason, it started to get under my skin a bit. So, I gave it another listen. I’m generous that way, sometimes. And then I started to get what Holmes was trying to do to as an artist, via his techno genre. Growing up in Belfast, he had an opportunity to visit NYC at 17, and taped a bunch of random conversations, traffic noises, and such, the sounds one would imagine to hear in such a setting. Ten years later, voila: ‘Let’s Get Killed,’ thusly titled after he and his associates were chased through the South Bronx by a group of thugs who wanted his expensive audio equipment. He took some lemons and made lemonade, some lemons and made lemonade, some lemons and made lemonade, some lemons and made lemonade… And you know, when I listened to it as a techno concept album, I found a new appreciation, and even enjoyment, for the thing. And that’s sans Ecstasy/Molly, or alcohol, or anything. Well, I was drinking a cup of straight up black French Roast coffee in my Bob Dylan Highway 61 mug, but I don’t believe it altered my consciousness too significantly. I was going to be mean and comment that the second to last track, ‘Don’t Die Just Yet,’ was David’s plea for the listener to hang in there, its almost over; and, that I had already died way back at the beginning (and I’m sorry I couldn’t use it, ‘cause that’s a good line, right?)… but I kinda dig it a little more now than before. Besides, I once sang lead in a new wave band that covered a certain Clash song at a gig where the audience was more than tired of us. And in our youthful ignorance, we ended with their big hit of the 'Combat Rock' LP, ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go.’ I spent the next three minutes bombarded by the audience response: ‘Go, you #*@#, go!’ I was humbled. Still am.

Holy Mother of long songs.... I find a lot of this album musically intriguing. But I just don't really vibe with instrumental music that much. Also as for my first comment, five 6 and a half minute plus songs is ridiculous. The James Bond cover is pretty good. I just don't think this belongs on this list.

Pretty much ever track has some drawn out sample of someone talking (sometimes on the phone or radio) that seems to be some meaningful or insightful message to the artist. It's not. It's not music. Everyone stop doing this, no one cares. Other than that, it's average downtempo jazz/funk/hip hop loops without a whole lot of variation or surprises.

Alternativ dance, indievibes, instrumentelt, konceptuelt, tematisk

It's all a bit dull if were being honest here.

an sich nicht schlimm. hat nur gar keinen wert für mich

Erste Album was ich nicht geschafft hab also war ok aber lahm

george clooney schlendert nespresso trinkend durch die casinohallen, rückt sein sakko zurecht, zwinkerd einer blondine im kurzen schwarzen zu und lässt im vorbeigehen unbemerkt einen kleinen gps sender in der hosentasche eines securityguards verschwinden.... cut, brad pitt sitzt im überwachungswan und sagt in sein sony headset "alles klar, wir haben das signal"

Ich mag trip hop sehr aber das Album hier fand ich doch ziemlich langweilig. Und als ich ein wenig nachgelesen habe was so hinter den samples steht, und auch durch ein paar Kritiken, hab ich rausgefunden, dass dieser Holmes nicht mal aus NYC kommt, geschweige denn dort lebt sondern aus Belfast. Fühlt sich durch diesen Kontext tatsächlich wie ein heftiger Bronx Larp an, der mit einem schlechten Beigeschmack daher kommt.

Was man mit Breaks machen kann, sieht man z.B. 1996 an Aphex Twins Richard D. James Album oder noch spezifischer im Hip Hop Kontext an Endtroducing von DJ Shadow (auch 1996). Auch im Trip Hop Bereich haben Massive Attack und Portishead da schon längst abgeliefert. Warum das Album hier in der Liste drin ist verstehe ich wirklich nicht. Das ist vielleicht coole Musik für ein Café im Hintergrund, aber beim aktiven Hören fehlt da doch die Dynamik, alles wirkt sehr flach. Naja schade. Also eher "egal" als schrecklich - einfach emotionslos gealtert.

2nd listen. First time I gave it 1/5 because it was kind of boring. On this listen, I think it is slightly better, but still not more than just background music. 2/5

Just wasn't a fan of this.

A couple of tracks in I caught myself thinking out loud "What is the PURPOSE of this music?". That feeling didn't budge.

Would make for an awesome old school rap album if it had lyrics, but just eh without.

Beat-heavy, sample-heavy, filmic, with spoken-word samples for the gritty sound of the streets, and hints of Roy Budd's Get Carter soundtrack - probably state of the art when it was made but sounds dated now.

