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Haunted Dancehall

The Sabres Of Paradise

1994

Haunted Dancehall
Album Summary

Haunted Dancehall is the second studio album by English electronic music group The Sabres of Paradise. It was released through Warp on 28 November 1994. It peaked at number 57 on the UK Albums Chart.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.41

Votes

9894
Genres
Electronica

Reviews

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Wed Feb 17 2021
1

I was eager to stop listening to this.

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Thu Feb 11 2021
1

Pointless bullshit noise. These aren't songs. The're pieces of songs desperately trying to pass themselves off as complete songs. Useless and angering. Why the hell is this even on the list?!

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Fri Jul 02 2021
2

You remember that episode of Friends where Ross made a song by playing all the weird noises on his Casio? This is that, but the noises are a yipping dog and a coffee grinder. Also, it was kind of comical when Ross did it. Best track: Wilmot

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Sun Sep 26 2021
2

Being given the accolade of "the 47th best album of 1994" really feels about right, for this.

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Wed Feb 17 2021
1

Garbage. Just shitty electronic music like this is the 70s. No music, just random sounds. Imagine paying for this. 1/10.

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Wed May 26 2021
1

I expected a lot more out of an album titled Haunted Dancehall. Certainly sounds like the most boring place in the world.

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Mon Apr 05 2021
3

Going in, I had no idea what to expect from Haunted Dancehall, as I had never heard of Sabres of Paradise, and am not generally interested in techno. To my surprise, Haunted Dancehall isn't bad at all. The Sabres position themselves halfway between ambient and dance music. I can easily imagine this playing in a bar or club or sushi restaurant. It's pleasant sonically and has a laid back, cool vibe, but has enough energy to provide a consuming mood, whether that consumption be food, drugs or alcohol. The first few tracks are quite abstract. The sound sources are varied and quite tasteful. No horrid synth patches here. The sonic manipulation is creative and tasteful as well. The rhythms are mostly fairly simple. The interest comes from how the various elements fit together. On these early tracks, the Sabres sometimes deconstruct the tunes a bit to point out the art in what they're doing. It's a savvy strategy because the parts fit together so naturally, the effort and creativity involved would otherwise go unnoticed. About six tracks in, the tunes get less abstract and more songlike. For me, this is a mistake because it calls too much attention to the functional nature of the music. This kind of music should glide over the smooth brains of the listeners, lulling them into the desired emotional state. Even here though, the same virtues of economy, taste, and studio mastery remain. After a few tracks, the Sabres return to a more abstract style for the rest of the album, which I actually prefer. How do I rate this? It's quite well done, but this is functional music, not really meant for close listening. If I put this on a playlist, it would be as a palate cleanser. Is it wrong of me to refuse to give a higher score because of a perceived lack of artistic ambition? Maybe. It feels like snobbery. Oh well. 3.5/5

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Tue May 04 2021
2

cover looks like it might be rockabilly, but it's from the 90s. hmm. might also be techno cause dancehall etc. haha ok it's dank 90s techno. lol and of COURSE it's from the uk. classic 1001 albums editor shenanigans. i'll give it a chance, but at 1hr 16min there's no way this isn't gonna be WAY TOO FUCKING LONG. it's pretty... minimalist? granted I'm only on about minute 8 of 75, but I think I have a pretty good idea what to expect the rest of the time. And ok yep an hour later, that was pretty lame! This would have been a 3 if it didn't stay out its welcome, because it wasn't THAT bad for the first couple of songs. But the full thing? uuughhh, fuckin hell. 2/5.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
2

Couldn’t get into it. Maybe it’s because I was wearing trainers.

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Thu May 06 2021
2

Tracks don't show much progression in their ~ 6-minute runtime. Best tracks are Wilmot and Tow Truck. 4/10, not bad but I'm always waiting for something to happen that never does

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Wed Jan 12 2022
1

I think this aged poorly. Sounds like robots banging on garbage.

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Thu Feb 25 2021
4

Funky. Good background music. I'm bobbing my head along to it as I work.

