Reviews (page 4 of 9)
Not the best album from them, but a good one. Some nice psychedelic vibes.
Some fantastic tracks on this album. However, some are a bit too long and there is a bit too much filler for this to be 5 stars for me.
I have this one in a LTD Japanese release so you understand how my rating will go.Back then i thought it was a bit too louder than i wanted,but almost 29 years later i find it just perfect.As i used to dj and produce till now i find this highly creative and so many genres and influences inclusive.The selection of samples alone and the Beatles reference show the love for music Chemical Brothers have 'till now,as with every electronic band,dj or producer.So basically you need to have a genre crossing ear to fully comprehend and appreciate this album.Here as also djs they had extra abilities to boost each track and the freedom to combine all the influences electronically.And this was fully supported live,so everything was well programmed and played live if needed which is a genius and a complicated thing to do.That's for the haters that didn't make the effort to hear this album till the very end. Tracks breakdown: Block Rockin' Beats. astral fx sounds, the drums sample of Bernard Purdie's Changes,bass sample from Crusaders'The Well's Gone Dry,and vocal sample by Schoolly D. Loud and funky as hell.Creative modulations on everything from electronic sounds to drums.Electronic psychedelia at the end that reminds me a bit of a Prodigy aggresiveness,Meat Beat Manifesto and big beat wizadry of Fat Boy Slim. We used to listen to this with my brother-in-law who was actually a classic rock fan and we both were headbanging throughout the song.That tells everything. Cohesively in Dig Your Own Hole we got great vocal sampling.distorted guitar throughtout, big beating along with huge fx and modulated synth and funky bass sounds. In Elektrobank they speeded up the drum sample of Hit or Miss by Odetta. Distorted through vocoders vocal sample with delayed big beats along with crazy fx again and modulated synth and bass sounds.Prodigy's Full Throttle vibes.Synthetic funk,electronic hip hop that rocks like hell kinda result.Ends with a serious cut in tempo of the whole track that sounds like a dystopian electro-phychedelia. Piku is like an electro-phychedelia improvisation with crazy sampling,especially there are some hip hop drums with oldschool vinyl fx that intervein at times along with heavy reverbed pads that gives it a melodic texture. Setting Sun begins with a huge drum beat.Crazy modulated synth sounds and fx and Noel Gallagher appears with soulful, echoing and phychedelic vocals. It Doesn't Matter starts with a disco drum machine and heavy modulated sampled vocals.Right after, it builds with techno repetative bass and crazy fx.Later on snare comes in,has a breakdown and a very french tech filter house build up with sparse creative delayed hihats that comes and goes from left to right. The synth at the end of the previous track smartly glues as an intro to the techno Don't Stop The Rock track.The synth here is treated as experiments in a rock guitar.Heavily based and progresses through modulations as all techno tracks. Get Up On Like This gets us back in the electro-funk sampled big beat phychedelia.Some scratching involved.Great vocal sample pick that evolves throughout. Lost In The K-Hole,has experimental drumming intro,very frenchy with intimate male vocals reversed and back straight.Nice pad and synth sounds.Bass is funky as hell.Great drums as well.Really spaced-out and beautiful.One of my favourites. Where Do I Begin has a reversed guitar intro that stays and Beth Orton pops up with sirene vocals.Synths and fx are harmonised in the key of the song complementing it.Some flutes can also be heard.Then all these glue together with beautiful beats.The melody is a sped up and phased sample of Mazzy Star's Give You My Love.I like what they did here,sounds even better than the original.Ends up with heavy distortion blending beautifully with next track's melody as a contradiction.Genius.Another favourite. The Private Psychedelic Reel,has a hindu meditation kinda thing intro that distorts a bit,then huge big beats amplifies it's groove along with the haunting repetative melody sample and the absolutely fantastic and emotional pads.Distant at times,heavily distorted mostly, reverbed oriental sounds invade giving an another texture.Sick fx.Clubbish Breakbeat from Mars that also has earthly oriental samples.One of my favourites also.What a closing track. 5/5
2,8/5
Foretrekker breakbeats til big beat og Prodigy til Chemical Bros. Dette er kanskje lyden av ett av 90-tallene, og det høres jo fett ut, men jeg vet ikke… det hooker meg ikke som feks. Fat of the Land gjør, selv om maten kommer fra samme kjøkken. C. Bros. har alle de riktige ingrediensene, men mangler special sauce.
Dette hadde sikkert vært kjempebra om jeg hadde vært interessert i klubbing, men det er jeg dessverre ikke. Liker de mer poppa greiene deres, da.
Jeg får lyst til å piratkopiere en bil når jeg hører dette.
A thrilling, fully engaging techno classic.
well
6 Back with another one of those block rocking beats again eh
A interesting album for an electronic music 2/5
I love when electronic music goes hard like this, it's like metal except with computers instead of guitars.
Maybe I'm just old, but maybe I just never got into the club scene because there's music you don't need to take pills to enjoy?
Legendarisk intro. Ikke så mange bangers etter det.
I’m not that into this kind of music, but tge quality is clearly recognizable.
Когда я был молод, и интересовался исключительно электронной музыкой, группа The Chemical Brothers вместе с Autechre висели надо мной этим недвижимым грузом: я совершенно не мог "раздуплить", о чем вообще сыр-бор. Ну, теперь, в поисках внутренних опор, и попытки критического воспрития опор внешних, заявляю: просто в случае The Chemical Brothers нехуй там "раздуплять". Вероятно, на момент выхода эти ребята действительно делали что-то Революционное с большой буквы, но 15 лет назад, и тем более сейчас, это (было) трудно воспринимать именно так. Это группа больших песен и больших промахов, по-моему. На каждом альбоме есть просто супер вещи, но и много будто бы филлера. Лучшая песня - The Private Psychedelic Reel.
Loved it, it had great percussion and made me feel like i was in a early 2000s dvd piracy ad. Loved the LEGENDARY features and the album was very cohesive. There were parts that fell flat due to redundancy, however sonically this album blew my socks off.
thank GOD there are two chemical brothers albums on the list! after the first 50 minutes of psychic damage, you might not be totally convinced that these two contemptible numbskulls are one of the worst things to happen to anglosphere popular culture, so it was necessary to include another hour to help us appreciate just how soul crushing this garbage is
Pacy, but repetitive. Sampled sounds to quite a driving drum beat but for me not that musical.
More like a 2.5 stars. Good but not really something I’d see myself listen to a lot. Except when I need to freak out, maybe
I try to view all music positively, but this felt like soulless noise.
Electrifying, energizing, galvanizing.
My previous album was by Leonard Cohen, and this album was the perfect antidote to that one. I didn't even listen to the album. I just looked up this band's music videos on YouTube, and I totally get the vibe. I don't think I'd listen to this stuff in my normal music listening, but I will definitely be revisiting this band in the future. Favorite so far: the video of The Salmon Dance. 4/5
"Hey, Tom, I've written this - well, let's call it a song - but I can't decide what drum loop to put on it." "That's no problem Ed, why not just use the exact same drum loop that we've used on every single fucking song we've ever recorded?" I once saw a thing about the drug Ecstasy that said it basically just makes the brain crave endless mind-numbing repetition. That's the only reason I can think of that someone would want to listen to this album. Listen to It Doesn't Matter and tell me that isn't actually annoying to listen to. It's 6 minutes long for fuck's sake. Also, while we're on the subject, this is the 2nd Chemical Brothers album I've had to sit through on this list. Why are there multiple albums included for bands where you can listen to one song and then have basically heard their entire discography? This album gets 1 star because apparently I can't just give it the finger.