La versió del tema de James Bond no està pas malament. Tampoc la revisió de Gainsbourg. Per la resta, elèctronica de supermercat que suposadament va marcar tendència... ok

Nice electronic / trip hop music to listen to but doesn't grab my attention. Tracks are too long without going anywhere, compared to say the Big Beat genre where songs evolve consistently throughout the song, justifying their lengths. There is diversity in these tracks, "My Mate Paul" like house, "Let's Get Killed" like a scifi rave, "Rodney Yates" like jazz, etc. Not enough to leave much of an impression. Vocal overlays are ok. Highlights are "Rodney Yates," the James Bond "Radio 7," and "Don't Die Just Yet."

Generic. All I could think of the whole time was that I was showering through a scene in Ocean's 11..... S I looked it up.. and yeah.... David Holmes did the whole soundtrack. Not offensively bad. Just nothing that would warrant a second listen: unless I was feeling clooneyish

Not for me this.

It's just generic electronic music, with extended pointless spoken word passages. Kinda sounds like the interludes on a massive attack album, except less good and a whole album of them.

boring electronic music. some guy says "it'd be over if James Bond was hispanic"

Meh, I guess it's ok at neutral music to work by, but not very interesting for me.

This was a tough one to get through

More electronic music! This wasn't bad, I feel like when I come across an electronic/house album I enjoy it more when I'm too busy to pay attention to it lol I liked the interspersed recordings, especially the one about the Continental Club.

Pro tip: If you're copy-pasting the same rhythm to make up the majority of the track, then it probably doesn't need to be 7 minutes long.

Eh. Gritty shaker is the best so far. Rodney Yates, most listened song not that bad, kinda groovy

Yeah...I don't love this. The technical aspect of some of the songs are fine enough, but the random chattering of crazy people is not enjoyable. Pass.

I actually like how the album starts, just listening to the sounds of the city as it slowly moves into a beat. Good transitions between the songs; good background listening music.

Some cool samples and break beats, but otherwise pretty boring - not enough variety to keep me interested. Alright for background music, but that's not how I tend to listen.

Album title says all. After listening to this album I want to kill someone. Myself maybe. It’s electronic noise mixed in with some decent grooves, lots of New York City stuff in between. Album had potential but I was not impressed by it.

Background music, really. But only at home, doing chores or something. Probably would fall asleep behind the wheel if it was on in my car.

Interesting intros. creative beats and samples. It didn't grab me.

hhhh

Weird hodgepodge of drum and bass with easy listening, with voice samples to not get bored, meh.

Говнарь не пропёрся. Унылый пустой звук, который хоть как-то адекватно смотрелся бы лишь в формате сандтрека. Но это не саундтрек, даже не фейковый, это - полноценный релиз! Я бы, в принципе, признал ценность, будь альбом записан на заре электронной эры, когда-нибудь в конце 70-ых например. Но нет, это 1997 год! Да ещё и коммерческий успех. Зачем это люди брали? Тут не пофлексить, не почилить, по эмоциям не отбивается, просто музыкальные обои. Кое-как может запомниться лишь мотив My Mate Paul, да и тот не стоит своих 5 минут хронометража. Ухо выцепляет тему Джеймса Бонда, но мозг смысла её наличия здесь не выцепляет. По итогу - одна из самых посредственных работ в рамках 1001.

Too noisy and scary eletronic music

Cool transitions between songs and a few highlights, but nothing really drawing me back.

I think it's boring! Was it in lots of soundtracks? Lock, Stock? Did we play it in Andy's Records? Very familiar.

De eerste tonen waren veelbelovend, maar uiteindelijk bleek het toch meestal niet zo goed te zijn.

Gave it a couple of listens but nothing grabbed me. Pretty ho hum to be honest. 2 Stars!

2/5 didn't really leave a trace...

Ñe la electrónica, pero me gustaron un par de canciones

Had some funky sections especially some of the bass lines which I enjoyed but largely bored me. The tracks do sound to me like they were made with films in mind. The odd track here and there were decent enough for that but not interesting enough as an album to listen to start to finish. 2*

Didn't care for it.

Meh

Un po' troppo elettrica per me

false

A poor attempt to be Brian Eno.

A lot of the same thing over and over. Would have been a lot more effective as a 25 minute EP.

I was made curious after having read the album information. Listened to it, nice, but I don't think it will get a replay. To me it is a lot of samples put together. The song ‘Gritty Shaker’ made me think of the Elvis Presley mix from Junkie XL ‘A little less conversation’.

Not very memorably instrumental stuff. Not bad, just nothing too special.

House music that seems derivative in 2021

It's ok. not really my kind of music, I don't think. 2

I respect the skill that goes into making this kind of music, but the repetition kills me. 90% of the album was like a chisel being hammered into my skull. However, the one track I liked, I really liked. Best track: Don't Die Just Yet.

