Dig Your Own Hole
The Chemical Brothers
1997
Album Summary
Dig Your Own Hole is the second studio album by English electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers. It was released on 7 April 1997 in the United Kingdom by Freestyle Dust and Virgin Records and in the United States by Astralwerks. The album was recorded between 1995 and 1997, and features Noel Gallagher of Oasis and Beth Orton as guest vocalists. The album became the duo's first to peak at number one in the UK, achieving this peak in April 1997. Five singles were released from the album, two of which reached number one in the UK: "Setting Sun", "Where Do I Begin", "Block Rockin' Beats", "Elektrobank", and "The Private Psychedelic Reel". The album has been included in several British magazines' lists of the best albums ever. The success of the album led The Chemical Brothers to be much sought-after remixers, and the duo released a mix album in 1998 titled Brothers Gonna Work It Out.
WikipediaWar Pigs is a huge opening track and sets the tone for a genre defining album. Rifftastic Iommi with the unchained brilliance of Ozzie. A match made in metal heaven.
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.
The music was interesting but it was too long, too loud, and too intense. Almost couldn't make it through. 3
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
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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"
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.
Didn't finish. It didn't sound good but I could see it in some situations, so maybe a low 3
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.
Good album for energetic, highly rhythmic break beat style EDM. Puts me in the mood to kick butt.
Bam! Te gek album! Een van mijn all-time favorites. Zo'n beetje mijn introductie in de meer electronische muziek, en na al die jaren nog altijd een erg sterke plaat.
Takes you on a journey - builds and builds, crashes out, then you come out of the end on a euphoric note. Brilliant.
Still my favourite electronic album of all time. Kinda wish I got another TCB album to check out because I'm so familiar with this one, but I can take that into my own hands. Incredible production, can't help bopping to this. And Where Do I Begin still gives me chills.
Wow, this is next level electronic music! I enjoyed every second of it, despite the ridiculous loudness (loudness war?) of it. I love the beats and the hooks (is that "Tomorrow Never Knows"? they even nailed the guitar wails in it) and how the album as a whole doesn't sound like a mobile game that involves polygons. I never knew electronica could be this good. What an experience. Another highlight in this 1000+ day project.
I love this album. It’s got so much going on. Really expressive drum patterns, fabulous melodies, perfect vocalists. And a damn fine groove all the way through.
love this album. i remember it at the time and was a fan of the chemical brothers. they made list of good stuff and this was right up there with the best.
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'?
"Block Rockin' Beats" is probably what most people remember from this and that's not without reason, it's the epitome of big beat electronic music. If "Dig Your Own Hole" was just more of that it would still be one of the best of its genre but it is definitely not just more of that. Instead we get a solid dose of Beatlesque psychedelia featuring Noel Gallagher at the height of Oasis-mania on "Setting Sun" and the gorgeous journey that turns into a really bad trip (and one of the best songs of the 90s) "Where Do I Begin" with a stunning vocal by Beth Orton (where has she gone?)
I don't think this is as strong an album as either Exit Planet Dust or Surrender, but the brothers Chemical sure are good enough to get one of their weaker albums into this list. Saying that - "it doesn't matter" is one of TCB's finest tracks. Bonkers, bassy, interesting enough to keep the ear and visceral enough to carry you off somewhere else. It's going to be five stars, obviously.
A very big one from my yoof this. A life defining album for me. The first dance album I remember falling absolutely head over heals in love with. It has aged really well too which a hell of a lot of 1990s electronic albums haven't. Private Psychedelic Reel in particular still sounds absolutely humongous played as loud as your speakers can take it. It was a long slippery slope for me, from listening to this as a 13 year old to many, many a lost night spent gurning my chops off in dark, sweaty rooms in my later years. What a fucking slope that was though.
i don't know why i've never realised it before but the chemical brothers are fucking brilliant. no idea why listening to this album sat at home on my own is the thing that has sparked my epiphany and not the times i've seen them live and countless times i've listened to albums and loved it. This album is 25 years old. madness. i'd be surprised if anything released this year will sound as good in 25 years.
Amazing album. High energy music that is infectious and more catchy than it has any right to be. The experimental production, rap samples, and hooks elevate this above being an ordinary electronica album.
I was all about this album back in the day! The Private Psychedelic Reel is one of the best tracks on the album.
