Dig Your Own Hole

“Dig Your Own Hole” by The Chemical Brothers (1997) Well, here’s an album that forces the serious listener to revisit his or her definition of “recorded music”. And since it is no doubt “recorded”, what is under examination here is one’s understanding of the term “music”. Is this “music”? Well, not in the conventional sense. It is excruciatingly repetitive, mechanical, unrelenting, static, and almost entirely at one tempo (about 120 beats per minute, but who’s counting?). It would be good background sound for a boring workout, or the first ten minutes of the evening’s endeavor to get lucky. And since The Chemical Brothers all but concede that lyrics are irrelevant, one can add meaninglessness to the list of this album’s characteristics. The lyrics to the track “It Doesn’t Matter” pretty well sum it up. But out of an artistic respect for the possibility that this is precisely the point, perhaps one can assess whether The Chemical Brothers are successful at conveying mindless alienation devoid of intelligible content or feeling of any sort. They are not. I know this album peaked at #1 on the UK charts, but maybe that says more about the UK than it does about this album. 1/5

I'm guessing at the right club, with the right lighting, at the right age, with the right drugs, this could be enjoyable. But without that mix, it's beyond annoying. Get off my lawn.

never gets old. unlike me.

This took me back to my big drug taking days. What a trip. Every Tuesday afternoon we'd finish training, I'd get showered in the jizz of the entire Chelsea first team and backroom staff, take a load of pills and hit the clubs buzzin' off me tits. Eat my dick, life.

Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Who is dis doin' this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'?

I expect this album is going to score relatively poorly on this site. Those people are wrong and this album is in fact 'mint'.

I remain on the fence about the whole DJ thing. Which is so dumb, any question of whether remix and mash up are art is very long since settled. Even mentioning it, I sound like some backwards art historian trying to get a discussion going about whether photography belongs in the study of visual arts. Even given my backwards skepticism, this is clearly at the top of the genre and in fact an album I purchased when it came out.

I bet this is what Elon Musk listens to while pretending to play Diablo while on Ketamine.

Really liked it. Based on the album's age, I can see that this music set the precedent for other bands such as Beastie Boys.

A nailed-on 5 and without any competition the best dance/electronica album ever made.

The music was interesting but it was too long, too loud, and too intense. Almost couldn't make it through. 3

Taking the swirling eclecticism of their post-techno debut, Exit Planet Dust, to the extreme, the Chemical Brothers blow all stylistic boundaries down with their second album, Dig Your Own Hole. Bigger, bolder, and more adventurous than Exit Planet Dust, Dig Your Own Hole opens with the slamming cacophony of "Block Rockin' Beats," where hip-hop meets hardcore techno, complete with a Schoolly D sample and an elastic bass riff. Everything is going on at once in "Block Rockin' Beats," and it sets the pace for the rest of the record, where songs and styles blur into a continuous kaleidoscope of sound. It rocks hard enough for the pop audience, but it doesn't compromise either the Chemicals' sound or the adventurous, futuristic spirit of electronica -- even "Setting Sun," with its sly homages to the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" and Noel Gallagher's twisting, catchy melody, doesn't sound like retro psychedelia; it sounds vibrant, unexpected, and utterly contemporary. There are no distinctions between different styles, and the Chemicals sound as if they're having fun, building Dig Your Own Hole from fragments of the past, distorting the rhythms and samples, and pushing it forward with an intoxicating rush of synthesizers, electronics, and layered drum machines. The Chemical Brothers might not push forward into self-consciously arty territories like some of their electronic peers, but they have more style and focus, constructing a blindingly innovative and relentlessly propulsive album that's an exhilarating listen -- one that sounds positively new but utterly inviting at the same time.

Hooked me, lost me, hooked me, lost me. Overall charmed by it. Block Rockin Beats was one of my faves as a teen listening to Jock Jams in my room and tossing a football to myself as I made diving catches onto my bed. Never listened to this whole album before, but glad to have now.

The breakbeat drums are sick, I love how they sound. The grooves are pretty gnarly and scuzzy. Sounds a little like some of the stuff you might hear on a rage album. Explosive, dancey, groovy. The tracks are never stagnant, hardly drag, honestly I really love this

Where to begin with this one? Another formative album for me, so hard to judge objectively. Probably one of the first electronic records I got into as a teenager. This album, Daft Punk and Justice opened up a whole new world of music for me, even though I missed out on it the first time around (I think I was 6 when this album was released). The way the songs flow into each other is beautiful, even when they get abrasive. I especially love the last two songs, in spite of the weird lawnmower like grinding towards the end of Where Do I Begin and the possibly-too-obvious Beatles influences on The Private Psychedelic Reel.

