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
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.
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.
A nailed-on 5 and without any competition the best dance/electronica album ever made.
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
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
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.
“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
Fantastic but the intensity is so high its hard to power through the whole album
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
90s dance techno at its best. Every song drew me in, and few times I stopped what I was doing to dance. Some of these tracks had some super funky beats, which is next level techno mastery. I'm adding this album to my favorites. 5 outta 5.
Love that stuff. It's definitely not something I can hear all the time, but when I'm in the mood it slaps.
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
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
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
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
Good Album, a little long at some parts, but very interesting production
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.
I don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one, but I will say I did enjoy my listen
Concentration ultime pour travailler. Vraiment techno, comme dans les annees 90. 4*
Nice techno vibes. A bit too harsh some of the songs, but overall good
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.
Reminds me of tripping on Good Old London E near the fin de siècle. Good times.
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
Very cool. The first musics are note so cool, but than things get interesting.
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.
Their best album, groovy tracks with punch and odd sounds baked into them
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.
A couple of massive singles among a collection of genre-defining dance numbers.
INCREDIBLE BASS SO FAR I can hear so much influence in later electronic music from this album This album for me is exciting. Every track I was thinking about what the next one would be like Every instrumental is super unique I feel like this, daft punk, etc. really pioneered this genre and this project still holds up. While this definitely isnt my favorite electronic project, I think this could definitely be in my top 25 electronic albums currently. 8/10
groovy but industrial dark warehouse party jams. Berghain-esque with a bit of Jet Set Radio
Heard before: no Pretty good! Not the kind of thing I throw on normally, but I can see how it would be great in some contexts, and a few tracks are definitely going to make it onto my running playlists!
Yep, these guys do it for me. It pumps along, but there's enough weirdness to keep it interesting.
I was leaning toward 5 stars here, as this is very ‘listenable’ dance music. Much more interesting and breakbeat than what I was expecting. Lost a little momentum towards the end though, so dialling it back to a high 4.
As a critical listening piece, this album is really hard to get through. But as a background, GSD soundtrack, it's fantastic. It's repetitive but also additive, building on itself, bar after bar, in clever and compelling ways. This is the sound of human energy making forward progress. So yeah, I liked it a lot.
Belle découverte! C'est un groupe dont je ne connaissais pas l'existence, maisnles chansons oui! Ça m'a transporté dans les jeux de course et de sport de mon enfance!
An improvement on Exit Planet Dust I reckon. I still think their more recent albums have more going for them, but I can see why this is rated highly. It’s got some bigger hits than EPD and the last few tracks where they mix up the pace a bit are great. 3.5
I prefer The Prodigy, but this still bangs though. Some big beats, some chill beats, some nasty evil beats. One beat, two beat, red beat, blue beat. I'm drunk again, dude. I don't know what I'm saying. It's a good album and let's leave it at that.
There is much more variety on this album than I expected. Definitely expected big housey bangers, and you get plenty of those. Expected the laboured Tomorrow Never Knows clone with a Gallagher, because I lived through it. But the chilled one with Beth Orton was unexpected, and the 60s infused closer was an absolute joy. Only loses a mark because some of the tracks would be great at 4 minutes rather than 6 and Setting Sun being a bit crap.
Kyllähän tämä toimii! Aika energisoivaa elektronista. Parempi kun bändin myöhempi tuotanto. 4/5
I'm not sure if this is good or not but I've always kinda liked them. Setting Sun is a great running song for me...
Pretty groovy. A little too weird for me. Good bassline and stuff My rating: 4/5 Roommate's rating: 3/5
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.
Mostly great. I found the tracks without vocals could get a bit repetitive.
Eh. You know. I get it. I know they are very talented but I’m not a fan of the genre
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.
Sheer number of songs saved might point this higher, but this trailed a bit around the middle for me - it's probably too long for what it is. Still very enjoyable and I'm loving these dark beats albums, this just wasn't as good as endtroducing, which I can't help but compare it to Saved: Dig Your Own Hole, Elektrobank, Setting Sun, The Private Psychedelic Reel*
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.