Exit Planet Dust
The Chemical Brothers
1995
Album Summary
Exit Planet Dust is the debut studio album by English electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers. It was first released on 26 June 1995 in the United Kingdom by Junior Boy's Own, Freestyle Dust, and Virgin Records, and on 15 August 1995 in the United States by Astralwerks. The album was recorded between August and November 1994, with "Song to the Siren" performed live. Its title is a reference to their departure from their earlier name The Dust Brothers. The album received critical acclaim and was in the UK charts for many weeks, charting in each year from its release in 1995 until 2000; its highest peak was number 9 in 1995.
WikipediaA favorite back in high school. Love the way it flows from track to track. It's cool that it works equally well as dance music and as a headphone ride. Starts with a Kraftwerk sample so you know they know their shit. I like the additive/subtractive way layers of elements/loops are used to build dramatic song structures. Tracks 1-6 are like the party and 7-11 are like the after-party. Used to put "one too many mornings" on mixtapes.
A soft focus laser (like the green ones in clubs that pan around) trained squarely on your pleasure zones that hits (tickles?) the spot more often than not. Agreeable by design, which isn't an issue here because the Brothers' dedication to making techno enjoyable for a wider audience means an appreciation of pop song form and healthy servings of beats. I tip my hat to them for their public service.
oh man, have i been waiting for this one. this was my first introduction to them, in the fall of 1995. i was super-leet, working in a computer lab, shuttling around my newton and an internal hard drive in the pocket of my mechanic's jacket. i'd remove the drive from a computer in the lab & install mine, write my papers or whatever, then put it all back together and go back home. and read the collected sherlock holmes on the bus back & forth on my newton. this is another 7-star album for me.
Everything I want out of an electronic music album. Literally bopped my head from start to finish.
I discovered The Chemical Brothers, like many people, with the follow-up to Exit Planet Dust, the also amazing Dig Your Own Hole, and back in the day getting my hands on these albums wasn't that easy. Even considering that, I hate myself for not having listened to this album in full back in the day. I only knew a few songs, which I thought were great, but listening to the overall album is a whole another experience. Damn, guess I'll be listening this one on repeat these days.
Really enjoyed some of these tracks. As with most electronic music, I can only listen to a few tracks before needing a break!
Cet album des Chemical Brothers m'a mis dans une colère noire. Il faut savoir que les Chemical Brothers ont coûté leur place dans la liste des 1001 à mon groupe favori, My Chemical Romance. En effet, seul un seul groupe de chimie pop pouvait être ajouté à la liste par Robert, qui a donc preferé les frères à la romance. Seulement, on se rend rapidement compte que ce choix est une erreur. Très vite, les Chemical Brothers vont effectuer leur première bévue: le substrat de soude est mélangé avec la solution aqueuse, ce qui provoque une légère odeur de brulé très désagrable dans le laboratoire. Ensuite, l'un des frères va venir renverser le contenu de son erlenmeyer sur le microscope du coin de table, ce qui démontre le peu d'aise avec laquelles les Chemical Brothers maniaient leur matériel. Enfin, le mélange acide nitrique/magnesium opéré ne prendra jamais la couleur bleue attendue. La comparaison fait très mal avec leurs camarades de classe de My Chemical Romance, qui dans le même temps ont obtenu deux prix nobel de chimie pour leur travaux sur l'arbre de Diane. Un scandale de plus à l'actif de Robert, qui n'en finit plus d'enchainer les décisions douteuses.
Un album caractéristique des Chemical Brothers. Ceux-ci se présentent d'abord en blouse blanche à l'entrée du laboratoire et s'avancent chacun vers un robinet. Ils se munissent alors d'eau distillée et commencent à rincer une poignée de tubes à essai ainsi qu'un bécher. Une fois ceci fait, l'un des brothers verse délicatement de l'eau dans un tube alors que le second brother y ajoute de l'acide éthanoïque. Ils étalonnent ensuite le pH-mètre avec les solutions tampon 4 et 7 et agitent la solution dont le pH est mesuré. L'examinateur les interrompt soudain et leur demande de se verser chacun un litre d'acide chlorhydrique dans la bouche. Les Chemical Brothers s'exécutent naïvement. Quelques secondes plus tard, les deux sont transportés d'urgence à l'hôpital et laissent ainsi leur matériel chimique dans le laboratoire.