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Thu Nov 25 2021
5

I know nothing about this album. That's always dead exciting. The songs look long which is a worry. Bubble and Slide sounds nice. Slightly afrobeaty. Bubble and Slide 2 has some lovely filters over its beat. Glitchy. I love it. Duke of Earlsfield goes dubbier. And a bit crazy towards the end, another great track. Flight Path Estate is more slight, but is also shorter in line with it's relative lack of ideas. It's immediately followed by Portishead's mix of Planet D which is straight back up there again. Gloomy and dark while also feeling quite chilled. Wilmot has a baseline that makes me want it to go full junglist lunacy... It doesn't, but I still love it. It sounds like music from the weirdest arcade machine on the planet. Tow Truck is actually pretty sexy - like spy film music. Theme follows in a similar style, before another short noise experiment called Theme 4. In short, I am coming back to this, and I an gutted it's never had a vinyl repress - C'mon Warp Records, please do it!

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Fri Feb 19 2021
4

It's of a time. I bet it sounded rad in 1994

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Fri May 28 2021
4

On of the best electronic albums I've heard

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Fri Apr 29 2022
4

Really interesting sonically. Can tell that this album had an influence on the urban/hardccore music to come from the UK in the years to follow.

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Fri Jul 22 2022
4

As soon as I saw this was on Warp Records, I knew to expect something off-beat and interesting. Put this on in my earbuds while running errands. Great instrumental background music. Very interested in hearing more of their work.

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Fri Jul 29 2022
4

This record is a mood. I like it and I will listen again. Wilmot is my favorite track.

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Thu Dec 15 2022
4

Finally some good electronic music! I do not understand the hate this album got. It is fresh

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Thu Jan 12 2023
4

Really good stuff. Had never heard of it before.

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Fri Jan 20 2023
4

Weird and haunted - in a good way. Unique beats.

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Fri Feb 10 2023
4

Though I prefer Andrew Weatherall's other project, Two Lone Swordsmen, slightly more, I do appreciate this. Has lots of interesting layered pitch shifting and dubby reverb and delay all over it, giving it a high contrast blend of treble and bass. Very textured atmosphere, but it definitely has a harshness to it, so I can see why some people find it unpalatable. I gravitate towards the more downtempo numbers like "Duke of Earlsfield" and the one remixed by Portishead. If I heard this high AF at a 90's rave it might've broken my brain.

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Thu May 06 2021
3

enjoyed it more the more i listened. interesting.

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Wed Mar 03 2021
3

This is why I don't like skipping albums! When listening to 'Bubble and Slide' as the first track I almost wrote this album off as a psychedelic bore. That couldn't be further from the truth. I could imagine that certain substances may enhance the experience of this album but it was enjoyable whilst working away regardless. I found myself head bobbing away slowly when listening to tracks like 'Planet D' and 'Tow Truck' put me in the mindset of James Bond as a lead character in Snatch. This whole album was a chilled out trip that I would never have had the pleasure of riding usually. 3/5 because of the lack of wow factor but this was a lovely listen.

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Mon Jan 09 2023
3

some good tracks but this is not anyone's favourite album

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Thu Jun 01 2023
3

I quite enjoyed it but there are so many more albums that deserve a place on the list rather than this

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Fri Sep 08 2023
2

First song sounded like really broken plumbing

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Thu Jan 18 2024
2

I listened to it at work and didn't know when it ended.

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Wed Jan 24 2024
2

2.4 - As I listen to this, I picture a caffeine-addled Robert Dimery pacing frantically around his office at 4 am, just hours before a deadline to turn in a book draft to his publisher. CDs and LPs are strewn haphazardly around the room. In his panic, he slips on some liner notes and falls on his face. When he finally comes to, he opens his eyes and sees the cover to this album staring back at him. "Oh, here's one I can add! This one's obscure enough that it'll fly under everyone's radar! OK, only 389 more albums to go!"

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Sun Sep 18 2022
1

I wasn’t really expecting this. This is the kind of music I would expect to hear in Spongebob during his rave with the jellyfish. The first 2 songs sound like electric zoo. They are kind of funny to me, but uninteresting. I also do not like songs without lyrics, so none of these songs really stood a chance anyways. I probably wouldn’t even put any of these songs on as background music, except maybe Wilmot.

