Reviews (page 3 of 7)
It was OK but tracks too long for me and not a huge fan of this genre
I tried to go into this album open minded, especially since I was playing catch up from vacation (about 5 albums behind), but I wasn’t able to get much out of this. Some repetitive beats I could see being a fun backdrop to an action scene in a movie, but hardly something I’d think about much more than that. The lyrics sprinkled in here and there only made it worse.
Okay, this is one of those albums where you don't need to see the release date before you listen to know when it was made. This is what 1997 sounded like.
I only liked one track from this LP. This genre doesn't appeal to me.
Felt like a classic at the time - went to a million student parties soundtracked to it. The single version of Brown Paper Bag is far superior to the album one, which seemed to be a common problem of electronic albums of this era. It's a bunch of great tunes, and they all hold up well nearly 30 years on - maybe partly due to the recent DnB resurgence (in the UK at least). But, there are probably far too many of them - could've been edited down to an absolutely killer 45 minutes, especially as quite a few themes repeat themselves.
Drum 'n' bass (genre of elwctronic dance music). Very good.
This was very trippy and interesting. Lots of neat sounds and vibes.
some nice tracks, way too long
Quite repetitive - sometimes it worked and was pleasant listening, and with some tracks, I found myself wanting them to just end already. It didn't feel as groundbreaking or inspiring as many of the other albums on this list. I could, however, see myself getting busy or creative with this playing in the background, so I didn't hate it.
Begon heel goed. Super blij dat er drum&bass voorbij kwam. Ben eigenlijk niet zo'n fan van jungle, maar dat maakte me niet zo veel uit. Later werd het steeds raarder en was het precies zulke muziek waar ik echt een allergie voor heb: 'geluiden'. Wilde uit principe 4 sterren geven, maar dat vind ik achteraf veel te hoog. Zit te twijfelen tussen 2 en 3, omdat ik het gewoon te saai of zenuwachtig vond. Maar omdat het dnb is, geef ik 3 sterren
Long, and does wash into the background, but was rewarding when I paid attention.
I listened to the first three tracks. I don't anticipate great revelations in the remaining twenty-one. As with the Prodigy album this is background music for me and not something I will sit with and listen through deeply.
I don't get techno (or EDM, or DnB, or any of its uncountable sub-sub-variations). There are some cool riffs - "Brown Paper Bag" and "Hi-Potent" for example - but they lose all meaning when they're repeated a few hundred times in a row with no variation. I am far from the target audience, and I'm okay with that. This is another one of the "excellent example of a genre I don't care about" albums.
banging
Straight out of your older brother's garage who has got a bunch of drum pads (so sharp they will burst your ears) and is cooking up drum and bass. This is clearly a big precursor to a lot of dnb we hear now from song structure to beats and flows. Some of this slaps, when it leans into great vocals, and more of a gospel/jazz/fusion direction and the clinical and quite sharp beats meet warm vocals and dreamy synths. Not exactly to my taste but I do rate this as siginficantly refining the genre. It is a bit too long, needs cutting, but has some absolute classic tracks
Is this "boom-bap"? If so I like it. Got a teeny bit repetitive in parts for me, but that's the point obviously. I also really like the album cover. Hope there's more like this.
First song was hideous. But then it started to flow for me as I was working on a business project. It was quite good at keeping me in my hyper focused zone, although parts of it are just annoying. But because it mostly kept me in this zone I love, I’ll give it a three.
I recognize this very well is great dance/rave music. While there are moments of interesting combinations of sounds overall I found the music overly repetitive.
decent!
I don't really listen to DnB but this was pretty good. I don't get the hate
I had fun listening to this one, always love some British rap! But overall there's nothing revolutionary here, at least for me personally. I enjoyed my listen and would listen to more, I just don't think I'd think of throwing them on myself.
This along with Timeless is probably is good as drum n bass gets! Though as it tends to do it gets a bit repetitive over a double album!
Love Brown Paper Bag. Pretty sure New Forms includes sound FX samples from Star Trek IV. If I had more musical context I might’ve rated it higher, but I think I’d be more apt to return to other UK electronic music of the time (UNLKLE, Massive attack)
Listening to New Forms in 2026 is not the same experience it was in 1997. Though it sounds very much of its time, you have to take stock of the musical landscape then. Drum and Bass was just emerging from techno, jungle, and bigbeat, and this record was heralded as one of the great albums of the new genre. Don't believe me? It won the Mercury Prize for best album in 97, beating OK Computer by Radiohead, Fat of the Land by The Prodigy, and Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers. All arguably better albums in hindsight (and to many at the time as well). Regardless of your feelings on DnB as a genre, Roni Size captured lightning in a bottle with New Forms.