Dig Your Own Hole is the most complete recorded album I've listened to this journey so far. The entire album is covered in 90s grime. If you looked up the inspiration to this ad, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veTl59Klc5Q , you would see that it was the Chemical Brothers. They somehow make noise sound good. Best Songs: Setting Sun, Lost In The K-Hole, Elektrobank Worst Songs: NA
A psychedelic workout album. Very 90s, very groovy, high energy. Strong 4. Standout Tracks: Dig Your Own Hole, Elektrobank, It Doesn’t Matter, Get Up On It Like This, Lost In The K Hole, The Private Psychedelic Reel
Solid album from 1997, gets a little bit repetitive and the album ends a bit oddly, but really good stuff nonetheless 8/10
it's not as lush or layered as exit planet dust, and i still don't like block rockin', but there were more tracks i did end up liking than i'd expected to find.
One of the albums that got me into electronic music. It proves that electronic music can be more than frat bro party bangers.
Such a great record. Sounds a bit dated, but it is one of best examples of rave culture back in the 90s.
i like this a lot for what it is but its definitely not fun to just sit and listen to if you’re not dancing or anything. 8/10 but could be a 10 if i was on drugs at a rave
An amazing album for me with its music mixed up emotionally with a time in my life when every weekend was spent off my tits.
Another album suited to the big beat manifesto. BT: Block Rockin' Beats, Elektrobank, Setting Sun
Heavy drum and bass with industrial elements incorporated. I had a great time jamming to this album. It's not for everyone, but it would be awesome to listen to live. It feel like if the Matrix had their own band. Fav Song: Block Rockin' Blues
Not usually a fan of electric type music, but these beats were amazing! Love the psychedelic rock mix! Fav track was “Block Rockin Beats”
Well this was unexpected! The album felt like a less exciting Jet Set Radio Future album and that isn't bad. Quite a bit of repetitiveness but there were some gems in here! Some were a little long but I jammed out to this one.
Joj, ovo je njihov dobar album. Sviđa mi se. Definitivno najbolji njihov, isprike, ali nije čista četvrtka, ali je jako blizu.
My impression in 1997: solid & very skilfully constructed album, a couple of very strong tracks. My impression in 2021: the same and 9+ minutes of a private psychedelic reel is still too much. Rating: between 3 and 4 stars - depending on the sound volume and speaker set. Seems fair to give 4 stars then.
That first track did nothing for me. Fortunately, the record got better as it went on, and I left feeling like it was a worthwhile experience. I liked the overall vibe and would need to revisit again. This is a "light" 4, but still definitely a 4.
I thought this album was incredibly creative but I was kind of bored with it until the last three tracks. They really drove it home for me.
Lots of fun! Pretty interesting, at times a bit grating but I interpret that to be intentional.
Didn’t know it. Great to listen to while diving into data to see what it is telling us
The first half of this album sounded like a 90s action movie or a heist montage. Very fun. Got a little strange toward the end. Still worth a listen
Though I slightly prefer their debut "Exit Planet Dust," this is still a great sonic landscape to get lost in. Always love the way their albums fluidly transition from song to song.
Tämä oli yllättävän hyvä levy, tykkäsin. Tosin ei listan aiempikaan Chemical Brothersin levy mikään huono ollut. Levyn avausraidan lisäksi toinen mieleen jäänyt biisi oli Don't stop the rock, joka vei minut takaisin Szigetiin Chemical Brothersin keikalle.
Tiene una de las canciones clásicas de película, sin duda es uno de los mejores albumen de The Chemical Brother unos verdades químicos mezclando música.
this was my electronica album growing up. setting sun is top 5 all time techno song for me.
Great album, if not a little too long. Think I like the earlier Chemicals a little bit better, but still fun. 3.5/5
I've always loved these guys although I like their later stuff (more mellow) If you're not into electronic repetitive dance beats you might wanna give this a skip. It can be a bit noisy too in places. Overall, they are the best at what they do.
I haven't listened to this since the early 00's. It's still sounding great. It's a nostalgic journey through various genre's that have been run through the Chemical Brothers big beat machine. I particularly enjoyed the housey verging on technoey tracks in the middle which serve as a sort of rest from all the breakbeat & big beat before passing over to the mellower tracks at the end of the album. "The Private Psychodelic Reel" builds and builds and serves as a great finale.