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Fri Feb 02 2024
1

You can really count on Robert Dimery, an English writer and editor who had previously worked for magazines such as Time Out and Vogue, to churn out some forgettable English Electronica on his list. Jokes aside, I came close to getting locked in on some of the weird stuff going on in the arrangements, but it was so bland and repetitive I couldn’t do it. I guess if I had grown up on this kind of stuff or had heard it contextualize at the time, I would be singing a different tune, but as it stands right now I can’t be bothered to push myself into forcing appreciation for this. Top track: Bubble And Slide II

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Thu Feb 22 2024
1

There was a "game" for the ps1 called music 2000 where you could layer up a bunch of prerecorded samples and make "original" songs, and all of the songs you made sounded like this album. In isolation there are a few bits here and there that sound like the precursor to interesting music but it's repeated so much and put together in such a lifeless way that I lost interest after 30 seconds. And then it would go on for 7 minutes. I think there is a decent 4 minute album in this but as a whole it was dire and I can't imagine why it was included. Maybe the "electronic" music critic only had about 4 albums he actually wanted to include and after he ran out of orbital and portishead he has to scrape the bottom of the barrel for this nonsense.

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Fri Feb 05 2021
5

Completely unfamiliar with this one. I like it a lot. An innovative techno LP from 1994. Standout tracks: "Duke Of Earsfield", "Wilmot", "Tow Truck", "Theme", "Ballad Of Nicky McGuire"

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Sun Jun 20 2021
5

Comes ar you like a ray, like a beam. Loved it.

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Fri Apr 01 2022
5

Best Sabras of Paradise album? Probably, starts off with the classic sounds of Bubble and Slide and contains The Balled of Nicky McGuire, one of the best electronic songs of the 90s.

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Wed Mar 08 2023
5

Musiikkia korvilleni. Säännöksi voisi sanoa että chilling and wibing albumit aina ansaitsemassa yhtä tähteä. Nytten ei ansaitse heh. rento tunnelma ei johtunut laiskuudesta. Heh. Mukavan moody, mutta ei satunnainen, tässä on tarkasti määritelty mielintila. Hyvin experimental kun ottaa huomioon vuoden 1994. Stands the test of time. Kuitenkin heh.. Aphex twin dropannu 1992 senkertaparempaapaskaa heh. Onko tämä upgrade heh.. Jos oltais poimittu parhaat.. vois tämä esittää olevansa. Tokavikassa kappaleessa Chapel Street Market 9 Am lirahtaa vähän ruskiaa housuikkoon. (Objektive shit).. heh… PASKALTA KUULLOSTAA, KORVAAN TYLSÄHKÖ.Intensia jää jonnekkin.. filleriä..kö… Niin sitä luulee.. Heh.. VEDETTY KUIN KOIRAA NARUSTA.. kuuntelijaa… Vika biisi.. albumin nimikkobiisi…heh.. viimeisenä tulee.. päräyttää paikat paskaksi.. Meaning… Beuty. Buety of Sound.. Meaning.. in sound.. sound, ,, sound no text… No lyyrik.. Finding something is true.. after.. after your awakening… After beuty.. cannot discripe.. discribe the feeling.. Another world opens.. maybe full of problems… but when door open.. you dont see problems, they are hiding.. you only see light… Light shines.. glimmers and shines,, deep understanding, reflections of light.. trigonometry… light goes.. and goes…. you dont.. You dont go… you watch the glimmering… The newness should scare,, but no.. it cares… scare is not present, its away.. instead,,, love… happiness,,,, finding,, the… the,,, the,,, Light dims, door closed position.

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Mon Mar 20 2023
5

странный альбом но допустим....

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Fri Jan 05 2024
5

This was interesting to listen to right after Fela Kuti because they’re not dissimilar. This almost felt like an evolution of afrobeat, although this band isn’t from Africa AFAIK. I loved this and it was perfect for my purposes today: travelling long distance by car. Like yesterday’s album, I wish the songs were shorter because I’d definitely listen to them frequently if they were…but I do want to keep this one my phone regardless, so it gets a 5 from me.

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Fri Jan 15 2021
4

в целом я понимаю смысл нахождения этого альбома в списке. альбом в большой степени состоит из зацикленных ударных, пропущенных через дилэй и прочую гадость: такой саунддизайн был необычен в 1995, и по прежнему остается таковым. структуры в треках этого альбома крайне устарели на наше время, но я уверен, что этот альбом вдохновил многих современных продюсеров на усовершенствование находок самих Сабель, напрмер характерный подгруженный синтезированный бас, ставший столь модным за последние лет 10. интересно, свежо и крайне изобретательно, но не бриллиантово, поэтому 8/10.