Hugely underrated album from hugely underrated pioneers of big beat and electro. This is a belter!
A veces la electrónica me cansa porque me parece que puede ser muy monótona, pero con este disco no me paso, tiene varios moods (?) y es muy disfrutable
It's cool to hear electronic music that isn't just club music. This works just as well for simply setting a mood.
Surprisingly good! A nice mixture of chill, focusing and energising music, great for working to
Quality. Maybe a tad relentless at points Could do with some more variety between songs. The first six easily could all be the same song. Also didn't know they used to be called "the dust brothers"
- this album rocks but maybe dwells on some loops a little too long. - I forgot how much fun it is to work to big-beat, album is almost too dance-able to go with spreadsheets. - undersells its bass and guitars, oversells the phasing square synths. - fairly repetitious structure in most tracks (strong & creative intro, energetic beats to 3/4 mark, then a downtempo loop breakdown that's a little too long) - second half is a strong shift, astute ordering. - The Matrix 4 can't come fast enough.
Really enjoyed this. As always, what I expected was vastly different than what I received. Added to library.
Gyors, felpörget, egyáltalán nem egysíkú vagy unalmas. Get shit done érzésem van amikor hallgatom. Fogom még hallgatni.
I always liked "Dig your own hole" better (especially the buzz saw solo), but this one is great too. Very innovative, great beats. No song is a filler. And nice that they've put the more upbeat songs to the start and the more chill songs to the end. I absolutely see the impact it had at the time it came out.
I LOVE this! What an incredible debut album from the 70s fashion cover design to the songs. I've definitely been missing out for the last 16 or so years! At any rate better late than never. This album is aggressive in all the ways great dance music should be. It starts off with the promise "The brothers gonna work it out" then spends the next 49 minutes doing just that. The first half of the album fires on all cylinders. Ferocious! Then we get to enter "Chico's Groove" where the Brothers take things down a notch leading the beautiful "One Too Many Mornings" and into a perfect wind down. I kept cranking this up as the album progressed. So good that at times it had me wondering if someone dropped an E into my sparkling water... It will be tough to name a favorite song from this album. A fantastic masterpiece of EDM from start to finish!
I was excited to see The Chemical Brothers pop up on the rotation. I am familiar with this duo in association with other artists of the style music, but didn’t know the album. It definitely lived up to my expectations. I loved it.
Fucking love Chemical Brothers. One of the first bands I ever really fell in love with and they still have a special place in my heart. While I think they got even better than this debut, it's still absolutely killer.
I never thought I'd like me some electric guitar and drums. Chemical romance are crayyy boi
I’m a big fan of this genre and I also love chemical brothers so I’m kinda biased Seamless transitions.
Heard before. Quality album, great production, great guests. Well done all round, weird album art though
reminded me of being a seedy teenager in the late 90s, and of all those seedy cunts that listen to this type of tweaker shit. great album
Awesome relatively unknown Chemical Brothers album (atleast for me), brings me back to the rythem bangers of the 90's
This album is pretty dope - lots of really catchy loops and beats. 'Three Little Birdies Down Beats' and 'Chico's Groove' are the highlights for me. Easily a 4 star, closer to 4.5
I'm giving this a 4/5 solely because this type of music was in nearly every damn movie i watched growing up in the 90's and 2000's. From "Swordfish" to "The Matrix" this type of music is ingrained in me to like.
Pretty good house/electronica, but I prefer their tracks without vocals to the ones that have them.
Un disco muy prendido, para pasarla a gusto y en tachas. No tengo mucho que decir, me da energía y levanta el ánimo, puro party y mi parte favorito es la triada de los beats: "Three Little Birdies Down Beats", "Fuck Up Beats" y "Chemical Beats". 8/10
Pues bien en general, la primera parte del disco me pareció bastante divertida, movida, uplifting, etc. Agradezco que no haya lyrics realmente aquí. Aun así, conforme más avanzaba el disco me empezó a perder poco a poco. La que más disfruté fue Three Little Birdies Down Beats, porque sus beats son muy característicos de los noventa. Mood: Rave en la carretera a 180 kms/hr
This should not expand dong. But it does. (☉_☉). Na moral nao sabia que eu curtia Chemical Brothers mas ouvi duas vezes, back to back, e tomei um lsd. Produtividade no trabalho aumentou em cents%. Todos os fornecedores receberam pagamento adiantado e o salario de Fevereiro ja ta na conta. Three Little Birdies Down Beats eh a stand-out track. Perai que meu chefe esta me ligando
I would like to come back to this album in the future. Have heard one offs by the CBs, but never an album beginning to end.