Fucking love this album. Just great song after great song, with everything being something you can move your feet too. I rarely give an album 5/5 just for being fun, but here we are 5/5

This album was much better than I expected a psychedelic house album to be. Its opening track is well known, and the rest of the album is just as good. There are some low points in the middle of the album, but this is an overall fantastic album. 4.7/5 stars

A guy can make a case for Doing Drugs as a creative exercise. Sometimes people can access a way of expressing an idea, sometimes they can access the idea itself, while doing drugs. Regardless of someone’s moral stance, it can at least have artistic merit. This album is a Doing Drugs album that never gets past “huh huh this is trippy mate innit”. It sounds like the least interesting guy you’ve ever met, telling you about that one time they did DMT. Man this sucks.

A little rave in my pocket. Engaging enough to be entertaining, passive enough to make work go a little smoother today. The year this was released makes me feel like this was a massive influence in the early 00s, I can point out a lot of movies that kept the same gritty hard bass sound. Favorite tracks: "Elektrobank", "It Doesn't Matter"

Lazer Blaze music. As a teenager in the 90's, this music appealed to my sensibilities. It was loud, aggressive, driving, and hyperactive. I recall going to the laser tag ("Lazer Blaze". See what they did there?) place and being bombarded with tracks like this. The Mortal Kombat movie soundtrack was a cousin of this. I even bought and enjoyed a few Chemical Brothers albums although not this one. Time hasn't been kind to this, for me. A few of the tracks standout with the notable highs being Block Rockin Beats, Piku, & Setting Sun. I'm just not this energetic or hyperactive anymore and the electronic/dance/noise genre just doesn't appeal to me as much. I'm too tired . This used to be a high 3, or possibly a 4 to my 15-20 year old self, but my 45-50 year old self is tiring of this. High 2, low 3, and mainly on the appreciation of what it WAS to me rather than on the quality of the music. The real low point came from the ceaseless repetition of "It doesn't matter.." on the eponymous track. I literally, like an old man, yelled "Shut up!" and hovered my finger over the skip button. I took a breath, composed myself and kept going but only out of loyalty. (3/5), because it used to mean something. It's a "low" 3, however. Block Rockin Beats still has it.

Why would they pick this album? It's like their worst one. Not to say there isn't some good tracks on here but there are much better overall albums that this one.

"Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void" Variety: 1 Adequacy: 3 Listenability: 3 Uniqueness: 1 Emotionality: 0 = 1.6 rounded up to a 2 INTRO I'm always a little bit wary when something like this pops up that I remember really liking, but which is so chick full of samples and interpolations. While a lot of it really hits and gets stuck in my head, It makes me wonder how much of what I'm listening to is just a very clever sound collage. I have no issues listening to the stuff, like I'm not objecting on some moral ground to sampling, but it does make the standard a bit higher for me when rating something like this. I won't be calling them all out but the info is out there for anyone curious ) https://www.whosampled.com/album/The-Chemical-Brothers/Dig-Your-Own-Hole/). My own memories of this album are vague, and the two big hits are the only ones I can identify by name. And they were pretty huge for a small time. THE TRACKS "Block Rockin' Beats" (Rowlands, Simons, Jesse Weaver) - If this is any indication, then I think any worries I may have had about how well this stuff would stand up might have been unwarranted. Great opening track. Built solidly around a bass line from a Crusaders song, and mixed with a pot of other ingrediants cherry picked from at least nine other songs, the energy on this is undeniably great. The soundtrack of that late 90s breakdance nostalgia. "Dig Your Own Hole" - This one I have no memory of whatsoever. This one is more straight forward and feels much more tied to 1997. Lots of "Firestarter" energy here. Probably fine background music to get dehydrated to at your favorite club, but not my thing. "Elektrobank" - Echoey electronic drum beat with some unintelligible chatter over top. This feels even more ancient to me. Hate this sort of thing now as much as I did then. It picks up again but then feels like maybe a 3rd or 5th attempt to recapture the magic of that first track. Will we be seeing many more of these Temu "Block Rockin' Beats"? "Piku" - Change of pace here with an airy opening that fades out into a nice electronic beat that would not be completely out of place on a more modern track. This one had surprising staying power. "Setting Sun" - While I'm sure these guys went WELL out of their way to avoid sampling the Beatles as even back then that would have proved very, very expensive. But if they did steal any exact bits from "Tomorrow Never Knows" it certainly stole that song's "essence" to paraphrase a once popular comedian. What they did with it though is quite impressive. That doubled siren noise over top is almost as important to the effect though. The last minute of this song I have absolutely no memory of. Maybe the music video ended way before? "It Doesn't Matter" - I love a good hi-hat beat. The distorted radio chatter-like voice no so much. This feels very dated as well, mainly from the effects. More is needed than just the "boots and cats" beat to save this one from the trash pile. Very self aware title. "Don't Stop the Rock" - PEW PEW! Bit repetitive, but this is more like it. This feels like the track where the foam drops. "Get Up on It Like This" - This one felt very generic, and points lost for that abrasively annoying ending. "Lost in the K-Hole" - Worse than generic, this one felt boring to me. I think by this time the sameyness is setting in, and feeling more exhasusted than interested. "Where Do I Begin" - This is the most anomalous track on the album. Nods to the electronic stuff that has come before with some effects, but largely an indie pop thing with some pleasant Beth Orton vocals. Honestly sounds like it belongs on one of her albums for the first half, then morphs into more of what I expected. A bit brighter and lighter. Wish it had returned to the Orton part instead of the awful dental drill we get for the last fourth. "The Private Psychedelic Reel" - Great tone built up here from the beginning. Not so much dark as introspective psychedelic naval gazey stuff. The energy kicks in relatively quickly though and then we stay in this unchanging section for another 7 minutes! Fine enough by comparison to some, but at some point one imagines someone pushed a button on the console to create a loop so they could go have a good long shit. HIGHLIGHTS - "Block Rockin' Beats" - "Piku" - "Setting Sun" ( gonna give that last minute a pass) MIDLIGHTS - "Dig Your Own Hole" - "Don't Stop the Rock" - "Where Do I Begin" - "The Private Psychedelic Reel" LOWLIGHTS - "Elektrobank" - "It Doesn't Matter" - "Get Up on It Like This" - "Lost in the K-Hole" - "Where Do I Begin" FINAL THOUGHTS As with much of this music, I almost always find myself picturing frenetically edited shootouts with people in cool looking coats and / or sunglasses. I was never a clubgoer, so none of this is much associated in my mind with dancing in any way. A lot of this electronic stuff from the period can also feel kind of samey. This one is not immune. It also gelt like these guys would tale a really cool idea and beat the living hell out of it or immediately drop it and go off into these kind of purposefully grating tangents ( Where Do I Begin maybe teh worst offender), so more than half the album ends up feeling like a bunch of lost opportunities. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Save "Block Rockin' Beats", "Piku", "Setting Sun" ( sub it for a radio edit that drops that last minute though) and delete the rest