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Thu May 20 2021
4

I like it. Would be 3.5. But tiebreaker I’ll lean up.

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Mon Apr 19 2021
4

Me gustó pero no es para todos los públicos

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Mon Jun 14 2021
4

Techno. Parece banda sonora.

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Sun Jan 24 2021
4

Never even heard of these but absolutely loved it. Like listening to one of those albums as a teenager where you just wanted to know more about them and listen to everything. Fantastic.

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Mon Jun 07 2021
4

Pretty mesmerizing by the end

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Fri Jul 09 2021
4

I would listen to this again. It was pretty chill while I prepped dinner.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
4

Pleasant surprise. Enjoyable listen, not sure it will be a regular listen mind.

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Fri Apr 09 2021
4

Brilliant stuff - gets better and better as it goes on

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Sun Mar 21 2021
4

Слушать можно, не раздражает

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Fri Aug 27 2021
4

Seemed to the nail the vibe it was going for

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Fri Oct 22 2021
4

A techno concept album. Worked for me.

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Mon Oct 25 2021
4

Brilliant stuff - gets better and better as it goes on

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Mon Oct 25 2021
4

It was nice to have this album pop up the week before Halloween. True to its title, HAUNTED DANCEHALL would make a great soundtrack to a Halloween cocktail party. Or any shmoozy cocktail party. Or the dim lobby or lounge in a boutique hotel. I enjoyed having this music on. There are some great beats, unique sounds, and interesting melodies. Hard to pick any favorites as all worked well for me. Loved the music and sounds in “Tow Truck” and “Theme” had some cool beats and guitar. The title track “Haunted Dancehall” was well-titled and would make great music for a horror movie. Loved it! The album isn’t something I’d put on as an activity in and of itself, but it makes great background music for doing other things. The music is interesting without being overly distracting. HAUNTED DANCEHALL is long, but that works fine when I’m listening to it in the background. It’s full of tricks and treats, not boring or annoying as it explores some unique musical soundscapes.

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Wed Dec 15 2021
4

I listened to this while having some Guinness and talking about life with my brother, for that it is really fitting. Really unique ambient house with some interesting textures, especially on the drum tracks. A lot of the songs feel like you're listening to an 808 trapped inside of a black hole

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Fri Apr 01 2022
4

Some very good songs on this record, especially the Ballad of Nicky McGuire and the closing title song, but also a few tracks that I found quite repetitive and uninteresting (Wilmot for example). So overall a good album, but not as good as I remembered it to be.

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Wed Jun 15 2022
4

Mad techno sounds and cool beats and includes the classics Wilmot and Theme. Play this in the background to improve your focus.

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Sun Oct 16 2022
4

Very tasteful techno music during the whole project, which is one of the best of the genre at least of that period.

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Fri Nov 04 2022
4

It was a good background work album

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Fri Nov 18 2022
4

Pretty niche electronica, but plenty of interest, I really enjoyed it

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Wed Jan 25 2023
4

Yeah it’s slow and boring but that’s the point. I think I had Wilmot on 10” single. Good times.

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Fri Feb 10 2023
4

Some excellent grooves here, I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. Its spareness means it works as background music, but has intricacies that makes it worthy of close headphone listening too. "Duke of Earlsfield" was the song that hooked me.

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Fri Feb 10 2023
4

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Planet d, Wilmot, Theme

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Mon Feb 13 2023
4

Great ambient dub techno or whatever you want to describe it with. Haunted Dancehall is as good a description as anything else. Stands up well.

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Wed Mar 29 2023
4

This was really cool. I don't think I'm ever going to revisit, but I'm glad I gave it a listen. I can definitely understand how this industrial style electronica was influential.

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Sun Apr 09 2023
4

Surprisingly enjoyable. Did not expect to like it but slid down smooth as silk. I appreciate wordless music that allows me to get some work done while listening to it. Creates a soundscape and just lets you sit in it for the whole album.

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Thu Apr 27 2023
4

Enjoyable. It's a little more dated, definitely has the same structure a lot of 90s techno had, with "let's slowly introduce one instrument after the other and then bring it back down." But it's good.