Sounds very modern for when it came out, so i totally understand it being influential. Sounds alright but probably nothing I would listen to during my normal day
I like a lot of this but I'm not keen on the "mononess" of the recording. I think it could be mixed much better than this. Also I personally find it way too long... but then I'm not planning on getting spaced out and dancing to it until the sun rises. But I applaud people who do.
Considered a 4 because I enjoyed parts and think in the right mood I'd enjoy more, or possibly just other stuff by them, but parts of the album were not very enjoyable so I'm rating more harshly
2.6 From the 90s, and I’d say it feels like it. It’s a little rap, more electronic. Chill beats, but also a lot of songs without lyrics, and the songs are mostly very long. Can definitely bop along, but I wish there were more words
every song sounds like background music in a 90s movie. not bad but nothing stood out for me
I've never been a a dnb fan, though have at times appreciated its influence on other genres. This used to strike me as odd as I once was a drummer. But most all "drums" on dnb trucks are boring a fuck. Largely dnb feels to me like it likes soul, heart, feeling. And some tracks feel schizophrenic in their combination of a meth-addled drum line and other moody ambient samples. This isn't as bad as most dnb so rouding up to 3.
This was some techno. It was ok. Nothing to spectacular, but nothing terrible.
Bristol rave scene. DnB/Jungle. New forms is a good track with cool vocals. Watching windows is good, funky beat. For a DnB album, it's giving a decent amount of variety. Destination is also a fun track
I listened to this both on the way to work in the car, as I often listen to things, and also while at work while I was working the canning line. I think this is relevant because the thing with this album is that it’s dance music, and the things that work for a dance floor aren’t necessarily the same things that work for listening. And so I liked it better while hearing it while doing a repetitive task. I’m not much of a dance music person, but I’ve long preferred drum n bass to other styles: the breakbeats, the deep bass, the synth pads. This tends more towards the jazzy/funky/soul side of things, but I like it, particularly where it veers into the more abstract, like it does on tracks like “Matter of Fact”. Still, I’m not sure it holds up as an album like other classics of the genre like Goldie’s Timeless. Throughout this listening project I think there are always questions of why a particularly album made the list, and I’m not sure if this one should have been included. It feels a little too niche. Still I’d probably rather listen to this than some overrated classic rock album.
Pretty mid. First half has some decent tracks but the second half was a slog with a lot of samey sounding songs.
Only found the remastered version 5!!! Hours
6/10 Favourite: Brown Paper Bag Least Favourite: Matter of Fact
Not bad for what it is but it’s tough to figure out what was the original album
It started out good with great vocals and a jazz feel mixed with electronica. However the electro beats just lasted way too long
Repetitive
I like Drum and Bass, especially 90s Drum and Bass, so if you take 22 shots at that you're likely to land some hits with me, but this isn't really an album. It's just lots of shots at a sound that was finding its way.
Apparantly this book was made by a bunch of different critics and I have to assume all of them were British by what I've heard so far. I like some of this, I'd like it a lot more if it was maaaybe 30 minutes long instead of anywhere between 1 and 2 hours depending on the version. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from an "English Drum and Bass album that's very late 90s" but I think my ear is somewhat attuned to that by the fact that I've actually at least heard one of these songs before but didn't realize it at the time (Brown Paper Bag). Still it is very, very repetitive. If I imagine myself listening to one or two of the songs instead of sitting through the whole thing though, I think I'd have a pretty good time. My favorites are probably "Share the Fall", "Down" and "New Forms". I swear you could play 10 second snippets of half these songs, say they're a different song from the same album and no one would be able to tell the difference.
I found this pretty repetitive and also fairly derivative. Nothing unique in this record.
2.5 (2:19:54, yes two hours+, 22 tracks, debut, 1997) British Drum and Bass Mercury Prize winner (best UK album of the year, also certified platinum in UK). Really not sure why Onallee (Tracey Bowen) wasn't more credited as it is a vocal heavy album. I don't feel she adds a ton but 2 1/2 hours of drum and bass alone would have gotten pretty repetitive. (It still got repetitive). I feel like this album would have been more cutting edge in 1990 at the height of the Rave culture. Four singles, "Share the Fall", "Heroes", "Brown Paper Bag" and "Watching Windows". Given the length of the album I think my 3 listen goal is going to have to be waived. Clearly a UK bias to include this in a must listen list but not a bad album - not my genre and I still enjoyed it. Kind of Trance. Main criticism - too long.
151 Suena entretenido, pero demasiado largo. Y no sé si debería estar en esta lista. La versión actual en splotify tiene como 5 discos y revisé como 10 veces a ver si había pasado al segundo disco, y nop.