30% groovy beats and squeaks, 70% migraine simulator. Not until the last three tracks do the tedious spiky loops soften and let in something almost resembling music. But I suspect people who like EDM aren't terribly concerned with musicality. If you just wanted something to nurse your brain death, this would do.

Better than Coldplay

I’ve been swithering about this all day but it has to be a 4.5 rounding up. It’s just banging,flows effortlessly, and there’s a nice mix of up tempo and more mellow tracks. It works. Maybe slightly too long and dips a bit PS that top review is a travesty

Based on the reviews on this site, I know this album isn't everyone's cup of tea, because it isn't some white guy from the 60's pretending that he has the blues, but this album is an absolute classic. One of the best of its genre, which absolutely earns it its place on this list.

Awesome, not my usual genre.

Takes you on a journey - builds and builds, crashes out, then you come out of the end on a euphoric note. Brilliant.

One of my favourite records ever

OK

Good album for energetic, highly rhythmic break beat style EDM. Puts me in the mood to kick butt.

This was kick-ass.

Really like this one

Another one I wish I had discovered as a kid. Excellent.

I'd spent time listening to Prodigy, Daft Punk, Jamiroquai, and Moby, but hadn't really given Chemical Brothers a go and was happy enough to do so. At times driving and aggressive (particularly early on, when I was afraid it was just going to just be an album full of rave music), at other times hazy and ethereal, I had a real problem trying to square how an album could possess all of those quaities and still leave the impression of being boring and overly repetitive. A solid 3/5 that I honestly had higher hopes for.

“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn't matter.” This feels like a You-had-to-be-there album. You had to be at the club when this kicked in. You had to be on some chemicals to pick up what the Chemical Brothers were laying down. You had to be there when John Wick murdered his way across the entire rave dance floor. The Chemical Brothers were heralds. The sound of EDM would come to influence all of pop music, or at least seemed to to me. And it’s hard for me to assess that. If competently done, it sounds…fine enough to dance and trip to, I guess, but beyond that. I don’t know. For me I'm not sure how this music transcends that simple functionality. Block Rockin' Beats went hard and I can see it soundtracking a good action scene or sports highlight mix tape. but again, that goes back to the you had to have been there of it all. As far as the EDM type music goes this is electronica that seems to have less charisma that say a Daft Punk, or am edge like the Prodigy. I dig it well enough: it’s fun. Fun for a night, just not forever.