REALLY liked it actually
each song is just pick some new drums with a very slightly changed pattern, pick a new synth sound to write 2 or 3 melodies with, then alternate between those melodies. but at the same time it is kinda fun so i don't hate it? i just felt myself really wanting each song to have more personality like early Prodigy tracks do. but it was still FINE Fav song: Elektrobank
The Chemical Brothers are pretty cool! I respect their electronic sound, because they don't sound like other electronic artists. Their music is so electronic it includes electronic sounds and incorporates jazz and psychedelia. Regardless, Dig Your Own Hole was too repetitive. The guests vocalists helped the album's variety, though.
Didn't like this one quite as much as the other Chemical Brothers entry, but still good, solid electronic music for the 90s! The album had impeccable flow from one song to another, giving the whole thing a "continuous" quality, and yet, each song has an identity of its own. A good listen!
Boring
yeah this is pretty good
A couple of bangers - Block Rockin' Beats and Setting Sun among them, but the rest is decent background mood listening
“DON’T WAKE TABEY! It’s the exciting new board game where raver kids sneak around a house and listen to techno as loud as they can without waking up Michael Tabor!” Pretty good album overall. It’s wild thinking back to how fresh and new this sounded when these guys seemed to be everywhere for a brief time when this was released. Now it sounds kind of dated. But I still had a good time. It was probably life changing to hear this played mega loud in a crowded room in the late ‘90s.
Just really not my thing.
Not my favorite electronica.
This is loud and boring with bonus random noises. Sounds like strobe lights with synaesthesia.
прикольни! немного похоже на первый альбом daft punk, но это думаю объясняется общим годом выпуска) но есть и свои собственные фишки, и прикольные треки, так что лайк! пусть и громковато конечно хаха
Solid
I can’t tell if I loved this album or if it was just such a perfect palette cleanser after the god awful “will the circle be unbroken” album. I don’t think I’ve heard anything I hate as much as I hate that hot steaming pile of shit. This album had some of the same problems most electronic albums have which is it tends to be painfully repetitive at times. That’s sorta just the nature of the beast. There were a few skips because of this, in fact one song gave my partner anxiety cause it sounded similar to like an alarm breaking, and she just desperately needed to turn it off. But I will say this is an incredibly original album. Sonically it’s completely unique. I’m definitely interested in hearing more of their music because I was super impressed with this album even if it wasn’t like mind blowing. Definitely check this album out if you like electronic music though, you will love this!
In context--at a club--I'm sure this is really fun. But as casual listening... it's obnoxious.
Hate this stop recommending them
Tror aldri jeg har migrene. Med dette er trolig musikk som kunne ha fram provosert det hos meg. Not my cup of tea.
Breakbeat is a really cool fusion of genres and this album was a lot of fun. My favorite part of the album were the slower sections. It brought a nice change of pace. I wish there was more of that variation through the entire album.
Bangers!
Some of the grooves are very cool and interesting, but most of them go on for far too long. While there are vocals on a couple of tracks, it doesn’t do enough to make this a better record.
After getting Exit Planet Dust, I felt that the Chemical Brothers were the antidote I needed with my fatigue with electronic music. Not only did this album confirm that feeling, it pretty much showed me that electronic music CAN be good. It’s relentless, beautiful, and most importantly, fun. It doesn’t retreat into background music, or oversaturate itself with repetitive samples. Yeah, there’s repetition, but it’s the rare form that sustains the energy. This is going to be the standard I hold electronic music to from here on out. Thank god for the Chemical Brothers. Favorite track: Elektrobank Other hits: Dig Your Own Hole, Block Rockin’ Beats, It Doesn’t Matter, Get Up On It Like This, Where Do I Begin, The Private Psychedelic Reel, Setting Sun
Do Iike a bit of The Chemical Brothers and enjoyed a few songs but others felt others outstayed their welcome. Prefer their more chilled out albums
Muy buen album!
this was awesome, really good electronic record, really glad i heard it, i just enjoyed every single track, bangers
Meh 2/5
a lot more repetitive and psychedelic than I remembered. I‘m more of a 2000s Chemical Brothers girl, I think.
I have loved every album I have heard from them but had never heard anything before Surrender. God this was awful. Setting Sun saved this from a one.
Pretty interesting but got too repetitive for me. Shoutout to Block Rockin Beats which I knew for some reason.
Great album
Really cool interesting album. A bit too long for me but cool ideas and songs
Great album
I enjoyed the first Chemical Brothers album I reviewed and I am happy to see that they have come back with another one of those block rockin' beats. I like techno-adjacent pop music. I enjoyed Run Lola Run. The late 90’s were cool. Get off my lawn. I am dancing on it.
Great record!
There's a lot of 90s electronic here, but the chemical brothers are more my style. I like fatboy slim, and this is in a similar vein. More repetitive than fatboy slim, though, and doing this album sober feels like I'm missing something. 3* Highlights: block rockin beats, where do i begin (a nice break)
Most electronic music tends to get overly redundant, but this album manages to not be so. The first two tracks are definitely the best, but the rest is still solid. Electrobank is the weakest, but still better then most electronic I’ve listened to.
Non male ma, per me, poco costante nell'esecuzione e nel mood trasmesso.
Was so hard to listen to I didn't finish it.
Cock slapping beats fuck yeah pew pew pew dig the butt hole
Super turn-of-the-millennium-sounding album, the kind of thing I would listen to on my way to go see an anniversary screening of The Matrix. This is the first Chemical Brothers album I've heard on this list and I hope there's more, this is missing almost all of the tracks which I would call their big hits. I was prepared to like this a lot more than I did based on what I have heard from them previously, but I did really like The Private Psychedelic Reel (which I have heard before) and It Doesn't Matter (which I hadn't).
Funky and good but lengthy
Not my thing but its fine, yet another entry that would no doubt benefit from drugs past caffeine. I do like me some block rocking beats though
Nicht schlecht, aber zu trippy.
Some of the better techno/electronica I've heard
bangers. such cool noises
Brilliant
Thoughts before listening: I have always thought of the Chemical Brothers as a group that puts out songs I like in a genre I don't like. That being said, outside of the handful of hits, I am not sure I am going to be all that in to a full album. Review: Well this starts off with one of the hits in "Block Rockin' Beats", and its still a banger. The rest of the album however gets very repetitive to me, which I know is part of the appeal. This music is meant to be listened to in a club or at a festival at 2am on a headful of drugs. I'm sure it hits in that scenario, but for me at my desk this morning I'm kind of getting annoyed. 2-stars
Feels like a 90s film montage or something out of the show Skins. Not my vibe really.
Ehh
There’s something there but it is crushed by being over long and massively repetitive.
Not really my thing
I’ve always liked The Chemical Brothers, though their greatest hits have usually been enough for me, and I’ve never fully explored their albums. Today’s challenge gave me the chance to dive into Dig Your Own Hole. The positives: the album kicks off in style with Block Rockin’ Beats and the title track, both huge club anthems. Setting Sun is another standout, with Noel Gallagher’s vocals giving it real punch. In fact, the tracks with vocals generally bring much more to the table. The negatives: after Setting Sun, the album starts to feel repetitive, drifting into long stretches of synth-heavy noise. Tracks like Don’t Stop the Rock and It Doesn’t Matter don’t add much, and songs such as Piku and It Doesn’t Matter drag on far too long. In summary, this confirms my view that The Chemical Brothers shine brightest on their singles. For me, their greatest hits compilation is more than enough. Favourite track: Block Rockin’ Beats is an undeniable tune, and Setting Sun features some of Noel Gallagher’s finest vocals — both are 90s club classics. Least favourite track: Not bad as such, but Piku and It Doesn’t Matter felt overlong and added little. Album artwork: A cool and striking cover.
Sounded like one big long song.
This was on my rotation in college along with other MTV Amp favorites (FSOL, Crystal Method, Underworld, etc). Maybe I've mellowed with age but the production is a little heavy for me today, and I can't hang with the bombastic, splashy beats for an entire album. Even when it settles down a bit with "Where do I Begin", it kicks back in about halfway through. Solid 3.