Þetta var þéttur og góður beat til að hlusta á á hjólinu
Þetta var smá erfitt. 6-9 mínútna lög. Þú þekkir þetta: of löng. Fá samt miðjuna í stjörnugjöf.
Felt like a pretty standard drum and base album to me. It has a cool sound that I enjoy but none of the songs stood out in particular. If I had to select one, “Brown Paper Bag” stood out the most (it was also in the beginning of the album, before I got too bored). The main drawback of this album is that it is 1 hour too long. I think it might've been a 4 if it was a short one. Now it gets a weak 3.
Strong start and end to the album. The rest in the middle were kind of repetitive and just there for me.
New to my ears - pretty good dance music - hoppin' and totally approachable. Just may not do a second listen
Good D&B and I was in the zone for it. However it got tiring after a while.
Brown Paper Bag
Great singles, gets a bit repetitive as full album.
I’m old enough to remember this winning the Mercury prize in 1997 ahead of The Prodigy’s Fat Of The Land and, more notably, Radiohead’s OK Computer. Back then there was no streaming so you had to buy the cd to listen to it. Consequently I’ve never heard this until now. D&B hasn’t aged particularly well but this album is not bad if you like repetitive beats. Very long though.
Like it 3/5
Unfortunately, I'm not into electronic music. It's not the fault of the album, though. It is definitely a gulp of fresh air during these 1001 album marathon: a drop of smth interesting in the sea of punk, rock and country music. The arrangements and transitions between the parts of tracks are quite interesting, and the samples are cool. Again, I'm not a big fan, but it's worth a listen once and it's quite interesting.
Ok so I need some brownie mirror points after this one. It wasn’t the must difficult album I’ve ever listened to, but it’s definitely the longest. Originally I was only going to listen to the tracklist from the very first release of this album. But I got caught up with work and let it play through for the rest of the work day. Honestly I couldn’t believe it went for almost 6 hours. Like I’d check in and out as the album went on and I ended up saving a few songs here and there and this is my take away. It’s a lot. Like for better or worse it’s an awful nsanely long album with a ton of tracks. Some underwhelming ambient tracks, and some more impactful songs that were a lot easier to digest and get into. But honestly if you are looking for like “house ambient” music this is it. It felt like I was living in the future but from the perspective of the “90’s future”. I know that doesn’t make any sense but ultimately I didn’t love this album but I also didn’t hate it.
I quite liked the drum and bass genre, which isn’t something I listen to normally. The album as a whole is quite long and the songs were quite repetitive (probably a signature of this genre), so not an album I’d listen to again back to front.
6, songs need to be half the length
UK drum & bass album from 1997 is super-niche and shows the bias of the list(maker). It was fun and interesting in short amounts, but not for 2+ hours. Plus one star for winning the Mercury. 2.5⭐️
dnb (y)
Fun, but repetitive
1'18" de listening e sinto uma vibe de mf doom + new order. Agora ouvi tudo. Gostei muito de heroes. Acho que eles fariam boas OSTs de jogos: persona, hotline Miami, etc. Músicas muito longas, confesso que me cansei
Interessante porém álbum longo da porra
Produção, mix e master excelentes. Músicas repetitivas. Desnecessariamente extenso. Destaque para "Heroes".
Música de loja da Ellus. Legal
It's different and interesting, but I didn't really like it. Techno and electronica should make you want to dance, and this does not. It would be ok for a chill game soundtrack, but not much else. It's not atmospheric enough to be ambient, but not bouncy enough to dance to.
Liked the production a couple parts here but pretty forgettable
Interesting stuff. I'd like to spend more time with it. While there's some really nice sounds, I don't know if this music lends itself so well to the album format? I found the record kind of long and with no clear arc or development
Started off alright but got boring pretty quick
Not a huge fan of electronic but this was not bad
Jeg må bare si at jeg ikke er så glad i drum and bass, men kan like det som element i andre sjangre. Opplever denne plata mer melodiøs og det er en fordel. Men altfor lang for en som i utgangspunktet ikke er så fan av sjangeren.
Hva faen. Hef10 bass og trommer men ikke min type sjanger. Blir repetetiv gjennom halvveis gjennom første sang. 80 minutter jeg ikke får tilbake
I like the beats, but I understand why people think it drags on. just listening to the album at face value does make it drag on a bit if you're looking for something to be actively listening to. but it's great for passive listening, and I'm sure it was great for DJs who wanted something that was longer to mix with.
