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

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.

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.

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

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'?

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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"

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.

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.

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

Hated it. Very repetitive.

Superb. Really enjoyed this. Also listened to other albums I hadn’t heard yet.

4.7

The Amazing Chemical Brothers! watch as they strap on their rocket skates and do battle with the wicked California Surf Nazis invading the ravefields of New Manchester in 11 thrilling episodes! witness as they do battle with evil normcore monsters created to destroy the K-Citizens wandering the fields, vanquishing each foe with their samurai swords and titanium-reinforced Stratocasters! be astounded by the death defying sonic stunts in each episode -- flying bass kicks in "It Doesn't Matter", flaming song structures in "Elektrobank", and their world renowned... "Block Rockin' Beats"! you might even get to see their elusive and astounding "Private Psychedelic Reel"! don't wait! don't miss out! tune in each Thursday for another, jaw-dropping episode! only on Big Beat Network: "We've Got The Beat."

This has been in my collection for many years. I'm sure this is one of those genres that you either love or hate. I am definitely a Chemical Brothers fan. This album or the first one are probably tied for my favorite. The first record has more variety with some slower, ambienty songs thrown in. This one is pretty relentless with hard beats and multiple layers of chaos until the end, but it's pretty great. The songs with vocals (guests Noel Gallagher and Beth Orton) break up the record a little bit. And the Spike Jonze music video for Electrobank is a f*ckin masterpiece.

Classic

Excellent breakbear album, could not top nodding my head to it.

An absolute balls to the wall classic. Not only a good album of its time, but a building block for the electronic music that followed it. Pace, power, energy, form, skill and production combine something that everyone should be aware of. Its criminal that its so badly rated here.

When i listened this album i felt like im inside a mortal combat game or matrix movie.

The perfect textbook "big beat" / late-nineties british electro album that made the whole 'rock vs. techno' debate moot. You could also select Prodigy's *The Fat Of The Land*, out the same year. Out of the 11 tracks of *Dig Your Own Hole*, six explain why the latter is worthy of such a list. It doesn't look like much, but those six tracks alone are the equivalent of a 40-ish-minute album. There us the iconic "Block Rockin' Beats", with its no less iconic slapped bassline either ripping off Pink Floyd's "Let There Be More Light" or 23 Skidoo's "Coup". There are also the title-track, aptly named given that it digs the same groove than the opener ; "Elektrobank" and its climactic conclusion, like a jet exploding mid-air in slow motion, the hectic yet also melodic "Setting Sun", featuring Noel Gallagher, the moody and more relaxed "Where Do I Begin", and"The Private Psychedelic Reel", a flasy epic 10-minute closer. The rest, mostly drawn from the "electronic battle weapons" series of singles asking DJs to test them on dancefloors, might be a little samey and secondary. And follow-up LP *Surrender* might be more varied, and overall a better album, than *Dig Your Own Hole* (or at least one more accessible). Yet there is still something that screams "essential" in that record. You had to be there at the time to fully understand the thing now. But you *had to* be there, whether in a club or at a friend's party. 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5. 9.5 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: less than 70, I've temporarily lost count here. Number of albums I'll keep in my own list: half, approximately (including this one) Number of albums I *might* keep: a small quarter, approximately. Number of albums I won't keep: a large quarter.

Love these guys.

Iba para 4, pero de pronto aparece Where Do I Begin y ...

This is a exceptional album, it was one of the first of it's kind and paved the way for this style of music. I don't think there is one weak track on it. I've listened to it before, and will listen to it again.

Yes!! Kom maar op met die Block Rockin' Beats! Een album dat ik vaak heb afgespeeld. Met Block Rockin' Beats als start kan het eigenlijk niet meer mis. De andere hit (toch?) Setting Sun heb ik al eens eerder genoemd. Het is knap als je met zo'n zeurende zanger en zo'n bak geluid een top-plaat kan maken. Met deze twee nummers op het album heb je de 5 sterren eigenlijk al te pakken. Toegegeven; de andere nummers hebben niet hetzelfde niveau. Maar dat maakt niet uit. Ik kan nog steeds met veel plezier luisteren naar het pompende It Doesn't Matter, ga goed op het schijnbare rommeltje op Get Up On It Like This en kan zelfs een brakke zondagochtend prima beginnen met Where Do I Begin. Zeker als ik dan ook nog even het laatste nummer laat staan. Bij elkaar haalt dit niet het niveau van Exit Planet Dust. Dus de 10 sterren die ik daar aan uitreikte, zal ik nu niet nog eens uitreiken. Maar ik kom nog steeds met gemak over de 5 sterren heen.

Excelente!!!