Kind of the same throughout the album. Started strong but it did not finish that way...
Äntligen lite bra 90-tals electronica. Jämfört med Orbit som vi hade för några album sen är det sjukt stor skillnad. Här händer det något, det är rytmiskt och intensivt. Det är ljusår bättre. Och känns fortfarande hyfsat fräscht! Inte lyssnat på hela albumet tidigare men är mer eller mindre nöjd med hela skivan.
Inte riktigt min favoritgenre inom elektroniskt, men framförallt första halvan är ändå rätt bra med ett medryckande tempo och driv (Block rockin’ beats är bästa låten). Deras bästa grejer finns dock på andra skivor och jag tycker inte riktigt att det här håller för mer än en trea sett över alla 58 minuter.
I like the 120bpm for a run, but otherwise it's a little repetitive for me, especially as someone who spends a fair amount of time listening to the lyrics
First two are great. A couple other fine ones and the rest is 🍑.
Back when EDM felt like an artform and melded genres.
Party
at least a four. we'll see how it magnetizes me over time.
Man this chemical bros album. They looked at prodigy and was like… hold my beer
Diminishing returns, particularly after Exit Planet Dust, but still enjoyed it.
78/100. Some lovely electronic music, glitchy, loud, big beats and bass. The sounds bring nostalgia but keep it sounding modern and up to date at the same time.
I thought this was gonna be a 1 star at first but then I got into the groove. Nice
I like the Chemical Brothers, but this album was pretty average.
I think Block Rockin Beats was the best thing on the album, obviously, and there really wasn’t anything else that stood out to me
Oh great, another techno album that’s just as fucking annoying as the other fucking techno albums we already got. Bailed after 6 minutes.
Comes out swinging with 'Block Rockin' Beats' but loses steam quickly and gets monotonous after a while.
The cover is deceptive! I was expecting grunge. I've heard the first song on the Bridge. I like the beats.
Okay, so not as good as i was hoping. Mediocre really.
What. An. Album!!! Absolutely breathtaking big beat rock hip hop dance mash up! It’s absolutely tremendous! Genuinely not a bad track on this album, it’s fucking HUGE!!!
Another electronic album another three out of five
This album is great example of the electronic dance music movement that really spread wide during the period. They were arguably one of the best known to participate in the style for reasons that are obvious in this album. Catchy hooks, good beats and interesting choices.
I understand that some of the sounds are creative, but it's too repetitive and just noise for me.
6 out of 5
1997 One I own. Played this a lot back in the day, particularly in the car. It also benefits from not hearing in a while, because it's decent, though very much of the age. Also, I'm reminded me of the non-metal period I sustained for a while during the nineties. I'm back now though 🤘 Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ✅️ probably, but not for a while Strong★★★★☆ (7/10)
This gave me anxiety
Average PS2 racing game soundtrack
Sick
# Playlist Track - Block Rockin' Beats # Notes - I love the Chemical Brothers, but their first couple of albums are more of a training ground, in my opinion. Good, but not the best. - I can see how this might be exhausting for some folks, but I was lucky enough to listen to them for the first time during my teenage years.
Every Brit who is like “you just had to be there when they were big” about a nondescript techno group from a city the size of Kansas City, Missouri now probably supports Nigel Farage
Really unique album. I've never really listened to electronic music, so this was a new experience for me, but one that I overall enjoyed.
*tired sigh* back with another one of those block rockin' beats. highlight (being generous here): "Where Do I Begin"
2.6
I just shouted out the Chemical Brothers seconds ago in my previous review! What are the chances?! Block Rockin' Beats has a darn groovy hook in the bass. Reminds me, vaguely, of The National Anthem (Radiohead) – in the sense of having relative chaos tied down by a constant, familiar bassline. Where Do I Begin is also a standout. Everything is at roughly the same tempo, but that isn't a terribly damning aspect when other elements (mainly instrumentation) fade in and out so much. Elektrobank is cool, but there's no reason for it to be that long – particularly after you established a non-prog-track precedent with the transition from Dig Your Own Hole into Elektrobank (and the many transitions that follow). Still a great tune though. Other tracks, such as Piku, It Doesn't Matter, and Get Up On It Like This, are relentlessly repetitively to the point where you start deliberately tuning them out and feel nothing but relief when the room finally lapses into silence. The album's longer than the standard, too, and doesn't justify it by way of any kind of concept, lyricism, slew of big singles, anything. Not cool, yo. 3/5 Key tracks: Block Rockin' Beats, Where Do I Begin
6.5/10, has some bangers, but a bit repetitive to just listen to entirely.
What it is isn't necessarily great, but it's effectively perfect at what it's doing. More laser beam sounds than I expected. I like Prodigy more but it's the same vein.
Composition is king here. I was on the highway for the listen, a good place for this listen. Sometimes it made me drive faster than I wanted to. Goodbye.
Kinda surprised how bored I was during thos album. And by 97 or whatever, there was a lot of good electronic bubbling out.
Outstanding start. My guess is a 4 at the moment. Really nice, definitely a 4. Perhaps a 5.
I enjoyed this but probably not as much as some of the other electronic/DJ music that I got introduced to in this project. It's well made but it feels like it's just for a scene I'm not part of and don't have much interest in joining. Some tracks go for a bit too long and some feel repetitive. Block Rockin' Beats is probably the best track, which is unfortunate that it's the opener and it's all downhill from there. It's fine.
Perfect soundtrack for latenight animation-making.
I haven't listened to this record since it came out when I was 13. Still rips.
Parts of this still sound super fresh, and others somewhat dated. The high points are killer but the rest is (repetitive) filler. Definitely nostalgic, but maybe not as timeless as I had hoped.
Still sounds interesting and exciting.
Boom, Wicka, Wicka, Boom, Boom ... Drugs are bad!
Based on the reviews on this site, I know this album isn't everyone's cup of tea, because it isn't some white guy from the 60's pretending that he has the blues, but this album is an absolute classic. One of the best of its genre, which absolutely earns it its place on this list.
3.5
I will, in fact, be digging my own hole.
I was familiar with the first song and I liked Where Do I Begin. Overall they have some cool sounds and some interesting beats mixed and overlaid together. But it just gets repetitive and long. If techno songs were 2-3 minutes I think I could really get into it, but the same beat slightly changed for 8 minutes just gets old to me. I will say I liked how they transitioned between songs, as an album it flowed really well from one to another. Less massive disruptions between songs made it easier to stay connected.
Ravey electro beats. It's pretty good for what it is but I get a little bored with it and it doesn't especially grab me. Setting Sun was pretty good.
Back with another of those block rockin' beats! The Chemical Brothers always felt like the group that brought rave culture music "mainstream," or at least as mainstream as it was ever going to get. I'm familiar with a few of the tracks on here, and early 2000s me probably would've given this a 5. I enjoy the kind of hard edge they give to electronic music, but a whole hour of this felt long and a little tedious and repetitive. Still enjoyed though!
Really enjoyed this album. Was doing advanced natural product synthesis (shout-out all my organic chemists in undergrad) while listening through this album for the first time and it was awesome. This album really makes you feel like your moving somewhere quick with its slap base riffs and heated drum lines. Favorite album cut off the album was Dig Your Own Hole.
This was like listening to Boys Noize, while waiting for NIN to play during the Peel It Back Tour.
Whatever. It’s EDM. Boring.