Cool electro
Super cool drum and bass takes -- awesome to have on in the room. Fun listen
Good album
I've never heard of whatever this is, but the name and album cover makes me think I'll like it. Roni size is very important when choosing a pizza. Pizza fans reprazent! OK, but what are we in for? Huh, new genre unlocked. I would have called it "British hip hop/electro", but it's apparently "drum and bass". There is indeed drum. It's OK. Alternatively aggro and chill. Some space... bass. Which I like. The drum bits really evoke 'Let's Go (The B*Witched Jig)', am I right, B*Witched fans?! And 'Heroes' is another Sonic Adventure soundtrack kin. In the end, this (very long) album is more like jazz-electro. It was OK, but like jazz, not very interesting to me because it was so amelodious. Some interesting parts but a lot of filler for your weird art party. Lowlight: 'Morse Code' (miss me with that high pitched beeping), 'Ballet Dance' (miss me with those WINDCHIMES)
It’s cool that they’re using real instruments. This is speed jazz more than electronic.
Drum and Bass is something of an acquired taste, but I found the insistent rhythms on this overlaid with gorgeous vocals to be utterly compelling. The repetitive beats end up being hypnotic and almost fade into the background, in a similar way to minimalist classical pieces by Philip Glass do. Excellent stuff!
An ocd approach to drumming and bass with a frenetic spirit. The best parts were the subtle use of instruments and it could have been used more.
british bias returns to the 1001, but this is fun.
Never really quite knew what drum n' bass was. Cool ambient elements throughout.
As a former consumer of this type of music (as in I would get fucked up and go to clubs that would play drum and bass) I feel like this is a bit academic. Too many musical references and not enough just grooving. Probably why a music nerd who probably never went out dancing put this on his list.
Assuming that this is the only D&B album in the list, I wonder if this is the best choice. Maybe I'm not good enough with it's history, and maybe it was groundbreaking back then. But there are so many better D&B albums.
K&D alike.
I listened to and reviewed this album in August 2024. Here is that review: Here’s an album that I was not expecting to like. It’s a mid-90s British electronic album. I haven’t had the best experiences with those. The fact that this is over 2 hours in length scared me. At least I got to decide when I listened to this album as I did it for the “Mega Album Mini Project” that I referenced in my Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness review. But you know what? I kind of liked this album. There’s something about this that makes it more enjoyable for me than something like a Fatboy Slim album, but I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s the higher energy and the breakbeats that increase my levels of enjoyment. Maybe it’s the nature of this being a Drum and Bass album that differentiates it from the various Big Beat albums I’ve gotten from artists like Basement Jaxx, the Prodigy, and the aforementioned Fatboy Slim. I really can’t put it into words. Of course, this is still a very long album and it could certainly just be called a collection of random beats. But hey, at least they’re some great beats! This serves as some pretty good background music. It’s not amazing or anything and I would totally understand if someone felt the list was better without this. But I enjoyed it for what it is. And what it is is a 3/5.
Finally my ADHD has a voice
Not bad
Fine background or workout music.
Actually some high quality drum and bass/jungle (whatever (sorry))
Bra men lite enformigt (trots beskrivningen i boken "the material never sags" lol)
I've listened probably to more drum and bass than the majority of people doing this list. Brown Paper Bag is absolutely brilliant, structurally a great template for many further drum and bass artists, and is a very early peak in the album. Effectively, for me, this album works at its best when there are less or no vocals. That is a little bit my preference in the genre anyway, often the lyrics just make me cringe or don't carry enough weight or purpose to be worthwhile. A lot to love in it, and inspired a lot of great modern artists that have taken the genre forward.
"New Forms" is the debut studio album by British drum and bass band Roni Size & Reprazent. Drum and bass is the sole Wiki-listed genre. Fair enough. The album received critical success with a comment of this as their Magnum Opus and won the 1997 UK Mercury Prize. It was also commercially successful reaching #8 on the UK charts (#36 US Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart). The personnel involved in this album included Roni Size (writing, production, keyboards), Onallee (vocals, writing), Dynamite MC (vocals), DJ Die (writing, production), DJ Suv (writing, production), Krust (writing, production), Clive Deamer (drums), Steve Graham (guitar), Simon John (bass), Bahamadia (vocals), Tyrell (guitar), Adrian Place (saxophone) and Roisin Murphy (sampled vocals). "Railing" kicks off the adventure. Fast drums and beats (get use to it). A guy talking and singing. Background computer noises. The third of four singles is "Brown Paper Bag." An acoustic guitar. Pounding drums beats which change pace . A repetitive droning guitar string sound throughout the song. Another single is "Heroes." Onallee with soulful female vocals. The first single was "Share the Fall." Static, synth beats and Onallee again on lead vocals. A little different scenario with a sax and a dreamy vibe. It's about a fall from grace. Another song and single with a lot going on is "Watching Windows." Bombs dropping, military chants, scratching, echoing vocals and idiosyncratic beats. But the deep funky bass is what separates this song. My favorite on the album. "Hi-potent" also has a funky bass that carries the melody. The synth gives this a jazzy feel. The closing song "Ballet Dance" throws in strings, bells and horns. This album is all about the beats. It's a very long album. I listened to the original two disc set which clocks in at nearly two hours. My streaming service offered five hours of this album. Woah! And maybe that's the strength of the album; the hypnotic beats create a repetitive atmosphere that's not all bad, actually comforting, for background music listening. I will say while listening closer I did like the songs which had different instruments and pace changes. The group creates different environments throughout the album: jazzy, chill, ambient, soulful and even sci-fi like. There are music samples used in some of these songs but I did not find them central to the music. I liked this album to a certain extent and would think anyone liking drum and bass or electronic music would find something here to like.
nice funk album.