Funky start. All the songs just are continuous which is cool. EDM. Fav songs Chemical Beats Three little birdies down beats One too Many Mornings
Good one! Groovy funky dancy beats, interesting vocals and just an overall good presentation. Seems more mature than 1995!
The first half of this album is fantastic. As someone who's never listened to the Chemical Brothers before, the first six tracks make it clear why they're so legendary. Awesome big beat tracks that flow into each other with classic acid synths and samples coming and going to keep it constantly refreshing. One of my favourite albums of all time is Daft Punk's Alive 2007, and this sounds like the precursor to that album. Then there's the second half... this half is honestly mediocre. The heavy dance beats give way to five mellowed out and honestly boring tracks. I have no desire to relisten to any of these tracks, and when I revisit this album I won't bother with them. First half: 5/5 Second half: 2/5 Total: 4/5
Great production and interesting variation in styles. Really enjoyed this record. Not quite 5 star material but would listen again
Carefully crafted from start to end. Love the transition from high energy to down low a little more than half way. Embodies the mood of all the movies and video games of the late 90s to early 00s... but came out in 95! What a pioneer. Main downside is repetition which was a bit too much for me to handle at once.
It was good but as an album it was very repetitive. I'd happily listen to individual tracks again but probably not a full album
I'm not at all educated in dance/electronic music, but what caught my ear was the finesse of the layering and the flow of each song. Will try to implement this into my road trip playlists.
Excellent debut released in the midst of Big Beat, a genre which produced a lot of brilliant records but was also quite one dimensional. Chemical Brothers did use this a template but added elements of techno and acid house on the likes of Somg To The Siren & Chemical Beats. The chilled Chico’s Groove brings some respite and the Beth Orten collab on closer Alive Alone is my favourite of the Chem Bros slower vocal tracks.
Sounds like taking LSD during a rave in the middle east. It's also good music to play in the background while coding. 3.9/5
Cool rock electronica fusion. I appreciate the roomy kit sound. Playground For A Wedgeless Firm is probably my favorite track.
This was definitely a step above most electronic dance music stuff. Still not my cup of tea, but every song was solid. Could imagine a DJ in a 90s rave just throwing this album on and just stepping away for an hour and no one would complain.
I enjoyed it, good vibes and electronic beats. More on the chill end especially on the back half, so it was some good background music for work. I'm a sucker for when songs lead straight into each other.
30. Exit Planet Dust - The Chemical Brothers 11 tracks. Not something I would usually listen to but despite it being an early album is very good, (and even better via headphones). Had me absolutely hooked from the get go and made me go looking for more afterwards. 4/5
Exit Planet Dust was an interesting listen. It did sound like it came from the 90s electronic scene. The tracks which all bled into one another had that gritty sound that seem related to the Achtung Baby through Pop U2 albums. It kept my attention throughout though with its every changes collages of sounds and beats. I enjoyed the second half more than the first from Chico's Groove to the last track, Alive Alone.
1995, электроника. Дебютный альбом группы. Название альбома - отсылка к первоначальному названию дуэта - The Dust Brothers. Ребята - основоположники и лидеры биг-бита. Приятные ретро биты. Похожее: The Prodigy.
A brilliant debut that holds up today, a testament to them that they have six albums even better than this
It wasn't the right mood for this sound the day it was suggested but I do appreciate and like this style of music. I just wasn't interested in it at the moment.
Not generally my cup of tea, but there is a consistently energy level and tone that makes this a fine listen.
I've been meaning to investigate The Chemical Brothers for a while but hadn't gotten around to it. Glad this project gave me an entry point. This was a great soundtrack for my afternoon walk. Tempos were lively and kept me moving. I like it as background for work and kitchen grooves while making dinner. It's hard to distinguish between "songs" --- it's just one long dance party. Today that matched my mood and agenda perfectly.