Does every drum and bass album have to be an hour long? It’s not that I dislike it, it’s that it’s way too long. The last song is by far the most interesting.

Memories of smoking weed in grimey, blacklight lit central NJ basements at the tail end of the 90’s. We’d play Dreamcast, order Domino’s because they were the only pizzeria in the area that delivered and listen to records like this one. Can’t say I miss it much, but that’s how we killed time in the middle of nowhere without drivers licenses.

So I never listened to a Chemical Brothers album start-to-finish before, and I found the music to be energetic, fairly original, and I enjoyed the style and beats for the most part… There really aren’t any vocals here – perhaps some spoken word and/or recorded voices – but the music really stands on its own… “Don’t Stop The Rock” & “Where Do I Begin” were my favorite tracks, but there really isn’t a bad on the album – of course nothing spectacular either, but everything is quite solid – and I enjoyed what sounded like a rhythmic “crackle” on one of the tracks… On the downside, the only thought that kept running through my brain as I listened, was how lame the electronic drums sounded… As a drummer, it just kept bothering me more and more as the album played… I get that it was 1997 and that technology was probably quite limited as compared to today, but it REALLY sounded dated – and there really much variation in those sounds… The corollary to what I disliked about the audio quality of the electronic drums, was that I kept imaging how amazing these tracks would have sounded with a live drummer, playing a real set… Wish they would have remastered it with better drums, but that’s just me… Would probably rate this as a 2.50, but can’t get it to a 3 based on my drum issue (i.e. again – love the beats, just not the lame audio quality of them – and all of the cymbal and hi-hat sounds were perhaps the worst…), so a 2 it is…

The repetition in some of these songs makes my brain hurt. Setting Sun reminds me of Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles. Some of these songs have grooves that I can get into, but overall it's just not my thing. 2 stars.

Didn't finish. It didn't sound good but I could see it in some situations, so maybe a low 3

A 1 feels really harsh but I am absolutely not finishing this. It literally gave me a headache. Best song: There were songs?

Hated it. Very repetitive.

A seminal part of my young adulthood where I was exploring my "own" music, not what the parents played. So, right out of the gates we are about to rocksteady with some "Block Rockin' Beats" that may be the most known electronica song of all time. This one was all over MTV, where I first discovered it. I can't say if it was this track that really got me into the genre or "Keep Hope Alive" by The Crystal Method. Pretty sure it got openmindz in though. Either way, BRB still bumps to this day. That guitar riff is so sick. Next, you will pop the drugs and start to "Dig Your Own Hole." This one really starts to show the experimentation CB is starting to delve into. Again, loving the use of what is guitar like synthetic sounds with crisp beats. Throw in tribals and some springs and keep me hooked. A feel like a journey begins here where you climb yourself out that hole and head over to the "Elektrobank" to withdraw some dirty money. You get the grimy funk from a dark, sweaty basement. You can feel it oozing off the walls. Who is this doing this synthetic type of alpha beta psychedelic funkin'? Them Dusty Bros baby! You head bop to this and then crawl out of that basement. Across the street you spot a hash bar, "Piku," so you saunter in and slide into a nice cushy chair with a spliff and a bourbon neat. This track will melt you. Doze off a bit and then BOOM...rude awakening. Time to get the fuck out as the bouncer is tossing you on to the curb. ("Setting Sun" is usually not liked by many but I love it.) Hard Chemicals coming at you. Deep and deadly beat like a bomb going off. Buzz-saw cutting through your ears and alien robots attacking from all sides. All the while you see the sun setting on your last day on earth. (Put a little of the worse Gallagher and you still have something special.) By the end of the track you are searching for the Oasis but the clock is ticking and you start to see ghostly apparitions and then life cuts short. (This track was in "The Saint," great movie, and should have been featured in "Sucker Punch.") At this point you are dead and "It Doesn't Matter" so join the rave party on the banks of the river Styx with Charon at the turntables. You are in limbo and a crowd of soulless lifeforms (maybe more robots) engulfs you. They throw on a boat with rowbo-wraiths manning the oars. You arrive at the the next party, which you aren't sure if it's heaven or hell. "Don't Stop the Beats" but please stop the annoying boop-beeps. They are offbeat and I can't get over it. Without the R2D2's, this track is great...those spinning rings ajingle-janglin' on a wire. Then comes the annoying printer jam...FUCK! this is hell. Finally, there is a portal. You get closer and closer and escape to an all out breakdance battle. The portal fades in the background but you get trapped for a second, almost pulled back, like the record of life is skipping but the music grabs you again and you "Get Up On It Like This," busting moves. (The Cabans and I used to play this one and shred some linoleum in their garage. Don't worry about the screeching cat...this isn't a Monty Python album.) Alright, nice battle, now let's take some Ketamine and get "Lost in a K-Hole." Wait...it was your idea (I don't care what the lyrics are really...IT DOESN'T MATTER). Anyways, I'm ok with it cause I am chilling the fuck out at this point. Zone out... Next morning, "Where Do I Begin?" Wake up and what a great trip but I'm in some stranger's bed and can't see straight. Get motivated and find food...maybe some water cause I'm really hungover. Oh no...here come the spins...whoa caught that one. Nope...Special K is comin back on me. I'm pulled right back into the whole night and watching my own "Private Psychedelic Reel"...damn what an adventure. Life flying by before your eyes. To wrap this one up...I love the use of digital replacements for real-life sounds like sirens, explosions, buzz-saws, lightening etc. that the boys created from scratch (you know when you hear it). They branch out more on this one from the debut and they nail it 99%. Highly recommend with headphones for true experience, which if you were around me in 1997, you probably saw me on the couch, in my room, or in the car on my discman spinning this cd nonstop. I'm sure mom and dad thought I was on drugs listening to this but I wasn't although I may have to experience this one day how it was meant to be really experienced...4.54 stars.