Favorite Track: Railing
Buena grabación, falta la inspiración.
Some interesting stuff here
232/1089 - This definitely sounds like drum and bass music.
Not my thing, this bass & drum genre
At the forefront of the drum 'n' bass that took over in the mid-90s came Roni Size and Reprazent. Thumping beats a-plenty, you'll be a-toe-tappin' in no time (copyright Alan Freeman)
This was ok. I want to revisit at some point
Eefoc
Too long but I feel like I’ve come around to drum and bass a little. At least it’s kinda fun if you can get past the repetitiveness
Great music to come across occasionally. Properly interesting. Snappy rhythms. Nice vibes. However too long.. Better intermingled with other stuff.
This was very interesting in a good way but not a great way. Watching Windows was stellar 3.25
6/10 There are elements on this album that are so, so good. Brown Paper Bag is a classic and there are really compelling parts to a large number of the tracks. Some of the bass lines are absolutely fantastic, there’s some interesting chopping and blending of breaks, and the mixes with vocals are, on the whole, really decent blends between dance tracks and songs. But it’s all just a bit too much. I get that for Drum ’n Bass, tracks need to be structured for DJs to mix them in and out of other records and that having lengthy sections is good for ravers on the dance floor, but isn’t that what 12” mixes are for? Part of this is personal preference, but I suppose this is where my love for more “IDM” artists comes from. There tends to be more variation, structural change and less reliance on a single great loop than there is in more dance floor oriented electronic music. And it’s not just the length of the tracks that wore me down. This is a LONG album and, given that they also released a single disc version, which is literally just the first disc rather than the best of both, it feels like there wasn’t necessarily that much thought put into track selection and sequencing before they put it out. It’s like they just said “oh, we like these 22 tracks, let’s release them”. That sounds like a lot of complaining, but in part that’s because the parts of this album that I love, I really do love. I return to this album every now and again and really enjoy it as background music, but I would never just listen to it in a focused listening experience, because it just doesn’t feel rewarding enough to justify that kind of listening. Had the album been 40 minutes of album cuts of the best bits, this could have been a 10/10 album, but unfortunately it’s just way too flabby, both track by track and as a compilation of songs. But don’t worry Roni, I’ll still be back. Railing - This is a great intro track, full of skittish energy and a really cool synth tone. It gradually builds with extra drum breaks and then drops to a smoother break. Vocals are great too and it ends perfectly into… Brown Paper Bag - An absolute classic. That call and response between the bass and guitar is so good. There’s lots of ear candy and little bits of percussion that flicker in and out to keep things interesting. It’s a great build up and then the main hook kicks in. It’s repetitive, but it’s supposed to be, right? And still, there’s plenty of that ear candy to keep momentum and interest. There are a variety of sections to keep things moving and while the focus is obviously on the bass, there’s some interesting stuff going on at higher pitches too. New Forms - This is nice and atmospheric from the off. There’s a nice bouncy lilt to the break, which is complimented by the MC, who drifts between different paces in her lyrics. It’s got a great sung vocal too. It’s less driven than BPB, and has a more verse/chorus structure, but it’s another great track, with some really cool little touches scattered around. It manages to stay pretty fresh and interesting, despite being nearly 8 minutes long. Let’s Get It On - A slower pace to kick us off here. It’s brooding and atmospheric and it’s got some great bass. And then here comes the DnB. There’s still some variation in here and little touches for variety, but it does feel a bit more relentless than previous tracks. The bass line is decent, but just a bit too samey and there’s maybe not enough harmonic content to give it as much of a hold on the ear. The later section does add a bit of a twist on things at least. Digital - It’s got a cool intro with the panned arpeggio and little effects. The half-sung, half-spoken vocal is nice too. The sparing use of some of the melodic content spreads things out nicely and there’s some nice little elements like the little phased beat that pops in here and there. The beat has a nice lilt to it too. Despite that, 9 minutes is quite a long time to be listening to that arpeggio and unchanging drum break. Obviously it’s a dance track, but for at home listening, that can get a bit tiresome. Matter Of Fact - There’s more going on here. The chopping of the breaks is pretty cool, especially in the stereo field. We get plenty of audio effects and trickery scattered around things too. But it never really kicks into gear with a particularly satisfying flow. Mad Cat - Atmospheric start. And then the slightly stilted beat comes in and we never really progress much from there. It’s good, it’s just very repetitive. This track is an example of where my electronic music interests lie from an at home listening point of view. This track sounds exactly like something