Pfoee dit is een knaller hoor. Ik heb dus een soort haat/liefde verhouding met de Chemical Brothers. Heb ze ooit live gezien op Ultra Europe en dat was de ergste show uit mn leven, ik vond het absoluut verschrikkelijk. Ik stond daar redelijk bovenin het stadion en kreeg allemaal heftige trippy shit te zien op grote schermen terwijl de muziek kneiterhard stond. Little did I know, dat ik dat soort feesten en optredens later eigenlijk alleen maar op zou zoeken. Maar 19 jarige ik was hier duidelijk nog niet klaar voor. Daarna heb ik iedereen die het maar wilde horen verteld dat Chemical Brothers shit was. Nu, thuis, draai ik dit album net ff te hard en begrijp ik veel beter wat hier vet aan is/kan zijn. De 3 openingsnummers knallen alledrie echt keihard er op. Alleen... Daarna haalt Piku eigenlijk alle vaart er uit en realiseer ik me opeens dat ik nog niet eens halverwege dit album ben. HALLO HE, dat is even een acid/303 lijntje op Don't Stop the Rock! Jammer dat het verder toch echt een beetje inkakt en dan valt op dat nummers echt lang duren. Dat is inherent aan elektronische muziek/albums maar Chemical Brothers blijven helaas niet interessant genoeg om de hele tijd te boeien. Helaas, dit album begint ijzersterk maar kakt daarna harder in dan wanneer je net te lang wacht op de after. FAVO: Block Rockin Beats, Electrobank, Dont stop the rock
Loved it! 4/5
1997. Pretty enjoyable late 90s clubbin music.
Not a fan.
#DÍA 33: 1001 Discos Que Hay Que Escuchar Antes De Morir (English Translation Below) La cosa se puso ácida, primer álbum de electrónica que tratamos y es bestial. Aparentemente contemporáneo a Homework de Daft Punk, un clásico del Big Beat, un género que tuvo bastante potencia en la música en vivo de Reino Unido a finales de los 90. The Chemical Brothers te adentran aquí en un completo trance de LP, lleno de breakbeats enérgicos y unos bajos que se apoderan de tu alma. De hecho, empecé a escuchar el álbum algo adormecido, pero el incansable ritmo festival de los temas me acabaron despertando, aunque ya ni sé en qué realidad. El disco empieza con Block Rockin’ Beat, que es literalmente lo que el nombre te da a entender, todo un golpe de ritmos y descargas de intensidad disparadas en forma de extraños ruidos electrónicos. No llega a ser como Aphex Twin que te hace sentir que estás viajando a la velocidad de la luz para que te trituren el cerebro unos robots del futuro, pero sí hace mover tu cuerpo fuera de tu voluntad, y te transporta a una noche de bailes intensos. El sonido de la batería y los grooves para mí son la joya de todo el LP, no hay una pieza que no tenga un beat asombroso, desde una hiperactiva batería estilo “Amen Break” en Elektrobank (Aparentemente traída de manos del mismísimo Simon Philips), las percusiones que parecen grabadas en una catedral de Sitting Sun, hasta el imparable groove de Get Up On It Like This. Por otro lado, la atmósfera del LP es alucinante, entras de lleno en una pista de baile en la que estás básicamente trascendiendo. Toda la lista de canciones tiene una marcha imparable, los sintetizadores y diversos ruidos acribilladores, es como si la música tratase de entrar violentamente en tu cuerpo. Predomina una oscuridad intensa, a veces parecen sonidos de películas de terror, como Setting Sun o las distorsiones finales de Elektrobank. Sin embargo, Lost In The K-Hole parece adentrarnos en un lugar mucho más onírico, como una especie de clímax inverso… O básicamente al fin pillar la cama tras una noche intensa. Where Do I Begin después me suena a una resaca, dentro de la tranquilidad del amanecer la cantante Beth Orton parece algo perdida, ni sabe dónde está. Tras ésto el álbum cierra de un modo épico con The Private Psychedelic Reel, una larga pieza de electrónica mezclada con elementos exóticos y un beat intrépido, da la impresión de ser los créditos tras la película. Finalmente tengo algunas cosillas que criticar, principalmente que los samples de voces no son especialmente interesantes. Desde luego que pegan con la energía general, pero creo que se les podría haber dado un uso más creativo o haber hecho una selección con refranes más llamativos (Aunque en Lost In The K-Hole sí creo que complementa bastante a la sensación adormecida de la pista). Comparado con proyectos del estilo cercanos en el tiempo, como .....Endtroducing, Donuts o Homework, pienso que flojea bastante en ese sentido. Pero vamos, es genial en todos los sentidos, al final lo que más me gusta de este tipo de música es que los beats se me claven en el coco, y éste lo consigue con gran éxito. Bailé mucho Hey Boy Hey Girl en el Just Dance 3 de pequeño así que no me extraña que me guste tanto este disco :) Favoritas: Block Rockin’ Beats, Dig Your Own Hole, Electrobank, Piku, Setting Sun, Get Up On It Like This, Lost In The K-Hole, The Private Psychedelic Reel Menos favorita: Don’t Stop the Rock #DAY 33: 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die Things just got trippy—the first electronic album I’m covering, and it’s a beast. Apparently released around the same time as Homework by Daft Punk, this is a classic of Big Beat, a genre that carried huge weight in the UK’s live music scene in the late ’90s. The Chemical Brothers pull you into a complete LP trance, full of energetic breakbeats and basslines that take over your soul. In fact, I started listening to the album half-asleep, but the relentless, festival-ready rhythms ended up waking me up—though I’m not even sure what reality I’m in anymore. The record kicks off with Block Rockin’ Beats, which is literally exactly what the name suggests—an explosion of rhythms and bursts of intensity shot out in strange electronic noises. It doesn’t go as far as Aphex Twin, who makes you feel like you’re traveling at the speed of light while future robots grind your brain, but it does make your body move against your will, transporting you to a night of intense dancing. For me, the drum sound and grooves are the crown jewels of the LP. There isn’t a single track without an amazing beat—from the hyperactive, “Amen Break”-style drumming in Elektrobank (apparently courtesy of Simon Phillips himself), to the cathedral-like percussion of Sitting Sun, to the unstoppable groove of Get Up On It Like This. The album’s atmosphere is also mind-blowing—you’re thrown straight into a dancefloor where you’re basically transcending. The entire tracklist charges forward with unstoppable momentum; the synths and stabbing noises feel like the music is trying to violently enter your body. A dark intensity dominates; at times it sounds like horror movie effects, like in Setting Sun or the distorted ending of Elektrobank. However, Lost in the K-Hole feels like drifting into a much more dreamlike space, almost like an inverted climax—or basically finally crashing into bed after a wild night. Where Do I Begin then feels like a hangover, with Beth Orton sounding lost in the calm of dawn, unsure where she even is. After that, the album closes epically with The Private Psychedelic Reel, a long piece of electronic music blended with exotic elements and a daring beat—it feels like the end credits of a film. That said, I do have a few criticisms, mainly that the vocal samples aren’t particularly interesting. They definitely match the overall energy, but I think they could have been used more creatively, or chosen with more striking refrains (though in Lost in the K-Hole, I do think they complement the drowsy vibe of the track well). Compared to similar projects from the era, like .....Endtroducing, Donuts, or Homework, I think it falls a bit short in that regard. But honestly, it’s brilliant in every way. At the end of the day, what I love most about this type of music is when the beats get stuck in my head—and this record nails that perfectly. I danced a lot to Hey Boy Hey Girl on Just Dance 3 as a kid, so it’s no surprise I love this album so much. :) Favorites: Block Rockin’ Beats, Dig Your Own Hole, Elektrobank, Piku, Setting Sun, Get Up On It Like This, Lost in the K-Hole, The Private Psychedelic Reel Least favorite: Don’t Stop the Rock
I dislike The Chemical Brothers. 2nd album of theirs I’ve gotten on this list and the longer I listen the less I enjoy it. The beats are extremely repetitive. I will be so happy to not listen to this again.