I own this...and its prob tbe best CB album...intense and unrelenting big beat dance music...they know their stuff. Often a surprise round each corner. It ends with the big beat prog masterpiece of the Private Psychedelic Reel.. Thought this was going to be a 3 but its 4.
I can't say I've ever listened to The Chemical Brothers before, or even knew quite what kind of music to expect. I am immediately drawn in by Block Rockin' Beats, though as is often the case with electronic music when you are just sitting listening, the songs go on a little bit long. That said the whole album is a treat, enjoyable on first listen, interesting with great transitions between songs, a detail rarely seen. Overall, a big two thumbs up. Favorite: Setting Sun Least Favorite: It Doesn't Matter. Definitely belongs on this list and I'm glad to have listened to it. Several times now.
This was a pretty interesting album! (also first time ever listening to the Chemical Brothers) The title track, "The Private Psychedelic Reel," "Elektrobank," and "Setting Sun" are probably my fave tracks.
Great energy background music for doing something while listening. Focusing entirely on listening was a bit much, with many songs spanning between 7 and 9 minutes and repeating themselves. 3.5 but I'll round up
Dig Your Own Hole weaves together an explosive and big sound that feels inventive even to the present day listener.
I used to like the Chemical Brothers a bit more than I do at this point. This album has a spot for me, and it's in the middle. I'd listen to it again, but I wouldn't reach for it as quickly as the 4 stars, so it gets a solid 3.
Blockrockin' Beats is fantastic, and the rest of it is an enjoyable experience if you're in the mood for it! But that's the thing, it's gotta be the right mood.
nice techno beats, however quite repetitive. Favourites: Electrobank, Lost In The K Hole
Some nostalgia value for sure, as I played a random online game with this as the soundtrack. Pretty interesting electronic/rock sounds, and somehow the "Chemical Brothers" is just such a perfect name for it.
Super intense for a Wednesday morning, would probably enjoy it more in a different setting
This one was okay. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I can appreciate the space for this kind of music, but it is not something I would choose to listen to very often.
I don't like electronic music, but this is one of the better ones I've heard. The songs are way too long, but some are fun.
Some really good ideas in there and I think it would be a jam in a car or over speakers at a party, but listening through headphones kinda made me lose interest in most songs fairly quickly Favorite Tracks: “Block Rockin Beats” and “Setting Sun”
5. Would have given a 6 on account of being impressed by how good it sounded for what it was, but the length got in the way of that, and the fact that many of the sounds were just annoying.
Just OK. Some good bits, some not so good. The good bits brought back good memories, though.
Basically have the same thoughts on this as Prodigy a few weeks ago. Makes me think of every drug use, rave, or hacker scene in 90s/00s film and tv. I do like it, but over an hour is a bit tiresome.
yeaaa i have this on TAPE it's not my thing though :( it was quite aggressively uh peep show big beat haha oh well
A couple of absolutely fantastic big beat songs amidst a bunch of forgettable ones . Fatboy Slim is better IMO.
76. A culpa é tua, Raul. Depois não te queixes. Não seguras a porta quando vão ao Pine Mall. Não levas os sacos, não empurras o carrinho. A empregada vem, olhas para baixo, a empregada vai, olhas para trás. Estás chato, Raúl. Não há nada em ti que já não te conheça. Isso é horrível. Demoras muito a contar a mesma história de todos os jantares. Não admira que a patroa te tenha dado a provar a Smith & Wesson. MotA: Setting Sun "Back with another one of those block rockin' beats"
Play that funky music, Chemical Brothers. I’ve liked these guys for a while but haven’t heard this album. Maybe not their most electrifying work, but certainly a vibe and certainly some bangers. Very consistent listen all the way through. Favorite tracks: Elektrobank, Block Rockin Beats, Lost in the K Hole, Setting Sun. Album art: Very simple, but effective. Lots of black and white covers lately, which is always less interesting to me. But they’ve all been pretty solid, including this one. 3.5/5
I can feel this albums influence on a lot of music. While I don't think I am a huge fan. It was really solid to have playing in the background.
I liked the Prodigy and Fatboy Slim back in the day. Never got into the Chemical Bros, so this has no nostalgia attached for me. The big beat sound hasn't aged that well. It's like the brash soundtrack to the New Labour party conference after-party. Nice crisp rhythms, some pleasing melodies and samples, vague sense of Y2K optimism that the world isn't a pile of shit. I dunno, 3* or something. I'd prefer some bleak techno or jittery IDM.