Truly, I’m just a girl who loves to dance. I’m especially a sucker for this era of electronic music, with those 303 buzzes and chaotic breakbeats. This style of music just scratches a spot in my brain. It’s the type of shit that would make me lose my shit in the club, but it’s also cerebral, and I have no problem listening to it sober during my 9-to-5. To me, Dig Your Own Hole is a perfectly balanced electronic album – it’s equal parts club and home-producer; equal parts rolling and trip-sitting. Sometimes I think it blends together so much that it feels less like an album and more like a DJ mix, which is fair, but feels less tight as a result. And I will say, The Chemical Brothers build songs in a much slower, less efficient way than their contemporaries, so you can sometimes get lost where you ✨are ✨ in the song. But I think these are minor critiques. When they want to get a room moving, they get that room moving; when they want to make that same room think, they really make everyone sit down and meditate on their lives. I’m not saying it’s better than Homework or even Remedy, but Dig Your Own Hole comes close, and is only a half-step down on the tier list of great 90s electronic albums. Huge fan, will be playing it loud forever now.

FIRE

Still sounds amazing

Block rockin beats - ooo I like this. One of my favorite opening riffs. Dig your own hole - this belongs on the Kim possible soundtrack (my beloved) Setting sun - this one was interesting. The repetitiveness of some of these beats wasn’t my favorite, but I respect the album a lot for doing something interesting and different.

Долго думал, что же поставить за этот альбом: 4 или 5. Все-таки решил, что 5. Альбом -- бомба, нафиг слова, звучание важнее. Block Rockin' Beats, Dig Your Own Hole, Setting Sun и The Private Psychedelic Reel очень хороши. Надеюсь, что эта группа еще встретится в 1001 альбоме.

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

the only mild problem is that is this album is a tad long. but i guess in the context of jumping out of one's head in a club sort of negates that. this album is fucking vibey. i really like it, it's like being locked into a groove for an hour. turning off almost gives the sensation of stepping off a treadmill, the world lurching around you as you find your balance. love it. 5/5

Very different, yet fresh.

I realized I've been a "real instruments only" snob for a long time. I wanted to hate this. I loved it.

When it comes to electronic music, it doesn't get much better than this.

Love this album!

Block party starter Driving beats that move your feet Dance until you’re dead

Found a hidden (from me) gem! Cool music!

Dig Your Own Hole My fave chemical bros album, containing my fave chemicals tune (lost in the k hole - complete with backwards bass and vocals that is as close to being lost in a k hole without the titular chemical!) I’d argue that this album would be better without Noel Gallagher’s ‘setting sun’ which feels like a bit of a play for mainstream airplay and sales (how many oasis completists bought this album just for that song?) but the gamble paid off and paved the way for continued growth. For me, the tunes without ‘guest’ vocals shine brightest (electrobank) and the second half of the album is sublime from ‘it doesn’t matter’ through ‘don’t stop the rock’ and ‘get up in it like this’ which combine techno sounding synths with breakbeat samples and drum loops to create some fierce sounding electro - recommended 🤘🏽

One of the best if not the best big beat album.

Chemical Brothers...

I've listened to this a lot of the years. Good beats and interesting samples.

This is my favorite electronica album, and I listened to this a lot in HS and college. I don't listen to much of this type of music, but when I do, this is the one album I tend to put on.

10/10

Used to love this fucker back in the day. Now he’s a big time racist, elitist piece of shit. Had stopped listening by the time this one came out. There’s nothing necessary about this one. There’s no reason this should be on a list like this.

Love it, multiple replays. 5/5

Classic and a favorite!

Amazing

Lekker album is een vibe

Iba para 4, pero de pronto aparece Where Do I Begin y ...

I was only familiar with the first track on this album, but I've been a long time fan of The Chemical Brothers in general. This was a cool look into their older material. I really liked the use of the "slap bass" element throughout as a melodic instrument in tandem with the more traditional bass. Seems to be a bit of a signature on this album and it was a solid choice. I'm not a big fan of electronic music that becomes too repetitive and doesn't seem to go anywhere. This was the furthest from that. There were a lot of section breaks and return back to earlier sections that helped keep the music fresh and seem more exciting. These guys are pros. The songs moved seamlessly into one another, so much so that I sometimes lost track of where one started and one ended. The entire album felt akin to an orchestral suite, where there are separate movements but they all feel attached to a bigger whole. A solid album. Stand out tracks: Block Rockin' Beats, Setting Sun, Lost in the K-Hole, Where Do I Begin

altså jeg er jo meget gammel så jeg er lidt nostalgisk om elektronisk musik der lyder sådan her. Ikke så cool som Fatboy Slim eller The Prodigy var men det her album er en banger

F*cking SLAP machine

A Fantastic debut album with some surprise artists. I need to listen to this album more.