Man this was way too monotonous and the repetitive beats just went on and on and on and on... I thought it was stuck on a loop but alas no. This was just terrible - all the songs sound like some AI generated drivel. Hope never to have to listen to this again.
Elektrobank and the lead in to Piku have been my favorite so far. At this exact moment, I’m listening to Setting Sun and I really want to like it but the vocals kind of kill it for me. It Doesn’t Matter - wasn’t too sure about this track but it won me over in the end. It’s got a nice sound and it made my ears feel good. What more could I want from a song? Where Do I Begin? - love it The Private Psychedelic Reel - a great and fun little closer. Overall I like how crisp the entire album feels, but save for the few I wrote about above, it’s not really my thing.
Kickass hiphop beats. Basically all beats and samples; no verses, some choruses. 90s-2000s vibes all over. Sounds like The Matrix soundtrack, inspite of having 0 songs on the OST.
bouncy fun atmospherish forgettable
Somebody’s brother born in the late 70s was in the club dancing to this nonsense
Album 872 of 1089 The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole (1997) Rating : 1.5 / 5 If I was a fan of electronica, I’m sure this would hit the right spot - but I’m not, so it just doesn’t do much for me. I can respect the energy and the style, and I know it has its place for those who enjoy the genre, but it’s just not where my ears want to be. Cheers to those who do connect with it - me, I’m already heading on down the road to the next one.
3.5
2.5
3.5
Second album by them that I was surprised how much I really enjoyed this album. I have *Exit Planet Dust* just slightly ahead of this one, i think mainly because it's a lot fuzzier and dirtier. But this one definitely has its merits and in some cases even better than their debut. This album starts off really strong first couple of songs are just fantastic, it does sag a little in the middle for me but it ends quite frankly on two of my favorite songs of the whole project. "Where Do I Begin" with Beth Orton, is my favorite track on the whole album and quite frankly Beth's best bit outside of "Best Bits". And the closer OMG! "The Private Psychedelic Reel" it's such a tour de force of what The Chemical Brothers do best. Still slightly favor "Where Do I Begin", but this track is right up there with it. (8.77) ★★★★
I like big beat quite a lot, not my favourite of these types of album, but solid. 4 stars
This is probably the best of these 90s electronica albums we've had. While at times, it does fall into the trap of being too long and repetive without much happening, there's some tracks that are really good here. I which the Chemical Brothers would have worked with vocalists more often because the tracks with Noel Gallagher and Beth Orton are my easy favorites. Standouts for me are "Block Rockin' Beats", "Setting Sun", and "Where Do I Begin". 3.5 stars.
1.5
Stadium worthy electronica that rocks hard in a severely funky place. Block Rockin Beats is a sheerest of slam dunk openers and Setting Sun which features Noel Gallagher is like an Oasis cover of Tomorrow Knows done right. Both superbly siren tastic and both British number ones. Electrobank and Stephen Hawking guesting It Doesn’t Matter futhermore are two delirious and extremely gallant extended dance workouts, It Doesn’t Matter itself only the start of a miniature grinding sandpaper dance suite. On top of that it saves its two greatest tracks till the very end. Where Do I Begin with Beth Orton is just beautiful and with such an immense build-up and breakdown and The Private Psychedelic Reel is as epic as the most epic thing. Overall this is big beat that just can’t be beat. Easy 5.
I have some respect for this type of music. For me, it evokes the image of some dude by himself in a dark basement, on a computer, strung out on insomnia and caffeine etc, just going wherever his crazed mind takes him (or her, whatever). Like, if I had created this, I think I would be somewhat proud of it. But I would probably not listen to this record again unless I really needed to just do some stimulants and speed-clean the house.
I don't mind it. Didn't love it didn't hate it. 3 Stars.
Once again this is alright, but it would be better in the right time and place. This is a very aggressive and loop-heavy album, the kind of music that sounds best witch flashing lights and a fog machine. Unfortunately, it is lacking in substance without that. Favorite tracks: "Setting Sun," "The Private Psychedelic Reel"
pää räjähtää holy fckn huume huume saatana viillä aivoja viillä niitä leikkausveitsellä ja laita sitruunauutetta vittu aivoon aaaaa räjäytä pää kokonaan ihan paskaksi hullu mene hulluksu näyttele hullua ja ole hullu sekopää sekoilija vaan raa araa raaa hahahaaa jeejeejee huume kirpeet aivot kirpeet!!! pää räjähtää holy fckn huume huume saatana viillä aivoja viillä niitä leikkausveitsellä ja laita sitruunauutetta vittu aivoon aaaaa räjäytä pää kokonaan ihan paskaksi hullu mene hulluksu näyttele hullua ja ole hullu sekopää sekoilija vaan raa araa raaa hahahaaa jeejeejee huume kirpeet aivot kirpeet!!! dig your own hole
Good, not great.
I’m not usually the biggest fan of “robot music” and this was no exception. It wasn’t good robot music like Daft Punk, it sounded more like the shitty techno beats I made using loops in year 8. I think my one song was better than this whole album (I am definitely biased).
mi sento come in un club di jhon wick in cui schiatta di mazzate tutti
Beat heavy 90s jams.
Horribly repetitive.
I could listen to it just not my favorite
The first half deserves 5 stars but the second 3, so here, have 4
Its got block rockin beats and great samples but sometimes the vocal samples are too much.
I bought this in around 2000 in Camden Market, as well as a red tie, which I wore to the clubs of Lancaster and then York. One of those items has stood the test of time better than the other. Actually, I was a little disappointed by this to be honest; I loved hearing the ones I could remember well - Let Forever Be and Setting Sun - but otherwise it wasn't quite as good as I remember.
Probably more of a 3 if I’m honest … but I’m giving it 4 for the nostalgia value 😊
Supposedly, big beats are the best. Superhans got that one wrong
Though not a fan of techno music, I heard this album when it was first released, and loved the beats. I just cannot explain why. Maybe the voice snippets, maybe it being more "pop" techno than other bands, but I could listen to this often.
Went in with low expectations but actually didn’t mind it
-i had heard talk of this album on musictwt for a while. i guess i was expecting something a bit more crazy? -i’m not the hugest fan of big beat but i will certainly admit this is among the best i’ve heard of the genre. i’d like to hear more stuff from this group in the future -Favorites are Dig Your Own Hole and Where Do I Begin
1/5
Mola,
Nope. Still not a fan.
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: ⬛👧😿 Production: 🎧😘🤌 Music: 🎛️🚀😩 Rating: 🕳️🕳️(🕳️)/5
Block Rockin' Beats 3 Dig Your Own Hole 2.7 Elektrobank 2.3 Piku 2 Setting Sun 2.1 It Doesn't Matter 1.3 Don't Stop the Rock 1.4 Get Up on It Like This 1.5 Lost in the K-Hole 1.5 Where Do I Begin 1.6 The Private Psychedelic Reel 1.4 Score: 1.890909091
Thought I would like but I did not!
I can understand being mesmerized by the music but I ultimately find it unappealing.
Not my vibe. No es una apreciación técnica (sé que son excelentes en lo suyo) sino que simplemente no me gusta.
More varied then the reviews seem to make out here, some very familiar songs here but overall a decent album 4*
Not terrible, but with most electronic albums, the songs should've been half as long and even then they would've run together
I’m not digging anything, man.
Could not finish
I’m back. After a years hiatus, getting engaged, and moving to a new home I think I’m finally ready to attempt this monumental task again. There is something therapeutic about having a task that is slightly out of your control to do every day. Being forced to discover albums that shaped our musical landscape is something I did genuinely miss. Can’t wait to get Kid Rock again tomorrow. 3.5/5
That last track did its best to save this album from its fate. 57 minutes too late, I'm afraid
Now, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. I quite liked this. Now that's not to say that there weren't any naff bits, there so were. But there were more quite good bits, unlike yesterday's Felonious Monk. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that I may buy it, but there are certainly tracks I would skip. But on the whole it was OK. Got to be worth a 3.
