Haunted Dancehall

I was eager to stop listening to this.

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?!

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

that's a no from me dawg

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

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

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

Did not enjoy

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

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.

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

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

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!

Nix für mich

Absolutely brutal.

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

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

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

First song sounded like really broken plumbing

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

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!"

The dancehall is haunted by the ghosts of those who died of boredom listening to this.

The soundtrack to a migraine.

Oh this is so awesome and right up my alley. I'd never heard of these guys before so what a treat. Bubble and Silde starts off on the right foot but Bubble and Slide II take the cake for me. Duke of Earlsfield is a jam with Planet D, Wilmot, and Theme amping up again. There's just so much to like, for me, on this album.

Surprisingly great! Don't get why this record gets so much hate - it's inventive, has some good tunes here and there and it manages to keep your attention, though it's over an hour long. 9/10, but 5/5

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

On of the best electronic albums I've heard

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.

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.

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

Really good stuff. Had never heard of it before.

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

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.

enjoyed it more the more i listened. interesting.

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.

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

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

Idk man my feet are itchy

A wide range of ringtones trying to pass off as "songs".

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.

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

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.

nice songs for coding...

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"

Spooktacular 👻

One of the all time greats.

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

amazing

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.

Oh heck yeah! I loved it!

Surprisingly good.

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.

странный альбом но допустим....

Good experimental! 5/5

Great background sound.

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.

Maybe it’s the ADHD/transfemme brainworms, but this is exactly the kind of all-inclusive, anything goes, subtextual, just plain old weird yet chaotic experience teetering between a rave and a sensory deprivation tank that soothes my mind and speaks to my soul.

Great for studying.

Thoroughly enjoyed this even though the first track sounded like some guy taking a shit

yes

I love the spooky, dark vibe throughout this album. It really feels conceptual in spite of being entirely instrumental. One of those albums you can just get lost in. I'm always happy to see more electronic inclusion here as well.

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.

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

Me gustó pero no es para todos los públicos

Techno. Parece banda sonora.

Theme y wilnot

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.

Pretty mesmerizing by the end

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

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

Brilliant stuff - gets better and better as it goes on

Слушать можно, не раздражает

Seemed to the nail the vibe it was going for

Oh my....

A techno concept album. Worked for me.

Brilliant stuff - gets better and better as it goes on

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.

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Bubble and Silde, Wilmot, Tow Truck Cutting Edge: Cutting Edge Overall Notes: I understand that people on this website seem not to click with these beat-driven, electronic instrumental albums (particularly when they're over an hour) but this was really good? I was expecting it to be awful sampling and haphazard bass but instead I'm hearing well engineered atmospheric techno. My only gripe is that it's over an hour long but even that I didn't feel too much. Give this one a chance, throw it on while you're doing something else if you have to. It's worth it.

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

massa, viu

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.

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

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

It was a good background work album

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

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

Totally dig this. 4/5

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.

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

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.

cool

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.

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.

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.

Fett!

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.

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.

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

Отлично 👍

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