Ik had verwacht dat ik het leuker zou vinden. Ik vond het soms herrie, misschien word ik oud.
Ik weet dat het goed in elkaar zit en dat zij wel echt een grote dance-act zijn. Maar zo thuis luisteren is niet aan mij besteed. Wordt er onrustig van.
This will probably work well at a rave or during a work-out, but for a pure listening experience it was too repetitive and not captivating enough. When I first listened to this album, soon after it was released, I did remember it to be much less interesting than the debut Exit Planet Dust.
was nice at the time in a club, especially opening song, but no real fun to listen now.
Dont like electronic genre, but I could find something interesting in this album. Setting sun - is the best
3.4 - I was 17 when this came out so this album had every opportunity to make an impact but I never really connected with it. Still, it’s good as high energy background music maybe for a spinning class or if I’m video editing.
started off cool and strong, devolved into beats and trance I couldn't get into. Probably would've been better listened-to in small chunks.
You could have told me this was the Matrix soundtrack and I'd have believed you. Not in a bad way, but not that great either. 3.5
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.
Really good electronica album. It Does'nt Matter is one of my favorites from the time. 3.4/5
Fun, funky, top notch beats. An hour of it is a bit much. Fave Songs: Lost in the K Hole, Where Do I Begin, Dig Your Own Hole, Elektrobank
Not bad! I surprised myself with this one. Not my first choice but songs to appreciate.
this album is annoying as hell because you can hear that they have ideas but they instead choose to be the aural manifestation of a pair of JNCOs
Cool tracks, cool beats. 90s video game/matrix soundtrack vibes with some trip hop style electronica with overlay of repeated lyrics.
A couple of good stand out tunes - Setting Sun and Where Do I Begin. Prefer some of their later albums to this one.
Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. The hits are strong, but a lot of the album felt a bit monotonous, abrasive and relentless. Enjoyable if you were out of your mind in a field somewhere, but not something I would just put on for casual listening.
Ok I love chemical brothers just as much as the next person. I would give all of these tracks 5 stars on a big night out of course. In any other context though I can't find myself enjoying a large amount of these songs. Block Rockin Beats is epic of course. It's a bit too long and for sure by the end I'm a bit anxious and feel as though I might actually be in a K hole. 4/10
90s big beat. I know Chemical Brothers have a big following and were a scene staple, but listening to it just exhausts me. For me not sure it aged as well as some other similar material. If I was on E in a rave I'd probably enjoy it more.
Tämä elektroloopailu ei ole edelleenkään yhtään sellainen juttu mistä jaksaisin suuremmin innostua. Pari kertaa tämän kuunteli oikein mielellään läpi töitä tehdessä, ja saattoipa mukana olla pari tutun kuuloista kappaletakin. Jykevämpää biittiä tarjoilevat kappaleet (esim. Elektrobank, It Doesn't Matter) potkivat oikein kelvokkaasti. Suuri osa kappaleista oli kuitenkin jokseenkin yhdentekeviä. Kakkosen ja kolmosen välimaastossa painitaan, ja ehkä levyn kohokohdat olivat sen verran päräyttäviä että kolmonen on ansaittu.
The key to scungy 90s UK techno is to remember it occupies a background space the same as movie scoring, just in a slightly different way: for me at 13 it was the soundtrack to ps1 snowboarding games, but if you were a few years older it went with taking ecstasy. But it's the complementary activity, not the primary - on its own you focus too much on how loud, repetitive, bland and overly long the music is. So listening to this album at 6am on a friday morning while not on MDMA is out of context and unfair to the review process, but you know what else is unfair? this book spamming us with so many albums of what is essentially a niche genre for gen X druggos. 3/5.
I am enjoying listening to this so far, the beats are satisfying. Some of the spoken samples can be a bit repetitive and take away from the music. Not a bad album overall.