Squarepusher would put out, but he’d go through this loop once or twice and create 200 variations so things are almost always modulating and changing, whereas more trad DnB producers would be happy with that loop playing for 4 minutes. Heroes - This has more of a song structure. Having lyrics tends to reduce the draining effect of repetitiveness because of lyrical variation, although there’s less variation here than there could have been. It’s a decent track though and the vocal hook is good. It’s got that chilled DnB feel that makes it a nice easy listen. Share The Fall - As with the previous track, the lyrics add more continuous variation to this. And there’s more going on here to keep things interesting too. It’s got a greatcoat that pulses along. The vocal just doesn’t quite do it for me. A blend between the style of the previous track and the variation in this one would be fantastic. Watching Windows - There’s a bit more of a dub flavour to this one. It’s got a good groove to it and it’s nice to have something at a different pace. While I do quite like the general feel, it doesn’t completely connect with me for some reason though. I think it’s the vocal, which never really grabs me. I do really enjoy the change in tone and the general swagger of the groove though. Beatbox - Decent little interlude. Doesn’t offer a great deal, but it’s only short. Morse Code - This starts off nicely. Nice simmering pad synths with the morse code beeps flickering in and out. Thankfully the morse code doesn’t extend through the whole track. Again, this is great, has a good beat, a nice bass line, and there’s quite a bit of decent variation and ear candy in the backing, but things are just a bit relentlessly repetitive for focused listening. I do like it, but these things can get a bit tiring. Destination - Another one where things are great, solid beat, quality bass line, some cool horns, but they don’t really offer much in the way of variety. Things are switched in and out, and there is a decent amount of ear candy, but it is very dance-floor orientated. Intro - An intro to the second disc. Crispy and crunchy and not very long. Hi-Potent - This is something a little bit different. Much more melodic over the first minute. The break that comes in drags lazily at things creating a stilted feeling, and then the track proper track kicks in with a really great bass line. When the drum break doubles up, the energy picks up even more. This is a really great track and I’m going to stop complaining about the lack of variety because it’s a bloody drum and bass album. It gets even better when the more melodic elements start dripping back in during the second half of the track. Trust Me - Another really decent start to a track. Skittering DnB drums and a reasonable bass line, but then it doesn’t really do much. This one is really short on interest beyond the basics though and is just a bit boring. Change My Life - There’s a bit more going on here. More harmonic elements thrown in, with a little more variation in general, like the occasional snippets of vocal or horns. Long though. Share The Fall - I like the way this one shuffles through different combinations of breaks early on. That descending bass tone is pretty mean too. Two and a half minutes and we’re actually getting a completely different section. Hurrah! I like the way things come together after the vocal section, and how the drums and bass combine to create a sweeping dynamic that swells across the bar. Decent. Down - Another nice one. Some good quality harmonic content. Some sections where we’re left with some of that content centre stage. Another mean sub bass. Some quality little pieces of editing and ear candy. Ticks all the boxes really. Jazz - This one’s a bit more plodding. I quite like some of the elements, but as a whole it just doesn’t maintain audio interest in the same way. The bass line in particular just isn’t that exciting. Hot Stuff - That slightly lagging break in the intro is cool. Then we’re into more sonically interesting territory. The crumbling pad/melody sounds great. There’s sections where we go into breathy pads that wash over everything too. As a sonic breather from the rest of the album, it’s really interesting and a good break from some of the more frenetic tracks. It’s a shame this wasn’t placed earlier in the album really. And then we get the beat kicking in. There’s some quality editing of the breaks here too, which keep things moving. Ballet Dance - There are some interesting choices of sounds in this one. Things bounce around between various different samples and other tones, while the beats sort of stagger along. The bass line isn’t very interesting and things seem a little disorganised, but there are some interesting ideas in there nonetheless. And after nearly two and a half hours, we’re done. Unless we want to listen to the 5h 14m Anniversary Edition. Yeesh.
drum and bass #2
you know what I had a cracking time here so was tempted to give a 4 consider this a very very strong 3
Listened to half of it. It was ok. Nothing to object to here.
Look, I didn't listen to the whole thing, but may do yet. I like Roni Size - even more so now that I've heard almost half of this album.
Eh, not bad? Could have been a WHOLE LOT shorter. 2.75 rounded up to 3
I like it, its obviously a great album, but why does everyone talk about how good it is all the time? There are better drum and bass albums from this time?