I quite liked this. It's not something that you can just sit and listen to, but it sure makes a good, energetic soundtrack to anything you do to it. Electronica, especially without melody or vocals, can sometimes bore me, but I didn't get bored with any of it.
Great album, flows from style to style effortlessly smoothly. It goes a touch hard core dance for me at parts which brings down the rating to 4 but it’s still excellent
A brilliant debut that holds up today, a testament to them that they have six albums even better than this
There were a couple of songs that were very good. I really like that early EDM sounds.
Great album. Always have loved the brothers. The most melodic of the big electronica bands imo.
Loved this album. I had missed Exit Planet dust back when it came out...didn't start listening until Dig Your Own Hole. I think this is now my favorite Chemical Bros release. Love the slowdown songs at the end of the album. 4/5
Chill beats, pretty 90s electronic, has some nice droning and echoing that makes it less synthetic. I think 4 is pretty genorous but I do quite like this album, and hey, The Brother's gonna work it out!
This album is a little dated but still a joy to listen to. Beth Orton providing some of the vocals is also A+
3/30/2022 Today's Album: "Exit Planet Dust" by The Chemical Brothers - You know how a few reviews ago I was complaining about 2 albums having rather mediocre rapping, but the beat production being fairly good in comparison? Well, this album is like if they just removed the rapping and showcased how cool those beats are, but how stale they get over time. I am not saying it really sounds bad, as the production quality is rather high and a lot of the beats feel really energetic and danceable, but a lot of them after the first 2 tracks, Leave Home and In Dust We Trust, just feel really repetitive and don't really have interesting progressions despite how decent of beats they are. A lot of them also have elements that just drown out the rest of the beat and sound straight up ugly, like on the track Song To The Siren. (Probably intentional now that I think about it). That being said, they still sound like beats that would be fun to get totally lost in at a club on hard drugs and are somewhat enjoyable sober. The track Chemical Beats brings things back a little bit with a really long build up and a pretty solid drop into some added percussion and slightly more beat variation. It isn't a great track to me personally, but I can tell that there is a tad more variety with what it is trying to do. The track Chico's Groove takes a complete left turn and has a really cool synthetic and chilled-out groove to it. It's actually really pleasant to listen to and has a nice variation and bassline throughout. One Too Many Mornings follows this trend of pretty decent tracks, with a really nice chill beat joined by this angelic voice. It captures the feeling of waking up early after a night of partying and trying to start your day. Life Is Sweet is the first track to feature vocals in it, and I actually think this album would have sounded nice with some more. That being said, I enjoy that most of this album is instrumental. It's a pretty great track that leads us into the last 2. Playground For A Wedgeless Firm is kind of a strange noise rock experiment, with this weird descending synth and some horror strings in the back. Kind of weird, but then it leads us into the finisher, Alive Alone, which is another song with vocals, this time being female. It's sort of a spacey outro with lyrics contemplating life and relationships. It's a pretty solid track that ends this record off on a really nice note. Overall, this record really surprised me. I thought a lot of the beats in the beginning were really basic and boring, but the ending really popped off with some awesome material. Check this out if you like club music with some subtle tracks thrown in. Score: 8/10 A slow-burner, but worth it! Highlights: Leave Home, In Dust We Trust, Chico's Groove, One Too Many Mornings, Life Is Sweet, Alive Alone
Fucking great ravey album. Every track is straight fire and they flow through each other so seamlessly. Had a great time listening to it
#2 that I've encountered now in the Big Three of Big Beat, having heard Fatboy Slim prior and expecting The Prodigy to pop up at some point. I wasn't so impressed with Fatboy Slim's work, but I can get behind what The Chemical Brothers are doing with their debut. Layering psychadelic textures over groovy drum breaks, Exit Planet Dust exists in a perpetual party that is dense in soundscape. It's worth noting that Song To The Siren is the first-ever Big Beat song, being released as a single all the way back in 1992. This makes The Chemical Brothers he inventors of Big Beat, essentially, so their debut really cannot be understated. While not their best work, Exit Dust Planet is an important foray into the great club music of the 90's, especially in the UK. Also worth noting that this music is extremely repetitive. Take that as you will.