Cool as background music or would work really well on the soundtrack of a 90s/00s action movie, but to just listen to as a whole album it just becomes noise at a certain point. A bit too long for how repetitive the songs are
I’ve really struggled to get into any of the 90s dance/electronic albums on the list so far, so approached “Dig Your Own Hole” with a bit of caution. It still might not be entirely my thing, but it’s definitely the best of the genre/era I’ve heard so far. The album begins with a very promising bang. An apt sample of “back with another one of those block rockin’ beats” kicks off a simple looped bassline and the seismic, reverb soaked drums come crashing in, demanding any listeners attention. I can only imagine the impact live or through club speakers- it must have blown the roof off. “Elektrobank” has a similar impact, sustaining exceptional energy levels to border on full-on rave mania. Later, “Setting Sun” is the first track with sung vocals (by no less than Liam Gallagher). Having actual lyrics and a melody to get behind helped me to enjoy the album more, even if there are stronger songs on here. The subsequent run had me starting to feel a little fatigued- “It Doesn’t Matter”, “Don’t Stop the Rock” and “Get Up On It Like This” don’t particularly bring any new ideas to the table after a fairly strong opening run. But the last three tracks save it by diving into much trippier territory- more prominent keyboard, echo galore and hypnotic beats. If you’re going to hear just one track, make it “Where Do I Begin” featuring Beth Orton on vocals. It’s a bit of an outlier here, but it’s a stoned cold classic. The finale, “The Private Psychedelic Reel”, suitably lives up to its name with an almost symphonic feel and a brilliant sitar-style loop leading the way. It’s glorious. Not too surprised to have enjoyed this- after all, the Chemical Brothers supposedly based their whole career on the sound of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”- but very glad I can finally share an EDM album I quite liked.
Ça s'écoute bien, je comprends pourquoi c'est si bien coté, mais moins mon genre d'électro
As it always happens to me with Chemical Brothers, I like to listen a couple of songs, and then it becomes repetitive, monotonous. However, I liked it
Decent grooves, but many of the tracks just drag on for a bit too long. I found myself getting disinterested even with a few more minutes of the track left. 6/10
Loud, repetitive, intense, hard work at times but an overall enjoyable listen. Definitely need to be in the right frame of mind if I ever re listen.
This is good, but not great I think? I don't know the Chemical Brothers album by album, but I don't think that there's quite enough here to excite me compared to some of their other work. That said, it's definitely not a bad listen - the fact that I was happy to listen to an hour of dance music at 7.30-8.30 on a Monday morning suggests it must be pretty good - but there weren't any tracks that really stood out. I tend to prefer their more psychedelic stuff, so the end of the album was more me than the start, but still a good album. Top end of a 3.
A very good album for today's gym work, lots of good stuff, though lacked a bit more that would take it above a 3.5 I think. When it hits, it really hits, but I think they dragged some tracks out longer than needed without doing enough to justify it. Still, can't go wrong with much of it.
Best Song: Dig Your Own Hole. Incredibly funky. Could imagine it as the soundtrack of a chase scene in a Matrix-era movie. Worst Song: Get Up On It Like This. The song closes out with a repeating vocal sample that sounds JUST like the sound Baby Mario makes when you take damage in the SNES Yoshi's Island game, and that sound is permanently associated with anxiety and trauma. Overall: Good background and working music. Not as exciting as much of the other electronic music on this list, but still pleasant to listen to.
Iconic sounds from the late 90s. A mix of Saturday night bangers and Sunday morning ambience. Diverse sounds but you know it’s the Chemical Brothers.
This took me back. Good album. But not one that I would listen to during the normal course of my day.
If there is one thing this list has been successful at doing, it is convincing my Spotify algorithm that I am attempting to pick out music for a Fast and the Furious reboot
I like quite a few The Chemical Brothers songs, but not really many of the ones on this album. I've never heard it before and the only one that I partially liked was 'It Doesn't Matter' and 'Get Up On It Like This', but I wouldn't listen to this album again
Obviously there are cool sections of beats on the album, but it’s hardly an album that can he listened to from beginning to end. I don’t think more than one of their albums are a must hear.
noooo dental pasta-like sounds staaaph there's this one song that i like and unlike the other songs, it has a female voice
Ends on a particularly strong and interesting track, but is mostly an hour of drum machines. Plenty of decent material, but the kind that is better in a mix than back-to-back in an LP. The samples are less dynamic than the Fatboy Slims of the world.
Some of it I like - the techno and funky stuff. But then it samples sounds of people shouting or screaming and I do not like that. It's giving me a headache. It's pretty frenetic. Would probably make good music for working out, dancing, party, etc. but not for when I'm chillin' at home.