Nice background music that had me tapping my foot.
140 minutes for the original?!?!?!?! And ~5 hours for the 20th Anniversary Edition?!?! What in the epic fuck is this? Oh okay, its some drum and bass. At least it shouldn't be taxing to listen to. Brown Paper Bag has my name. Love the jazzy little looping bassline with scattered trippy sci-fi shit overlaid throughout. Loving the vibe of Let's Get it On. After that I sort of lost focus and didn't even try to pay attention to song names (outside of Morse Code, because fuck that high pitched bullshit). I'd say, for what it is (and its a lot), it makes for an okay listen. I found myself pretty worn out by the end of Disc 2. Really unsure how to review this one as I did enjoy a lot of the sounds tucked within, but have no desire to go back. I guess for that, I'll throw a 3 at it and move on.
I really like this album for what it is, especially disc 2. However, it is entirely too long for what it is. Disc 2 is probably closer to a 4, and Disc 1 is squarely a 3.
Me gusta el Drum n' Bass, pero en dosis pequeñas. Un EP es la mejor opción, pero si se trata de un álbum, prefiero una duración más breve que lo que aquí presentan.
I find drum and bass fun, and I like it when I focus on it for a moment, but it definitely had me watch checking by about 10 mins, which only is 1.5 songs in at that point. And the album is super long. And I didn't really want to listen to more bu the time I got to the end of the New Forms track. It's strange, because I did like it, but I was also done with 75% of the album still in front of me. Maybe if this was in the background instead of me actively listening, I would have enjoyed it more.
Pretty cool
3.5
Ok
More techno kinda stuff
Too long just too long. Who thought that 140 minutes is the perfect length for an album. Well frankly its not. Most tracks would be better if they were a lot shorter. some of them shouldnt even be included in this monstrosity. Too repetitive. It could have been a nice 7.5/10 instead it's just a 6/10. Good as a background noise, gets repetitive when you focus on it
zwei bis drei
It was ok, I'm not much of a drum & bass fan but I didn't mind this. It was listenable. Not worth a repeat spin though. A low 3.
Interesting, chill. It was great when it had its moments, but it seemed repetitive, especially considering how long the album was. I'd bit been exposed to drums and bass much previously, so I'm grateful for the exposure.
Drum and bass meets Groove Armada
Nothing I would listen to very often, but there's nothing bad about it.
Liked the energy of the first several songs. Second half of the album wasn't as good.
This one felt average. Nothing too memorable, but not an attack on my ears. Doubt I'll revisit again, but it wasn't terrible to listen to.
Sterile, synthetic and pretty dull overall, plus dated. Some sound effects are stupid and the "singing" suspect, mostly. The chiller/trancier moments are best. But overall, one simply can't muster much enthusiasm.
1. Railing - 7 One thing that caught me out was the seamless transition into track two at the end. Solid D&B with rap. Very British but unlike other artists at times the D&B is not overly heavy. 2. Brown Paper Bag - 8 Much slower vibe to start than the first one before taking on the full D&B vibes. Not too bad. Slow cooker which I usually like. Reminds me of the Twisted Metal 3 OST. 3. New Forms (feat. Bahamadia) - 6 Vocals move with no meaning and seem random. Beat and tempo are good but this could have probably been way better vocally. 4. Let's Get It On - 8 Classic D&B. If you were to encapsulate what D&B is, this song is it. Solid beats, solid tempo. Just chill and enjoy. 5. Digital - 7 I have the same issues with this song that I did with New Forms, but to a slightly lesser effect. Beat on this track is excellent. 6. Matter of Fact - 6 Solid song but it can get lost on the listen. Beat starts good and the track really mellows out by the end. Feels like filler 7. Mad Cat - 9 Much quicker tempo and really good outro into the next song. Another one that encapsulates both R&B and what made the 90s such a peak for music. Best track so far. 8. Heroes - 6 Pretty baseline song. Vocals are ok. Beat is ok. Nothing about it strikes me as anything special. 9. Share the Fall (Full Vocal Mix) - 5 Vocally ok. Instrumentally ok. Just felt like an average song compared to what else is on the album and I usually love vocal mixes. 10. Watching Windows - 4 Would have been way better if it had the same rap style as the first 2 songs or left an instrumental. 11. Beatbox - 2 Complete change on the album. It's not bad beatboxing but it's such a tone change it feels completely out of place on the album. 12. Morse Code - 5 The song isn't bad and the morse code undertones work well but the beginning is only those tones and it's not pleasant on the ears. 13. Destination - 8 A return to what the album is about. Very good mix of sounds with a constant but very pleasing beat. 14. Intro (Roni Size Reprazent / New Forms) - N/A A filler track to set the tone. Less than a minute. Not meant to be rated to be fair to it. 15. Hi-Potent - 9 Excellent track. Changes pace well, beat is nice, and overall a great D&B track. Best track on the album so far. 16. Trust Me - 7 Solid D&B track. Good beat, good undertones. Just classic 90s sounding D&B. 17. Change My Life - 8 Another solid track. Felt like this could have been a track from JSRF back in the day. Enjoyable piece of music. 