I fucking love this album. It's music that you can really dance to that somehow feels more meaningful. It's also an absolutely stellar debut album. I think that Dig Your Own Hole is better overall, but this is one not to be missed. Every song works in the context of the album. Big Beat is one of those musical movements that I would have loved to be able to be around when it was in its early days. I'm not sure that Big Beat gets its due with regard to its influence on modern music. So much of what has happened in EDM and hip-hop is using this style as its skeleton. The Chemical Brothers are the best part of that, turning out banger after absolute banger 4/5
I first heard this album in high school, probably around 1996-97 and I hadn't heard anything like it before. This was probably due to being to immersed in the post-grunge alternative rock that was popular at the time.
Of the electronic albums I've listened to (which is, admittedly, not a lot) this is my favorite. The album is structured more like a rock album, and it sounds as much like the mid 90s as a SoCal ska album would. I'm still not a huge fan of this particular genre, but this album I like.
This album was a trip! It was interesting and felt mostly fresh, even 20 years later. To that point, it's hard to believe they got electronic music so very right with this album, back in 1995. The overall mood and vibe of this album is exciting and fun. To me, some elements of new age were even present, especially in the closing track, "Alive Alone". Overall, this album was a pleasant surprise, and it really was an absolute vibe.
Superou a expectativa e impressão inicial que era somente batidas pesadas. Criou um clima fabuloso.
Ahhh the late 90s when you went to the club and the same electricity that powered the music seemed to power the dance floor. Not allowing one foot off unless the other made contact. And pulling the head and eyes downward... Good times. Good constant rhythm
In Dust we Trust, Leave Home, Chemical Beats are the big bangers from this, b ut the whole album is very listenable to. Some seriously nasty tracks in this one, Song to the Siren is very sweaty nightclub vibes. Varied style throughout, lots of engaging listens and enough variety to keep you guessing. This is a perfect album for focus, be that grinding a game, working, studying, the constancy of the beats, the not too powerful melodic component and the lack of vocals makes this album excellent for filling space in your mind as you work.
This album makes me feel like I'm at a fancy night club in a shadowrun or cyberpunk setting. I'm about to meet my fixer for the first time and due to my social anxiety I just end up staring for too long from across the club. The John eventually sends his heavily cybered orc bodyguard to see what my problem is and get scared and mumble something about how I like his hat then I leave the club. Good vibes on this album
I had a lot of fun with this! Fave tracks were probably "Leave Home," "Chemical Beats," "Song to the Siren," and "Playground for a Wedgeless Firm."
Definitely just feels like generic 90s electronic to me now. Nothing too spectacular sadly
It's like a 3.5. This is really good electronic music with some alternative and rock undertones. Most these songs have a really nice beat - Very 90s Tom Cruise action movie vibes. The downfall is that it is solely electronic. No lyrics, just pure upbeat electronic. It'd be cool live, and it's great background for work or maybe skiing, but I wouldn't play it in most situations.
This felt like the ambient soundtrack of a sonic game. Fun, techno-y, and mostly instrumental.
Not bad. Generally not something I listen to all the time, but I like it in the background while working. At a club or rave it would be fun for sure. Also TIL that this is considered "Big Beat", which I looked up on Wikipedia. At first I thought it was acid house. I do like the breakbeats.
Some pretty cool beats, definitely would have listened to them back in middle school real hard, but a tad bit repetitive for me.
missing the nimbleness and texture of their best work but a taste of things to come (you know, at first i put 'dexterity' in place of nimbleness/texture, but the more i think about it, i think dexterity works)
I actually owned a Chemical Brothers album in college. You know, the one with the “back with another one of those block rocking beats!” song. I like this stuff in small doses and this album is no exception. I forgot they did the score for that flick HANNAH. Which, btw, is way better than the score for the new MORTAL KOMBAT movie which I just watched the other night. I don’t know where I’m going with all of this, so I guess I’ll just exit planet dust.
So I noticed that this even pre-dates Fatboy Slim by a couple years. Like Daft Punk, they were very influential, and like DP, I think some of their later LPs that brought in different vocalists and experimented with different styles were more interesting.