Mega!!!!!!!!*****

This album still hits sooo hard after 20 years. That is a testament of how bloody good this album is!

Ace, what a great album

I think I found a new top artist. I'm checking out the whole discography now.

Classic

The album that made ,e understand how good electronic music can be. If you don’t feel this, you’re heartless.

Iconic breakbeat

The beginning of the album takes off in an explosion, very fun. It sagged a little for me in the middle but still ended strong. A really fun mix of rock/electronic. Rating: 4.7

An album that has everything. The hits are euphoric, danceable and immaculately crafted. The tracks inbetween bleed into each other and set up the highs and payoffs throughout the tracklisting. The closing pair is a masterclass in neo-psychedelic climax. Even the sequencing is perfect; a deeply satisfying listen whether on headphones, in the car or live through enormous, ribcage-rattling speakers. You could make a strong case for its successor, Surrender, being an even better album but the timing of everything going on at the time just made this an iconic pillar of the exciting, varied British music scene in 1997. It’s a masterpiece.

I've been kind of down on the Chemical Brothers lately. I saw them DJ last year the Portola festival and didn't leave as wowed as I was hoping; after being impressed with their visuals and less impressed with their music at their live set at Coachella 2023 I entered the DJ set hoping for something explosive like their famed sets of yore but didn't quite get that. The expectations for the Chemical Brothers are high in the US. If you're an American fan, they take on a near mythic status because, to be frank, Americans do not give a fuck about the Chemical Brothers and consequently they never play here. Everyone speaks of them in apotheotic terms here. Every time I felt let down by them, I felt like I was letting down their fans. I hadn't listened to this album in a while, and my expectations were tempered. They shouldn't have been. This album still rules, and probably remains the best big beat record of any kind. "Block Rockin' Beats" explodes rap samples into arena house so loud it'll shake the tinniest of speakers and from there they build up, transitioning from song to song that feels like the energetic DJ sets I'd been hoping for, tumbling through tacks like "Elektrobank" and "It Doesn't Matter" that take inspiration from acid, breakbeats, and house without dropping the energy. If "Block Rockin' Beats" is the buildup, the comedown is equally satisfying, with closers "Where Do I Begin" and "The Private Psychedelic Reel" entering dragged out, blissed out psych territory that feels like watching the sun rise after the "Setting Sun" of a raging night out. It's perfectly sequenced, a full rave in 63 minutes. Satisfaction guaranteed here.

These guys are the good guy versions of the Prodigy. Same time frame. Same feel except ones darker and the other is radio friendly. Whereas this type of music generally has its own feel per song, this album feels like it’s telling a vocal less journey of exploration. Like you have no idea where you’re going but you’re going somewhere man. I like this drum and bass or techno or whatever you call it. A little too much sunshine for me but whatever. Drugs like this music as well. Choice cut: Setting Sun

Banger Album. Can't belive that it is already nearly 30 years old.

Incredible album, so much influence on my favorite artists, makes me feel like I was around for 90’s rave culture despite having been 2 years old when the album was released. The grimy aesthetic and sampling are just classic in every way. No sense wondering why the late 90’s were full of imitators of the Chemical Brothers and the Prodigy, the energy they were embodying was undeniable.

Giga big funky start Giga big funky continue LEGO RACERS 2 MENTIONED!!! We're so back

BLOCK ROCKIN BEATS

Perfect chemical music! Masterpiece! However, the title track is not impressive, IMHO.