A generous-ish 3. Rounded up as it’s as good as anything that dance music throws my way. Apart from Faithless. And The Prodigy. But 3rd best ain’t bad. Got some classic tracks on here, and some filler.
Its not bad, and contains probably Liam's best vocal performance ever. Sadly a B-Tec Prodigy.
Hooked me, lost me, hooked me, lost me. Overall, very nostalgic for me from my college days. Block Rockin Beats was one of my faves and it still hits! 4⭐️
Just ok
not for me
Solid EDM
Feels so nostalgic, an album that feels like it completely sums up the 90's
At least it’s not another Beck album
Sounds like a modem connecting
“Lost in the K-Hole” A Memoir by Elon Musk I find it strange that people sit down and listen to this sort of thing (sober). I enjoyed their videos in the past, but this album is just too much. Club music for people who don’t go to clubs.
How did I miss this album in the late 90s? Perhaps I was meant to miss it in order to discover it during my late 40s to channel my perimenopausal rage. I’m here for it! Deep bass seems to be connected to the deepest part of my soul and gives me life. I think the first half of the album is the best. The beats and production blew me away. It kinda hit a lull after track five. Overall, it’s still pretty interesting though.
Not my cup of
that might be a top album ive listened to, reallu really cool tracks
This was ok. There are some interesting things going on, but they lean into some very tired techno tropes that threaten to sink the while things. Still, mostly listenable at worst and truly enjoyable at best.
It’s been about 25 years since I last heard this album. While it definitely feels like a product of its time, it was cutting-edge and forward-thinking when it first came out. The Chemical Brothers always had a strong Neo-psychedelia edge and some rock crossover appeal, but they kept a solid club vibe as their foundation. One thing that always stands out to me about them is their use of analog equipment, especially their embrace of those classic MC303 acid sounds.
Best Song: Block Rocking Beats Back with another one of those block rocking beats. Talk about a time machine back to the late 90s. While I don't really like electronica, this is better than average electronica (or at least I'm more familiar with it since I would still have been going to bars/clubs that play this type of music back then). Not something I really would ever listen to often (or ever again for that matter) but, as a 50-year-old I will give a 3/5 for nostalgia purposes if nothing else. If I were a 22-year old like when this came out, and on molly at a club, this might have gotten a 4/5.
Can’t remember what album I said this about last time but “YoU WouLDn’T DowNLoaD a CAr” vibes. Just not for me although I can imagine it’d go alright for studying. (1.5 stars)
Normally, I dig this kind of music but I found all the various beeps, dings and alarms really jarring and the overall effect just kinda boring.
this sounded like one of those "anti piracy" ad sorta music. like it was tryna be cool, and to be honest, it was cool. 90's pysch rock mixed with breakbeats is a fun combo and i hope it's something again. also shoutout chemical brothers for the 2nd goated album (even tho this is a 3/5 compared to their last 4/5)
Alright electronic album, fairly forgettable but not bad. Autoplay had better picks.
Good focus music.
Couple nostalgia hits but pretty repetitive
Rating (1-5): ✩✩ Higlighted songs: Meh Got kinda boring to me :(
Incredible production and sound — it’s just not for me. That said, I did save a couple of tracks like “Block Rockin’ Beats” and “Elektrobank.”
4.5
"Dig Your Own Hole" de "The Chemical Brothers". Sinceramente, me encanta este grupo ya que junto a "The Prodigy", son una de las influencias de la música electrónica de los 90-2000, que llevaron un poco más alto el DrumNBass. Este álbum, aunque no sea el mejor de TCB y es bastante pastillero, muy afterparty, está bastante guay. La canción "The private psychedelic reel" es simplemente la mejor del álbum, es increíble. Le doy un 8/10
Disco curioso. No escucho a Prodigy pero es así como me lo imagino. Está bien pero se me hace algo repetitivo supongo. Si que es verdad que esto y un juego de coches es match. Y bueno. No me escuché como 4 canciones del medio porque me fui a cagar y me olvidé de que no lo había pausado. Destaca la primera canción y una random que era como suave y cantada, por ser diferente. Normalillo 6.5/10 -> 3/5
Better than daft punk, but couldn't finish it
Pretty good. Took me forever to get through the album, but that might be more my fault than anything. It feels hard to fully appreciate without the historical context. That said, it holds up very well, but might feel a bit standard after influencing so many other artists.
A buddy of mine at work loves this and I would’ve never expected that. For me, it’s fun for a while and worthy of some appreciation but simply not my bag.
Gah- not for me. It's catchy at times, but in the way a jackhammer is catchy after a while.
Perhaps this made the list because it is the epitome of this genre but I found very little listening enjoyment in this album. Sounded like a videogame soundtrack but without the distraction of playing said game, all you have is the music to pay attention too which frankly kind of sucks.
This is genuinely awful. I’m only two songs into this album and I swear it’s been going on for 2 hours already. I don’t understand how anyone can listen to this music outside of people in a club. Seriously every single one of these songs needs to be 3 minutes shorter at a minimum.
leider überhaupt ned mis. de beat gat mir extrem ufd nerve, has ned chöne fertig lose.
Not my favorite. A little too techno for me.
By chance (or not?) it’s Glastonbury weekend and my only experience of the Chemical Brothers is seeing them there on the TV. Image that sticks out are those goggles they wear projecting beam on light from their eyes. Looks good and suits the music. Glastonbury all well and good but in the cold light of day and playing this album I do not get the same vibe. From what I can gather the music is just one part of the Chemical Brothers experience. Live there is lots of artistic visions and movement going on to accompany the music. Take that away and rather like the Riverdance album without the dancing you only get half what you paid for. 2/5 28/6/25
Sounds like i am in a 2000s montage trying to hack the mainframe
Grows boring after a while.
Listening to this hurt my ears.
I understand this is not for everyone and certainly not for every situation, but I really love the '90s techno/house/x vibe of these albums. Give me more!
Foreign exchange student showed me Chemical Brothers in high school and it blew my mind. The videos were awesome, the tempo was upbeat and fueling my young age debauchery. Found this right before I found drugs, what a combo. Noel Gallagher featured, fuck yeah. But all in all, the album can be long and drag. I think a "best of" compilation suits them better.
nice to listen to some early Chems
Not for me at all, was waiting for it to end
It was good but it didn't really grab me.
Proper dance music
My first electronic band and this is arguably their best album. GOATed.
It's pretty good for the time and genre. Not my thing in 2025, but I respect it.
Way too long for something I can barely stand. Got to the 3rd song.
adri: DNF, quizas no es el mejor cd para un viaje por carretera en verano lleida-huesca, quizas una noche estando en un estado muy concreto, pero hoy no mar: DNF, antes me pego un tiro que seguir escuchando esto
This shit is insane
Not raving, so it’s a no.
No
3.5
3.5
Pretty good.
Wife didn’t enjoy being subjected to this. She was rather appalled
Apparently The Chemical Brothers make electronica that I enjoy. I might even like this more than ‘Exit Planet Dust’. A pleasant surprise. Bangs start to finish. Repetitive enough to enjoy the hooks but dynamic enough to keep from getting boring or annoying.
Well, that was a fun party!
Pretty good grooves, reminds me of the The Prodigy
Zeer goed album. Groot fan
Already had this album before, the review: 'Pleasantly surprised, started out a little rough after the first song. But started to like it more and more. Definitely a save for later'
Really good!
Some misses here but mostly bangers.
The intro Where Do I Begin was fantastic but the rest was pretty standard electronic
There is way too much "club" music on this list. Why would you sit down to listen to this? At least this is a little more interesting than the last one.