Great to listen to this again, it's been years. I think Surrender is my favourite Chemical Brothers album, but this is brilliant and the cover takes me back. Love Setting Sun, Get Up On It Like This, and Lost In The K-Hole.

Love it.

Great electro beat and danceable beats

Fantastic album. My buddy Dave was working at tower records outlet when this came out, and this hot french girl came in and was looking for this album. He had to tell her that they didnt sell it at his part of the store and sent her to the other building. He was so bummed that he didnt get to sell her this album - I was intrigued enough to buy it myself. I mean, if this album gets hot french girls to tower records, dont you want to have it on repeat? 5/5

I love The Chemical Brothers so today was easy listening (especially compared to yesterday's Tori Amos). “It Doesn’t Matter” was the standout track for me. Gonna keep this one on my phone.

All day everyday

This good album, i wanna listen this many times

Always preferred both the all uk before and after this. On listening back it’s just as bloody good.

This is a better album than I remember. each listen provides a different experience and feeling.

Really solid piece of 90s Electronic music I hadn't really heard before. Consistently great throughout, solid variety ranging from exciting and danceable to atmospheric and dream-like. Fucking amazing closing track. Despite its longer run time, I ended the album wanting to hear more, and if that doesn't warrant this being the first 5/5 of this whole run so far, I don't know what does. Definitely joining my regular rotation, needs to be the soundtrack to my next acid trip

The c the h the e the m the i the c the a the l the brotherrrrs! 5/5

Though it may not be their most sophisticated album, it's the ultimate expression of their early Big Beat phase. Block Rockin Beats, Setting Son are both immense, and Where Do I Begin an early sign that they might have more conventional song structures under all the dj action. Five stars, and six if possible for Psychedelic Reel which which has one of the best drops in recorded music.

Love this album, and always been a big fan of The Chemical Brothers. It was hard to choose favourite tracks as I've listened to this album many times over the years. But for the purposes of this review I'm going to say my faves at Where Do I Begin (also a big Beth Orton fan), and The Private Physchedlic Reel just puts me in such a good mood.

Absolutely bangin'. An A-1, tip top clubbing jam fair. It was a sandwich of fun on ecstasy bread, wrapped up in a big bag like disco fudge. It doesn't get much better than that. Fave tracks - "Setting Sun" is great, even with Gallagher involvement. Really, though, it's the one-two glide of "Where Do I Begin" followed by "The Private Psychedelic Reel" 😍

Great tunes, still sounds great

cool but not my thing

Where do I start, where do I begin? I always liked this album, but now - with the perspective of time - I can confidently say this is not only the best album to come out of The Chemical Brothers, this is also my vote for best ever of its genre. Powerful and relentless, exactly what the genre calls for. What genre, exactly? Electronica? Dance? [How do you refer to music where no instrument is actually played by the musician?] I prefer to look at it as electronic rock.

I guess I’m a Chemical Brothers person now.

I would like to do chemicals with these brothers

90s drugged up Britain strikes again, and I eat this up every time. It balances the psychedelic sounds with big beats really well, and despite being over an hour long, it doesn't drag due to the nature of the album as more of a dancefloor piece, a place where time dissolves. Love both the vocal tracks, great in different ways. This is to me is a club album, but with different stages of the night out. For some reason, I get a basement club atmosphere for this. The last two tracks feel like the quiet walk back, and the planning for the next night out respectively. 14/11/22

What an amazing start to an album! I really loved the first four tracks and then felt like the album gets a little repetitive and hit a bit of a lull. Then, I feel like it picks right back up. 'Where Do I Begin' is such an unexpected, beautiful change of pace that still totally fits in to the album and works great as a penultimate track. This is a super solid album, will definitely add to my library and continue listening. Standout Tracks: Block Rockin' Beats, Dig Your Own Hole, Elektrobank, Piku, Get Up On It Like This, Where Do I Begin, The Private Psychedelic Reel

This album is the heart of the party. It came out when I was 24, travelling Europe. It along with Daft Punk's Homework soundtracked my adventures. Even after 25 years the music on hear still gives me e-like chills and tingles. One highlight etch in my brain was having this album on an inflight channel for my flight home. The Private Psychedelic Reel coming on as my plane circled Sydney on approach to landing. The plane tilted and banked giving me rarely experienced view of my hometown

Some great classic electronic beats

Una obra maestra

Love that stuff. It's definitely not something I can hear all the time, but when I'm in the mood it slaps.

Did not know they went this hard