**In-Depth Review: *Dig Your Own Hole* by The Chemical Brothers** Released: April 7, 1997 Genre: Big beat, electronica, breakbeat, psychedelic rock Label: Virgin Records Producers: Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons (The Chemical Brothers) --- ### 🎧 **Album Overview** *Dig Your Own Hole* is the second studio album by The Chemical Brothers and a landmark in 1990s electronic music. It fused breakbeats, psychedelia, hip-hop, and rock into a cohesive, high-energy experience that helped define the “big beat” genre. The album debuted at #1 in the UK and broke into the US Top 20, signaling a major breakthrough for electronic music in North America. --- ### 🎤 **Lyrics & Vocals** Lyrics are minimal and often secondary to the sonic experience, but when present, they are impactful. Tracks like “Block Rockin’ Beats” use sampled vocal hooks (e.g., Schoolly D’s “Back with another one of those block rockin’ beats”) to drive rhythm and attitude rather than narrative. “Setting Sun,” featuring Noel Gallagher, is a standout with its psychedelic, Beatles-esque lyrics: > “You’re the demon in me, you bring me down” These lyrics echo the chaotic, altered-state themes of the album, reinforcing its trippy, rave-ready atmosphere. --- ### 🎶 **Music & Composition** Musically, *Dig Your Own Hole* is a genre-blending tour de force. It opens with the explosive “Block Rockin’ Beats,” a breakbeat-driven anthem with hip-hop swagger and techno urgency. Tracks like “Elektrobank” and “It Doesn’t Matter” showcase the duo’s ability to build tension and release through layered synths, distorted samples, and relentless percussion. The album climaxes with “The Private Psychedelic Reel,” a 9-minute psychedelic epic featuring sitar, clarinet, and swirling synths—a nod to The Beatles’ *Revolver* era and a defining moment of the album’s ambition. --- ### 🎛️ **Production & Sound Design** Production is where this album truly shines. Rowlands and Simons crafted a dense, immersive soundscape using analog synths, drum machines, and a vast array of samples. The album is sequenced like a DJ set, with seamless transitions and a continuous flow that maintains energy and cohesion. Songs like “Lost in the K-Hole” and “Where Do I Begin” demonstrate their skill in creating atmospheric depth, balancing chaos with clarity. --- ### 🌀 **Themes & Aesthetics** The album’s themes revolve around altered consciousness, rave culture, and the fusion of organic and synthetic sounds. It’s a sonic journey through night-time euphoria, disorientation, and psychedelic exploration. The title itself—*Dig Your Own Hole*—suggests both empowerment and escapism, a metaphor for losing and finding oneself in music. --- ### 🌍 **Influence & Legacy** *Dig Your Own Hole* was a cultural moment. It brought big beat to the mainstream and influenced countless artists across electronic, rock, and hip-hop. Its music videos, directed by Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry, became MTV staples and helped define the visual aesthetic of late-90s electronica. The album is often cited as a gateway into electronic music for rock fans and remains a touchstone for its genre-defying sound. --- ### ✅ **Pros** - **Innovative production**: Seamless blending of breakbeats, rock, and psychedelia. - **Genre-defining**: Helped establish big beat as a mainstream force. - **Cohesive flow**: Structured like a DJ set, enhancing immersion. - **Iconic tracks**: “Block Rockin’ Beats,” “Setting Sun,” and “The Private Psychedelic Reel” are classics. - **Visual impact**: Memorable music videos boosted its cultural reach. --- ### ❌ **Cons** - **Minimal lyrical depth**: May disappoint listeners seeking narrative or emotional resonance. - **Repetitive structures**: Some tracks rely heavily on loops and may feel monotonous to non-dance audiences. - **Dated elements**: While influential, some production choices feel very “of the 90s.” --- ### 🏁 **Final Verdict** *Dig Your Own Hole* is a landmark album that pushed electronic music into new territory. It’s bold, chaotic, and visionary—an adrenaline shot of sound that still feels exhilarating decades later. While not for everyone, its influence and ambition are undeniable. **Rating: 9/10** **Essential Tracks**: - “Block Rockin’ Beats” - “Setting Sun” - “Elektrobank” - “The Private Psychedelic Reel”