BOOOORING
Not got a huge amount to say about this one. I like a lot of the beats, they can be pretty creative. A lot of the songs are pretty repetitive and just repeat the same ideas too many times. The songs (and the album) get a bit too long and repetitive because of that (It Doesn't Matter, for example) I would've also liked one or two moments where it brought the intensity down as a bit of a reprieve, especially given the length of the album Highlights: Lost In The K-Hole
Good start, but went way too experimental towards the end
Love the chemical brothers but it's not a 5*
An alright album, not my usual style of music. I liked Where Do I Begin.
Звучит мощно, но мне как-то не заходит.
A tru classic.
Perfectly fine to bop around to, but I also gind it unbeliveably boring the more I focus on it. In a club it's probably great. Sitting on my cluch trying to listen to it as an album, not so much. To quote The Chemical Brothers, It Doesn't Matter. All of these songs blend and I find it quite boring. Block Rockin' Beats is fine as an album representative for my list.
Repetitive in a way that most dance orientated electronic music usually is. God stuff though, drums sound great and there is enough here to hold my interest.
This music makes me feel like I’ve taken acid.
Stop Just Stop STOP Do you need me to be even more repetitive so you will actually pay attention?
Great to listen to while exercising or cleaning the house
I didn’t care for it :(
The name of the tracks are so good, favorite: lost in the k-hole
I'm not a big fan of techno- but where I in the mood for this to be the soundtrack to biking or reading, it's quite serviceable- if working out-even more so. And it really steeps me in the 90s, so the nostalgia factor is strong.
Probably would have been more enjoyable if I were high. Then again that's probably the case for most albums
I wanted to like this album more. Some of the elements I really enjoyed, others sounded really loud and abrasive. I did appreciate the experimentation with sound in a more “analog” way then modern production methods.
# Album Name: Dig your own hole # Artist: The Chemical Brothers # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: I was looking forward to this. I made myself a nice green tea to sit down and take a listen. Over the years ive enjoyed the singles they have released. Its turns out im definitely more of a fan of their greatest hits than their albums. This was way too repetitive for me. Maybe listening to it at 8am with green tea isnt the best place. Apart from BRB, im not sure how this made it to number 1. It may have been due to the amount of drug use in the UK at the time. # Top Tunes: Block rocking beats # Would I listen to it again? Not sure, doubtful at this stage. I might come back and give it another try.
Pleasantly surprised, started out a little rough after the first song. But started to like it more and more. Deffinetly a save for later
Oh dear christ where to begin. This is just noise. It’s not music. It’s loud noise. I hated every second of this ear-piercing garbage. Worst thing I’ve heard so far on here. If I could give it 0 stars, I would. Who actually listens to this and thinks “yeah this sounds good”?
The Brothers cooked here is real...real good.
can appreciate, not my everyday vibe
Mostly repetitive, electronic buggery, but the album redeemed itself with Where Do I Begin. Which, to be fair, is also repetitive, electronic buggery, but I happened to appreciate it more than the rest.
This started at a 4 or 5 for me but kinda dwindled to a 3.5 by the end. I don't think it's an overall bad album at all though. - I found it fun enough to listen to (at least the first half); cool production throughout the whole album I think - Feels like it kinda overstays its welcome/is repetitive (felt a little "exhausted"/dragged out by Elektrobank) - By the second half even some of the shorter (2-3 minute) tracks feel dragged out - That pan flute or whatever halfway through The Private Psychadelic Reel was kinda grating, and then the rest of the track kinda went off the rails but not in a good way
At some point during this album I hadda stop and wonder to myself how I actually wanted to review electronic music like this. Which, y'know, is a question that can drift off into "How do I wanna talk about music as a whole?", but let's stay focused. So, like... Electronic dance music. Big beat. Breakbeat. Whatever other genres this is. This is music, first and foremost (at least how I see it), for the clubs. It's for flashing lights and getting all hot and sweaty, losing yourself on the dance floor, and also drugs. More of a possibility than not drugs. Ecstasy, if I hadda guess. Now, I don't go to clubs. I hardly dance. If I get hot and sweaty doing anything, it's taking a walk in mildly warm weather. And I certainly don't take drugs (and even if I did, my cheese intake would still probably get me first). With all that gone, what exactly does the music itself leave me with — y'know, when I listen to the actual music? And to cut this off at the pass, I don't wanna make it seem like clubgoers wouldn't be paying attention to the music, nor that the Chemical Brothers just slapped this album together to be a pace-setting piece of wallpaper. More, it's just that when you take this kind of music out of its natural environment, what are you left with to chew on? For me, I think it comes down to two things: how much I can lock in with and be hypnotized by the beats, and how well (as with a lot of instrumental music) I can Fantasia to it. And to address the latter first — well, in general how one can Fantasia might more come down to how much imagination someone has b/w their ability to think of things on the fly... But I think I can make it work well enough. It's a fine one to imagine some goings-on to. But then we obviously have the more important side of things. And, like... Yeah, I'd say I can, but it's also where I think I had a revelation about myself and my tastes in electronic dance music: Daft Punk has colored a lot of what I expect out of it, specifically thanks to DISCOVERY. And that's not fair to this album, I know. It's an apples and oranges thing, tryna compare French house nu-disco to English breakbeat big beat. But it's not irrelevant, y'know? 'Coz I feel like with Daft Punk, their songs are always evolving. They never stay in one place forever — I mean, just look at "Around The World" from HOMEWORK. People razz on that thing for its repetitiveness, but if you notice, it has a bunch of different sections and it's always changing. It moves around and it keeps your interest. Versus the Chemical Brothers on this album, where, y'know, I'm not gonna say there's not similar evolution, but, like... It's not **as** noticeable? Especially with some of the longer songs, there are times where you'd be hard pressed to figure out how far away you are from the beginning or the end of the song. And they're good songs, don't get me wrong. I like what I heard here. But it can be a **bit** hard to stay focused when you feel like you're stuck going in a circle, y'know? As well, it doesn't strike me that there's as much variety as there would be on a Daft Punk record. Every song on one of those sounds different from each other, while still fitting into a cohesive whole, whereas here... Besides "Block Rockin' Beats" at the front, it all kind of feels pretty similar, like it's vaguely hovering around the same BPM the entire album without ever going too far over or under. Although, with that said... It doesn't feel like **as** much of a problem as it would be on other albums? I know I just made a big three paragraph deal out of it, but I wanna emphasize that I **do** like the songs on here. They may all have a similar psych-breakbeat tone to them, but it's a damn good tone, and one I enjoy hearing. There's an accessible poppiness to this stuff, while still retaining a lot of the harder integrity you'd want out of this kind of music. And seriously, when it all comes together and hits — fuckin' hell, it's great. Of course "Block Rockin' Beats" stands out as the big example, but I also wanna pay special attention to the album closer, "The Private Psychedelic Reel". It's... Just, wow. It's the best track here, bar none. It's this intriguing, great-ass mix of break and Indian-inspired psych rock... And in fact, it sounds like what I wanted OK by Talvin Singh to sound like. I mean, lemme tell yah: another small nitpick of mine about this kind of music is that, as a girl who tends to latch on to melody over everything else... Well, break**beat** and big **beat** don't exactly have a big focus on that. But with this track, and that little sitar lick it has going on throughout... Oof, yeah, yeah, no, yeah. I'm down for this big time. Don't even care that it's nine minutes; it got its hooks in me, and it got them in **deep**. So, yeah. I might have my quarrels with this kind of electronic music, but overall, it's still good stuff. I gotta give my props to Tom and Ed for putting all together. And, sure, I don't think I'd reach for this as soon as I would a Daft Punk album... I can't say I'd never touch this thing ever again, y'know? So I guess I found what I got out of it. "Block rockin' beats" indeed, goodness.