For the most part, the drum-driven grooves are of their time and genre. Every track could live as part of a soundtrack, but the skits fail to attach them into a free-standing structure. My body doesn't pick up anything particularly danceable either (N.B. I can't dance and this criticism is hypocritical given my enjoyment of Autechre's more abstract moments). This is something I notice with a lot of breakbeat: It's music that seems to be "about" other sound, but in an unpleasantly distant way. Because of all that, the Bond cover (for its explicit object), Rodney Yates (for its lounge jazz), and Caddell Returns (for its novel instruments) are highlights. I could see myself enjoying an album of cuts similar to Caddell in particular. Looking back, I see I gave Play this same rating, which feels a bit strange. For now, this seems like a strictly worse project. But it's not offensively bad at all and that response may come down to simple unfamiliarity.

While it is unique, I did not enjoy it at all.

Is a no from me David

Let me check my calendar…. Nope. It’s not April 1st. So there’s no joke being played. Hmmm. Why’s this album on here. I’ve no idea. I’ve only given out one 1 ⭐️ review but that’s doubling down today. Zzzzzzzz

At first I was sympathetic. I had a knack for drum 'n bass in my days. But soon enough I felt these samples are just monotonous with little addon. The cup was full arrivint to "don't just die yet" a remix of several tracks from Histoire de Melody Nelson, one of my favourite record ever. And the you realize it's one thing as a Dj to be able to sample the best musics but it's another thing to play real instruments with real drums and Jean-Marie Vannier's great producing. Maybe this was innovative at the time but it aged badly.

This album should have been titled, "Kill Me Now". Next....

Ugh.

this was just boring to listen to. Plain beats, no excitement, and gets worse the deeper you get into it, which makes it painful to get through

This will never be the vibe. Truly terrible album..

Boring so idk why it was on here. It worked as a background music for working. Toward the end it did make me want to turn on the Sims 2 Nightlife soundtrack.

Get killed

I've never heard of this artist, let alone this album. It's pleasant enough, but I can think of lots of other music in this genre from this era that I would sooner put on this list.

DJ album from Dave

I hated this. It was all instrumental except for intros of people talking about New York, which were the best parts of this album.

This shouldn't even be considered to be music. It's just noise

One of the worst music genres ever.

Instrumental Hip Hop = one of history's worst mistakes.

Um, let’s not.

You know how toddlers will beat on things, like a Fisher Price keyboard or pots and pans with a wooden spoon, and think it's music? They smile and giggle, and we laugh which encourages them, and it goes on and on until your head is pounding and you take the wooden spoon away? I feel like David Holmes's parents encouraged him, told him he was a genius, and then got him a record contract. Perhaps they were deaf? I've heard some shitty music on this list, but this may be the worst. Overindulgent complete garbage. Does he have dirt on the record producers? I don't care enough to dig deeper. Even the album cover sucks, an out of focus cityscape with a giant blue splooge on it. How does stuff like this get made?

This album should not be on this list. He copies others music and just drops drums beats over it. Not something that I needed to hear.

Dont tempt me david

Hated the instrumentals in most songs. Was happy when I heard the last cuz it was surprisingly alright, realised it wasnt even by the same artist or in the album so I will not give it/him any more streams.

At best it's a pale reminder of better music, but usually it's just totally boring. His use of black voices in the intros and interludes for colour and, I don't know, a feeling of authenticity? Of grittiness? Either way it's pretty troubling. Also the James Bond remix, which is already an inherently bad idea for a song, with fart noise is totally laughable. WORST TRACK: Radio 7

1/10 I have no idea why this is on this list. It's somewhere between elevator music, and falling asleep in the 00s with the DVD playing the menu music. I get that it uses samples from NYC, but that doesn't make it good or any more interesting. There's just nothing groundbreaking here at all.

Yay! More terrible 90s electronica.

If you have all the power of electronic music production, why do you just create basic tracks with guitar, drums, and bass? Might as well just learn the instruments and play them on the record if you aren’t going to be creative.

Fuck off, electronica trash. 1/10

meandering album that goes nowhere

How painfully boring...

Oh good, more electronica. I regret saying Bowie was over represented on the list. Electronica as a whole is FAR MORE over represented on this list. There are some decent American country artists that could be here. There are some amazing middle eastern metal groups and African rock groups that should be on this list. I know of some really fun Japanese punk bands that should be on this. Instead we get generic UK electronica number 218.

First album I couldn't even finish. It was just like an entire album of background music that never changed with occasional audio clips overlayed.

todo instrumental no es mi tipo 1/5