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Fri May 05 2023
4

Liked it! Others in my group disparaged this album, for good reason, it wasn't their style. To me, this album was gradual, repetitive, and cumulative. The music was understated but I think I liked the sound overall, so I was happy to have this on in the background while I was thinking or focusing on other things.

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Mon Jun 05 2023
4

When I first read about this album I was so bummed to get it. I am just so tired of albums I haven't heard of on this list being electronic British artists from the 80s, 90s, or 2000s. But I was pleasantly surprised with this. Listened to it twice through while being productive around the house and it was perfect. This is still out of purview, so I don't feel like I can say a ton more about it. But I dig it.

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Tue Jun 06 2023
4

I was worried about another electronic album, but this was surprisingly good. More trip-hop and other influences.

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Tue Jun 27 2023
4

Back on our '90s electronic wave. This one's wild though! Some crazy rhythms and basslines that feel truly ahead of their time, the kind of stuff that's still gripping and hard (double pause) to this day. There are stretches of songs I didn't find interesting, but the highs were impressively high. Never heard of this group/artist before, but I wouldn't mind another from them if they keep up this energy. Favorite tracks: Bubble and Slide II, Duke of Earlsfield, Chapel Street Market 9AM, Haunted Dancehall. Album art: Got that classic red/white/black color scheme I love. It's a little drawing of a straight razor. Not much else to it, but it's pretty effective. Right between forgettable and memorable for me. 4/5

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Tue Jun 27 2023
4

This album made me realize that the electronic scene has been around for a while. I love its current form, but I’m learning now of the roots of a lot of it. I can’t say if this or other ones we have heard inspired the ones we love today but this felt like a cool album that I know I’d never have listened to without this list and it felt like being in a Time Machine. Sort of jet set radio type but also with that 90’s edge of electronic even though it’s listed as alternative. I feel like a counter culture Gen X in the 90s would have had this album.

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Wed Jun 28 2023
4

Going in totally blind I was delighted with Bubble and Slide but worried that was just an intro. But no, that's what this is. And I love it! I mean I wouldn't take it out for a run, but sitting here coding it is just right.

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Thu Jun 29 2023
4

Pretty cool experimental album if you skip the rough bunch of tracks and look past the few places where the style slips into club music.

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Tue Jul 25 2023
4

Man, I enjoyed this a lot. Never come across this album, or this artist before. Sure, it starts off a bit messy, not really finding its way for a few tracks, but it does get there. One of the few times I'll listen to the same album again the next day.

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Fri Aug 11 2023
4

I haven't given this one a spin in a long time. Creaking with old age at this point, but 4*s for what it meant to me back in the day. Andy Weatherall shaped a lot of my musical taste over the years - RIP

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Sat Aug 12 2023
4

This is apparent a foundational techno album and is somewhat of a concept album as well. I found the first few songs a bit rudimentary, but as the album developed, the songs became more complex and textured. I really started getting into the groove of the album about 1/3 of the way through. I will say that it was a bit too long, but I think I would like to return to this again.

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Fri Aug 25 2023
4

Pretty long, but pretty cool for an electronic album. I am beginning to realize I like a lot of the 90s electronic music.

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Fri Sep 15 2023
4

Great album to listen to when working. Lots of nice grooves and sounds. Goes on a bit long, I think cutting a few tracks would help made the experience a bit better

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Fri Sep 29 2023
4

I have never heard of The Sabres of Paradise or any of the music on Haunted Dancehall. I don't know how to categorize this music, but I can work with it. I enjoyed listening to this album. The general aesthetic of the tracks on this album feels like the tracks belong together and they make up a recognizable whole. I wasn't wondering why the band didn't stop sooner, becasue there was enough diversity between the tracks. Haunted Dancehall is electronic music, but not generically so. I was reminded of a variety of other artists during this listen, but combined in small amounts here and there. One of my favorite tracks was "Wilmot" which for a few moments reminded me of old jazz in the style of Cab Calloway, and then shifted into a middle eastern vibe and back out again. ("Return to Planet D" was my next highest rated track.) "Ballad of Nicky McGuire" reminded me of The Beastie Boys' The In Sound from Way Out!. The title track sounded like it could be part of the soundtrack to Stranger Things. I would come back for a second listen.

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Sun Oct 08 2023
4

8/10 I love me some weird ol’ experimental electronic music it’s no Aphex Twin, but it’s still pretty tight

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