I like a lot of Chemical Brothers but this album was a bit too unabating, too much noise.
Have to be in the mood for this. Its unlikely I'll ever be in the mood to stick with the entire album.
Dabbled before and didn’t much like it. Emphatic confirmation that they’re not for me.
I seldom listen to electronica (is that what this is?) or dance music, but some of these were fun. A bit too tinny and frenetic for my listening tastes, though I can appreciate the interesting beats and artistry of it.
Dig Your Own Hole is the second studio album by English electronic music duo the Chemical Brothers. It was released on 7 April 1997 in the United Kingdom by Freestyle Dust and Virgin Records and in the United States by Astralwerks. The album was recorded between 1995 and 1997, and features Noel Gallagher of Oasis and Beth Orton as guest vocalists. Dig Your Own Hole was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.[14] In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Dig Your Own Hole the 49th greatest album of all time, and was also included in Q TV's "Top 100 Albums of All Time" list in 2008. In 2000, the same magazine placed it at number 42 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever.[citation needed] NME ranked it at number 414 in its 2014 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[15] Rolling Stone included it in their list of the "100 Best Albums of the Nineties",[16] as did Spin.[17]
one of those pioneering psychedelic electronic records that are kind of hard to really appreciate retroactively given the state of the genre nowadays. i imagine it's hella trippy bro on 300mcgs but pretty fucking annoying sober. shpongle was doing similar stuff around the same time and made masterpieces that stood the test of time way better than this record. chemical brothers have vastly improved since this record.
Nope. Too repetitive. Some interesting parts but sounds too much like background music. Not a fan of edm
Hmm. Första instinkten var "Åh, det här gillar jag, tungt på rätt sätt och det fyller mig med energi". Men det tar inte alldeles för lång tid innan den energin börjar dras ur mig när jag inser hur repetetiv musiken är. Det blir alltså lite "för elektroniskt" bitvis och det tar bort lite av känslan för mig. Men med det sagt var det ändå en okej upplevelse och i små doser kan det fungera. Bäst: "The private psychedelic reel"
Heb ik eigenlijk met al de dance-achtige albums, thuis luisteren kan me niet bekoren dan.
I forgot just how tired I had become with this extremely repetitive genre of music. After the first 30 seconds, you've heard everything the song has to offer. After the first 3 songs, you know the shape of every song on the album. It had it's time an place for me, but I'm over it!
First half of the album is better than second half. Felt like it just turned into random noise at some point
Not for me. I get that this type of music is all about the beat maaaan, but as a lifelong musician I need some melody with my rhythm. Kind of like painting with just one colour.
I didn’t finish it, I thought it was boring. I can appreciate the production but it’s not for me.
I listened to this like 3 times as I felt like I wasn't paying attention enough but it failed to make an impression. Struggling to remember any of it to be honest. Like I didn't dislike it but also did not care either
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.
Strong start and end but the whole middle of the album is really just not made for a listening experience. Maybe in a club its more enjoyable, but as music to sit and listen to its just not fun.
It is electronic music. I am not familiar with a lot of electronic music artists so I was not familiar with this album or any of the songs. It sounded like something that would have been released in the late 90s though. Still no need to listen to it again.
Chemical Brothers do EDM really well. The first couple of songs are enjoyable, but then I start remembering why I dislike EDM. Every song is an introduction that outwears its welcome. I keep waiting for a song to break out, but all they do is minor variations on the riff. Then that uptempo beat starts to irritate and agitate. I don't know how people manage to listen to a whole album without getting violent. Two stars because it is better than most.
Einstrengingsleg og allt að því þreytandi á köflum. Meira að segja þessir 2-3 slagarar frá því í gamla daga voru bara semi pirrandi.
Definitely a bit too many sirens and frenetic/frantic/frenzied energy with repeating segments that quickly get tired. It gets a little more interesting/subtle in the last two tracks, but it isn't something that fits for me.
They are on to something. I do need some chemicals to listen to this for a while. It's got a time and place. But has anyone listened to this all the way through because they wanted to?
was there a chem bros song on a thps game? i feel like all of these songs sound familiar. way too hectic and chaotic for me to enjoy, but good in its own way
To listen to this album straight through would require some sort of sorcery. The music gave me anxiety honestly, although I could 100% see this work well on like a TV show as background music.