I have this one in a LTD Japanese release so you understand how my rating will go.Back then i thought it was a bit too louder than i wanted,but almost 29 years later i find it just perfect.As i used to dj and produce till now i find this highly creative and so many genres and influences inclusive.The selection of samples alone and the Beatles reference show the love for music Chemical Brothers have 'till now,as with every electronic band,dj or producer.So basically you need to have a genre crossing ear to fully comprehend and appreciate this album.Here as also djs they had extra abilities to boost each track and the freedom to combine all the influences electronically.And this was fully supported live,so everything was well programmed and played live if needed which is a genius and a complicated thing to do.That's for the haters that didn't make the effort to hear this album till the very end. Tracks breakdown: Block Rockin' Beats. astral fx sounds, the drums sample of Bernard Purdie's Changes,bass sample from Crusaders'The Well's Gone Dry,and vocal sample by Schoolly D. Loud and funky as hell.Creative modulations on everything from electronic sounds to drums.Electronic psychedelia at the end that reminds me a bit of a Prodigy aggresiveness,Meat Beat Manifesto and big beat wizadry of Fat Boy Slim. We used to listen to this with my brother-in-law who was actually a classic rock fan and we both were headbanging throughout the song.That tells everything. Cohesively in Dig Your Own Hole we got great vocal sampling.distorted guitar throughtout, big beating along with huge fx and modulated synth and funky bass sounds. In Elektrobank they speeded up the drum sample of Hit or Miss by Odetta. Distorted through vocoders vocal sample with delayed big beats along with crazy fx again and modulated synth and bass sounds.Prodigy's Full Throttle vibes.Synthetic funk,electronic hip hop that rocks like hell kinda result.Ends with a serious cut in tempo of the whole track that sounds like a dystopian electro-phychedelia. Piku is like an electro-phychedelia improvisation with crazy sampling,especially there are some hip hop drums with oldschool vinyl fx that intervein at times along with heavy reverbed pads that gives it a melodic texture. Setting Sun begins with a huge drum beat.Crazy modulated synth sounds and fx and Noel Gallagher appears with soulful, echoing and phychedelic vocals. It Doesn't Matter starts with a disco drum machine and heavy modulated sampled vocals.Right after, it builds with techno repetative bass and crazy fx.Later on snare comes in,has a breakdown and a very french tech filter house build up with sparse creative delayed hihats that comes and goes from left to right. The synth at the end of the previous track smartly glues as an intro to the techno Don't Stop The Rock track.The synth here is treated as experiments in a rock guitar.Heavily based and progresses through modulations as all techno tracks. Get Up On Like This gets us back in the electro-funk sampled big beat phychedelia.Some scratching involved.Great vocal sample pick that evolves throughout. Lost In The K-Hole,has experimental drumming intro,very frenchy with intimate male vocals reversed and back straight.Nice pad and synth sounds.Bass is funky as hell.Great drums as well.Really spaced-out and beautiful.One of my favourites. Where Do I Begin has a reversed guitar intro that stays and Beth Orton pops up with sirene vocals.Synths and fx are harmonised in the key of the song complementing it.Some flutes can also be heard.Then all these glue together with beautiful beats.The melody is a sped up and phased sample of Mazzy Star's Give You My Love.I like what they did here,sounds even better than the original.Ends up with heavy distortion blending beautifully with next track's melody as a contradiction.Genius.Another favourite. The Private Psychedelic Reel,has a hindu meditation kinda thing intro that distorts a bit,then huge big beats amplifies it's groove along with the haunting repetative melody sample and the absolutely fantastic and emotional pads.Distant at times,heavily distorted mostly, reverbed oriental sounds invade giving an another texture.Sick fx.Clubbish Breakbeat from Mars that also has earthly oriental samples.One of my favourites also.What a closing track. 5/5

Bangers!

After getting Exit Planet Dust, I felt that the Chemical Brothers were the antidote I needed with my fatigue with electronic music. Not only did this album confirm that feeling, it pretty much showed me that electronic music CAN be good. It’s relentless, beautiful, and most importantly, fun. It doesn’t retreat into background music, or oversaturate itself with repetitive samples. Yeah, there’s repetition, but it’s the rare form that sustains the energy. This is going to be the standard I hold electronic music to from here on out. Thank god for the Chemical Brothers. Favorite track: Elektrobank Other hits: Dig Your Own Hole, Block Rockin’ Beats, It Doesn’t Matter, Get Up On It Like This, Where Do I Begin, The Private Psychedelic Reel, Setting Sun

this was awesome, really good electronic record, really glad i heard it, i just enjoyed every single track, bangers

Great album

Great album

Most electronic music tends to get overly redundant, but this album manages to not be so. The first two tracks are definitely the best, but the rest is still solid. Electrobank is the weakest, but still better then most electronic I’ve listened to.

Brilliant

Man this chemical bros album. They looked at prodigy and was like… hold my beer

What. An. Album!!! Absolutely breathtaking big beat rock hip hop dance mash up! It’s absolutely tremendous! Genuinely not a bad track on this album, it’s fucking HUGE!!!

6 out of 5

Outstanding start. My guess is a 4 at the moment. Really nice, definitely a 4. Perhaps a 5.