The phases of my listening experience were: Phase 1: (1st 3 songs) I love this shit. Phase 2: (Next 3 songs) Are these brothers going to mix it up a bit? Phase 3: (Track 7) They mixed it up! Yippee! Phase 4: (Track 8) I like that they mixed it up but don't care for what they mixed it with. I'm getting bored. I hope they go back to the Track 1- 6 style. Phase 5: (Track 9 - Life is sweet) Sweet is not the word that comes to mind. I'm struggling. (Track 10) I'm not going to make it through the whole album. Phase 6: (Track 11) Hey that's Beth Orton. We like her. I think I'll make it through the whole album! Being able to finish listening to the whole album is not my test for a 3 rating. Let's just say the album didn't end strong. I did like the dance club stuff at the start - or more accurately, I project that I would have liked all six tracks if I were listening to it in a dance club in the mid 90s rather than listening to it in my kitchen in the early 20s.
A surprisingly relaxing album, it's perfect to have on while working, it doesn't distract from the task at hand but decorates the space around you with sound instead. It's a nice place to spend some time.
I like me some chemical brothers. I do seem to be giving everything a 3 these days.. Struggling to expand my rating range
Pretty good, not exactly my style of music, but I can see myself being in the mood for it.
I remember when Chemical Brothers were emerging into the music scene. I didn't listen to them much, but I remember "Leave Home". I may know some of the other songs, but after a while it's a little hard to distinguish one song from the next. Would I listen to this again? Maybe not. There are some interesting sounds, on some of the tracks and the album does okay for me as some background music. I liked some tracks: "Three Little Birdies Down Beat", "Chemical Beats", "Chico's Groove". As a whole, the album gets a 3.
Why do I like this more than Eno or Gaton Project? A little more variation? A little more aggression? I don't know. But I do. Still, around the halfway mark - backgroundsville.
I’m in to the house/club/trance-y music. It allows me to turn my brain off and just feel the groove. This is an a reputable example, not a shining star.
I listened to a little bit of these guys when I was in high school and had no idea they'd been around for so long. The sound here is definitely a bit different from what I knew of them but still equally not totally my taste. The whole album flows well enough - the songs are all fairly similar - but I couldn't shake this cloying grunginess that I felt throughout the album. Made the rainy weather here that much dingier.
I had this album on in the background for many a homework session in high school because it’s not too slow but also not too distracting. Background music is all its good for though.
Reflections of a reformed raver... Yes, in college, I was a raver, and yes, I wore big doofy JNCOs. I was not a candy raver (no rainbow jewelry), but definitely hung out with some. I am so sorry to report that I have pretty much no pictures of that time. Such a shame... But the point - I listened to a lot of techno and electronic music from 98-02. And it was stuff like the Chemical Brothers that primed me for that in the mid-90s. It was their second album that I had more exposure to, not this one, but it's fingerprints are definitely on my musical journey in my late teens. So looking back, through significantly less bloodshot eyes, how does it hold up? Pretty well I think. I think there are more/better breaks on "Dig Your Own Hole," and just an overall positive evolution of their sound, but "Exit Planet Dust" is still good. The first half dragged at times, with sections going to long before a break or a new sample, but the second half was better. Apparently "Song to the Siren" was what got them their break, but it was my least favorite on the album. If you need to get in the right mood for this album, just imagine 20-year-old me (looking 16) in my enormous pants trying to do the liquid hands thing.
This is not what I expected. It's...okay. I'm sure that if I was into electronic music, this would be a seminal work, but it's just kind of noise to me mostly. Not bad, per se, though.
Big beat bombast, sirens and guitars - what’s not to love? Great hooks and lovely soundscapes the album has a good flow and delivers a few bangers as well. Still sounds great today but probably hints at the greatness this band will go on to achieve rather than delivering greatness itself.
Pretty cool music. I think I had never heard a song from this album despite not being a complete stranger to The Chemical Brothers. But I think it's pretty neat.
Olisin halunnut tykätä enemmän. Levy alkoi parilla kunnon bangerillä ja aloin jo innostua, sitten oli vähän yksitoikkoisempi ilmeisesti livebiisi ja loppulevy oli sitten sellaista enempi minun mielestä tunnusomaisempaa Chemical Brothers -jurnuttelua.