When we listened to "Exit Planet Dust," my addled memory said that "Dig Your Own Hole" would be the better of the two Chemical Brothers albums on the list. It was the one I had heard more back in the day, but it turned out to be not all I remembered it to be. "Block Rockin' Beats," once past the iconic intro, gets pretty repetitive and annoying, and the repetitive nature sticks around with many songs looping sounds for way too long. The breaks and transitions did not nearly hit the highs I was expecting. "Setting Sun" and "It Doesn't Matter" almost saved things, but it was too little too late.
My only comparables to this thus far have been The Prodigy (decent) and Fatboy Slim (shit sandwich) and this falls somewhere in the lower-middle. I'd never put this kind of music on for "listening" - more of a background soundtrack or something to work to. The Prodigy held my interest a lot more - this is too or most often just incredibly repetitive. I get that "that's the genre" in many ways but maybe I just don't like the genre. Positives: i like the drum sounds...? Sum: too much of the same thing which isn't that interesting to begin with. 2/10 2 stars
This would have made a solid FIFA soundtrack; good for the few minutes it takes you to setup a match, but incredibly repetitive for any longer than that.
Helt groovigt... kan inte tänka mig en situation då jag frivilligt skulle lyssna på denna dock....
Some of the grooves are nice, for example on Block Rockin' Beats, but overall this is much too repetitive for my tastes. For this genre that comes with the territory, I guess. 2/5.
This kind of music always reminds me of the club scene in the first Matrix. Which is to say that it is loud, obnoxious, and makes it difficult to hear Trinity talk.
This sounds just like all the other electronica from the late 90s. Nothing special about this; dime a dozen. 4/10.
Just not my genre and the right in your face aspect of this album specifically made it even less enjoyable for me
This is more suited for a soundtrack to a heist film than for active listening. Not something I need to listen to before I die.
“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
Bro not epic, instrumental was cool but not enough vocals and the vocals were bad regardless. Too much screaming
Had to skip through most of this. I'm not really sure what genre this is, but whatever it is it's not for me. Picked Get Up On It Like This as my fave because it's the shortest.
Muzyka elektroniczna w takim wydaniu przyprawia mnie o ciarki, a plyta dosc obszerna, bo ponad godzinny odsluch, wiec nie bylo to zbyt przyjemnie doswiadczenie, ale i takich albumow trzeba posluchac, bandy, a raczej duetu, chemicznych braci nie kojarze, zaden z trakow nie rzucil mi sie na uszy, ze gdzies juz go slyszalem, no ale taki gatunek techniawy brejkbitowej lub big beatowej, jak zwal tak zwal, bo nie potrafilbym odroznic jednej od drugiej, tak jak jednego od drugiego kawalka tej plyty nie jestem w stanie okreslic czyms wiecej niz daje lubudubu, sampluje cos tam i tak szybko wali po uszach, najbardziej przyjazny mi traczek, nawiazujacy do murzynskich technik tworzenia beatow, to get up on it like this, przede wszystkim ze wzgledu na wykorzystanie skreczy i murzynsko brzmiacego sampla, wiec to bedzie traczek na plejke jak znalazl, zeby takie techniawowe perelki nie zginely w otchlani listowej
Think I'm completely the wrong audience for this album. Half of it just sounds like a metronome to me.
Hefði varla hlustað á þessa plötu ótilneyddur, þar af síður klárað hana. Fannst hún allt í lagi í byrjun en svo varð hlustunin bara pirrandi.
I like some industrial, but this was not great. I remember when this album came out. I didn't get it then, I don't get it now, and I don't understand the cultural relevance, especially in 2022.
ni siquiera pude obligarme a terminar de escuchar este álbum debido a lo extraño del mismo. no me gusta, no lo entiendo y creo que estoy más feliz sin intentar oirlo completo
this album was about an hour and two minutes too long. everything about it made me mad- the last song sounds like there’s construction going on. the electronic sounds were in no way pleasing. definitely 1/10.
It's electro or techno or house music or dance or whatever you want to call it. It's not for me. Just too repetitive and the songs don't really go anywhere or evolve.
The album just doesnt gel for me. Theres something way too manufactured about it, like it has no soul
Nice
Solid 4, not a bad follow up to EPD, but loses a point on the basis of Noel