Stadium worthy electronica that rocks hard in a severely funky place. Block Rockin Beats is a sheerest of slam dunk openers and Setting Sun which features Noel Gallagher is like an Oasis cover of Tomorrow Knows done right. Both superbly siren tastic and both British number ones. Electrobank and Stephen Hawking guesting It Doesn’t Matter futhermore are two delirious and extremely gallant extended dance workouts, It Doesn’t Matter itself only the start of a miniature grinding sandpaper dance suite. On top of that it saves its two greatest tracks till the very end. Where Do I Begin with Beth Orton is just beautiful and with such an immense build-up and breakdown and The Private Psychedelic Reel is as epic as the most epic thing. Overall this is big beat that just can’t be beat. Easy 5.

Feels so nostalgic, an album that feels like it completely sums up the 90's

that might be a top album ive listened to, reallu really cool tracks

I understand this is not for everyone and certainly not for every situation, but I really love the '90s techno/house/x vibe of these albums. Give me more!

My first electronic band and this is arguably their best album. GOATed.

A tru classic.

The electronic genre can be quite tricky to write about, so all I really can say about this album is that it's simply a banger. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

Big beats, big drum fills, big noise - I think this will continue to grow on me too, 4.5, will grow to a 5

"Dig Your Own Hole" is the second studio album by English electronic duo the Chemical Brothers. Big Beat, electronica, breakbeat and pyschedelic rock are the Wiki-listed genres. I'll go with that. The album was self-produced by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. It received critical acclaim and hit #1 in the UK and #14 in the US. The album comes out jamming with "Block Rockin' Beats." Laser sounds, the drum sample of Bernard Purdie's "Changes" and most importantly the bass sample from the Crusaders' "The Well's Gone Dry" and the vocal sample of "Back with another of those block rockin' beats" by Schoolly D. Great sampling throughout and as with most of these songs, a chaotic finish. In "Elektrobank," they speed up the drum sample of "Hit or Miss" by Odetta. Distorted vocals and more vocal sampling. Interesting explosion sounds at the end. "Setting Sun" begins with a grinding and electronic drum beat. Wild synth sounds and then Noel Gallagher appears with echoing and pyschedelic vocals. This is a weird song and the first single. The band uses another guest appearance in "Where Do I Begin" with Beth Orton. The melody is a sped up and phased sample of Mazzy Star's "Give You My Love." Wow, they almost make it sound better than it actually is. Even Beth Orton is hypnotized repeating "Where do I start? Where do I begin?" Creative is a good word to describe this album. Creative beats: drums, electronic drums, dance, hypnotic and just electronic. Creative sampling: speed changes, song selections and vocal selections. Creative synth noises and sounds. The songs get progressively chaotic. Some songs even have a pyschedelic edge. I remember this album sounding ahead of its time on 1997 and it still sounds futuristic. One of the better electronic, dance and EDM I've heard. A high recommendation to go back and listen.

Strong album

a classic.

Great overall listen

Absolutely grimy, relentless beats that will get your head bopping, your ears ringing and the rest of your body violently sweating. And once all that is done, you get to nod away to the much more mellow psychedelic treat that is the second half.

Just fantastic early electronic album.

Grand album

wait . . . . . 🤔 let me listening again 😍

https://youtu.be/D2jVUyPq4mI

Under rated, tbh. This is still going hard more than 25 years later. The Chemical Brothers are pretty handily one of the best artists of the big beat scene, a lot of it sounds pretty dated now. This does too, but it's also still cool sounding.

I gave Exit Planet Dust a five star review with only the text "Bangers", and I could really just do the same here, TBH. But I want to add that Setting Sun is amazing, captures the vibe of Tomorrow Never Knows and amps it up.

I like the way it makes my brain feel

Stellar, showing everyone how it’s done. Sound is full but so well balanced, everything fits 4.7

This is intense. I'm amazed at how many songs I know on Dig Your Own Hole. Great beats and samples. Liked Songs Added: Block Rockin' Beats Setting Sun Lost In The K Hole The Private Psychedelic Reel

Genius

Loves me some block rockin’ beats

What an antidote to that fat boy arse nonsence. Thisis an example of quality 90s eleconic music. An awesome album fron an awesome band at an awesome time. I remeber glasto 98 stuck in mud up to me knees dancing to this. Ooh they were the days me lad, when you could leave your back door open, everyone knew and despised their local bobby and drum and bass was still called jungle.

There's a time and a place for this repetitive beats nonsense, and Christmas day is as good as any. Perfect foil to all that carols bollocks.

While not perfect, it is great, I was close to giving it a 4, but Setting Sun tipped me up to a 5.