The electronic genre can be quite tricky to write about, so all I really can say about this album is that it's simply a banger. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 3.5 that I’ll bump up to a 4. We’ve gotten stuff like this before, mainly in “The Fat of The Land” by The Prodigy & Fatboy Slim’s “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”. As the direct comparisons, I don’t think this album gets to the same level as those two. The energy isn’t as high, the “danceability” isn’t really there for a lot of these tracks, & as a whole, there’s a number of baffling production decisions that just drag this thing down throughout the already long 63 minute runtime. There’s a bunch of smaller ones, like a few sections of each track taking a bit long to transition from point A to point B, and really harping on a repetition in a way that left me unsatisfied until the drops/transitions occurred. The big one, however, is just in how often this album puts a heavy emphasis on one instrument that absolutely monopolizes the soundscape & sort of burns the ears up. It’s especially egregious on the endings of “Setting Sun” & “It Doesn’t Matter”. If your brain is as attentive as mine is, those moments happen way more than they should, and it lends itself to a sort of negative simmering feeling that doesn’t fully go away until something else distracts the ears away. With that said, it’s not THAT bad, otherwise I would be giving it much lower than a 4. I’m tearing into it a bit, but that’s because this album’s “flaws” are so potent that it’s easier to point them out. It’s harder to pinpoint the parts of this album that work really well, because the soundscapes are always encapsulating the ears in some fashion. There are nuances throughout this thing that I almost certainly didn’t catch, but as I said, that “simmering feeling” sort of distracts the ears from catching it in the first place. When this album does find a zen state, it clicks really nicely, and I honestly did enjoy 7 of the 11 tracks here in a “yeah, I’d listen to this again” sense. So, it’s getting a rather generous bump up to a 4 – I’ve nearly talked myself back down into a 3, given that even the tracks I liked have a number of stagnant moments within each one, but I think the energy level and the overall production here is still fine enough to warrant it. It’s nowhere near the level of the other big beat / plunderphonics-y albums we’ve gotten, but it’s a wholly competent 63 minutes that is, at the very least, interesting to listen to as a progenitor of the more polished & more energetic albums that would emerge in the wake of its popularity. I liked it, flaws & all, hence the bump up to a 4. No more than a 7.5 out of 10 though, if we were going that route.
Big beats, big drum fills, big noise - I think this will continue to grow on me too, 4.5, will grow to a 5
"Dig Your Own Hole" is the second studio album by English electronic duo the Chemical Brothers. Big Beat, electronica, breakbeat and pyschedelic rock are the Wiki-listed genres. I'll go with that. The album was self-produced by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. It received critical acclaim and hit #1 in the UK and #14 in the US. The album comes out jamming with "Block Rockin' Beats." Laser sounds, the drum sample of Bernard Purdie's "Changes" and most importantly the bass sample from the Crusaders' "The Well's Gone Dry" and the vocal sample of "Back with another of those block rockin' beats" by Schoolly D. Great sampling throughout and as with most of these songs, a chaotic finish. In "Elektrobank," they speed up the drum sample of "Hit or Miss" by Odetta. Distorted vocals and more vocal sampling. Interesting explosion sounds at the end. "Setting Sun" begins with a grinding and electronic drum beat. Wild synth sounds and then Noel Gallagher appears with echoing and pyschedelic vocals. This is a weird song and the first single. The band uses another guest appearance in "Where Do I Begin" with Beth Orton. The melody is a sped up and phased sample of Mazzy Star's "Give You My Love." Wow, they almost make it sound better than it actually is. Even Beth Orton is hypnotized repeating "Where do I start? Where do I begin?" Creative is a good word to describe this album. Creative beats: drums, electronic drums, dance, hypnotic and just electronic. Creative sampling: speed changes, song selections and vocal selections. Creative synth noises and sounds. The songs get progressively chaotic. Some songs even have a pyschedelic edge. I remember this album sounding ahead of its time on 1997 and it still sounds futuristic. One of the better electronic, dance and EDM I've heard. A high recommendation to go back and listen.
Quite meh, all songs sounded the same.
Strong album
Cool album.
I have danced to this album in clubs uncountable times over the course of my life. For a 52-year-old gen xer this was my Disco.
decent electronic music, not for me but good
This type of thing aint really for me
I did not like this it drags on forever! It’s so damn repetitive and the album goes on for more than an hour, there is no reason I should ever listen to this again. That being said, having thought about it, it wasn’t offensive or anything so probably like a 1.5 but I’m giving it a 2/5
Sounds like every 90s action movie
Fine
For the most part, this was not objectively bad. It was grating at times, too long for my tastes, and not a genre that I ever seek out, but it's probably fine for those who enjoy this type of music. It gets points for originality, but not enough to overcome my personal preferences. 2.4
Not my jam, but I can see the draw.
I had much higher hopes for this. Listen, I love electronic music. Electronic music can be very repetitive. This is repetitive in a way that just grates, though. I'll give it a 3 just for being one of the bigger electronic groups to open up the gates, but just barely.
a classic.
Dig Your Own Hole is like a thick, crusty loaf of sourdough—hearty, loud, a bit rough around the edges, and likely to leave crumbs all over your brain. There’s a lot of flavour packed into it, from the distorted thump of Block Rockin’ Beats to the swirling psychedelia of The Private Psychedelic Reel, and when it hits right, it’s satisfying in that primal, carb-loaded way. But eat too much at once, and it starts to get heavy. The album leans so hard into its own pounding, looping intensity that it occasionally becomes more of a background throb than an engaging listen. It’s big and bold, sure, but sometimes you just want something with a bit more variation than repeated slices of sonic toast. Enjoyable in bursts, but not the most balanced musical diet.
Really well put together. Most of the tracks really hit you over the head while still offering nuance and precision. Some of the tracks show their age and made me cringe; but hey, it’s a product of its time.
This is not the type or album I typically listen to but I was surprised to enjoy this pretty well. Some sections are a little repetitive for me, and I didn't like the Noel Gallagher song lmao
Goes cray cray
Fun drum beats, but far too much like club music and too repetitive for my liking
Complex, cinematic, and scene-building—“storytelling with sound design” Big beat energy, rock/electronic crossovers, evolving structures Standouts: “Block Rockin’ Beats,” “Setting Sun,” “Where Do I Begin,” “The Private Psychedelic Reel” Deeply impressive, even if not personally defining; could grow or settle in time
3 songs in and I'm ready for this album to be done.
I bought this album on the day it came out and returned it to the shop immediately after listening to it as I thought it was rubbish. But you couldn't get away from hearing it in 1997, it was absolutely everywhere and I soon succumbed to its charms. I never liked Block Rockin' Beats as a single, but it was a Number 1 hit here in the UK and a very 'accessible' way into the album. 'Dig Your Own Hole' is rawer, better, and more like the live Chemical Brothers experience. I'm also fond of 'Elektrobank' and the toughness of the breaks, and the vocal sample works well. 'Piku' is the first suggestion of filler to me. Pretty but lightweight. 'Setting Sun' was another monster number 1 hit. At the time in the UK it was illegal to say anything negative about Oasis. This is the better hit for me as it's a bit more distinctive. I have a soft spot for 'It Doesn't Matter' as this was huge in techno clubs in the UK at the time and takes me back to them. Side C of the album is most like the live experience, but perhaps doesn't work as well in album form. If this side was missing I don't think the album would suffer much, even 'IDM' is more of a club track. There's a pretty Beth Orton-vocal track and it finished with 'Private Psychedelic Reel' which is OK but goes on a bit. All in all holds up pretty well, despite my first negative reaction back in 1997
There were a few cool songs I remember from my past, but it's not really a sound that has aged well.
Pretty good but not going to be a regular repeat listen