18. Share The Fall - 6 Much better than the vocal mix. 19. Down - 8 Another solid D&B track. Really good beat and overtone vocals. Very enjoyable. 20. Jazz - 7 Solid song. Good beat, nice instrumentals in the background. Another all around good D&B track. 21. Hot Stuff - 9 Very good track to listen to. Upbeat with some all around solid sound and a great beat. Right up there with the best of the album so far. 22. Ballet Dance - 8 Great track to end the album on. A really great conclusion to an otherwise enjoyed album. The mix of strings in the song works so well here as does the jazz potions to really bring about why D&B is such a fun genre to listen to when done right. In Conclusion: Drum and Bass didn't really come into the main fold in my opinion until the mid 00s but artists like Chase & Status have New Forms and Roni Size / Reprazent to thank because it laid the foundation for what Drum and Bass is and experimented in an age where dance music was creating a whole new wave of music that took underground clubs in the US and a lot of the night scene in the UK and EU by storm. Albums like this are a classic for what they have done for modern music. Musically the album is put together well with a lot of light to slightly heavy beats, all with tracks of multiple over or undertones that help emphasize the experimental nature of what Drum and Bass was in given the time. I did not like the more popular songs that were released as singles but things like Lo-Fi, modern Drum and Bass, and Dubstep can find inspiration in their roots in this album. Average Rating of Songs: 6.8 Within a 5-Point Scale: 3.4 Rounded Down: 3 stars
6/10. It's a chill electronic album. It's not mind-blowing, and it's certainly not something that is crucial to listen to, but it's chill. Alright, screw it. What does Robert Dimery see in this album? It's nothing special.
Better than it should be. Repeative at times but good for an electronic album from the bri'ish list.
fine, not one of my favorites of the electronic albums we've heard. i did identify a tinashe sample in the wild though which is fun.
I was expecting to hate this because of its length and genre, but it was surprisingly varied and engaging.
This is an artsy honor student of drum & bass — ambitious, innovative, and so eager to prove itself. “Railing” and “Brown Paper Bag” are great, and “Digital” feels like espresso with a side of amphetamines. “Trust Me” spirals into some truly chaotic territory and by track 14, the boots-and-cats-and-boots-and-cats all start to blur together. A respectful nod from the sidelines, but I’m not enrolling in the full D&B curriculum.
This was actually pretty good. It's got some genuinely interesting beats in there. I thought I would struggle to work while listening, but it's on the more chill side of DnB. Some of the songs are very long, but they didn't feel like they dragged particularly. I like the bassy jazzy beats in particular. 3.5 rounded down.
Some proper decent beats. Share the Fall, Heroes, the brilliant Brown Paper Bag...all sounding as fresh now as 20 years ago.
This really was way too long
will always be weird to listen to dnb in broad daylight
It's OK/good for what it is, but 2 hours of 20 minutes of slight variations of the same drum beat and bass line means this is a one and done listen. It can get you pumped up though.
This was pretty significant when it was new. D'nb was the biggest underground scene in my hometown. This was one of the biggest names of the genre along with Goldy. It's for dancing, not for listening. It's all rhythm and sound effects. The drums are too fast and everything else is too slow. I prefer music with more going on in the mid range. And the album is way too long. Favorite song: Share the fall.
Me gustó la música, la sonoridad de la batería, los efectos que utilizan y los ritmos (me recordó a Venetian Snares por ejemplo). Sin embargo, la experiencia de "álbum" es desgastante. Los temas son muy largos, y hay demasiados temas. Supongo que la duración y repetitividad de los temas tiene que ver con que se trata de música electrónica bailable, por lo que no está pensada meramente para la escucha. Pero el punto es que a la escucha se extiende demasiado.
Kind of tedious
There's a few bangers here, but not being a dnb fan, it all went on a bit too long for me. You can't ignore the significance of this album, though. And to all those complaining this is a sign of an overly UK centric list, let's lose those two fucking Eagles from here, then we can talk.
high 3 but only bc i locked into this for like 2 hours
noh kuunnellaans sitten vuosipäivä editti, editioni. jahas 5 tuntia pitkä! tämä sisältyy yhteen päivään! 24>5, joten on mahdollista kuunnella tämä päivässä.. junglisti kuitenkin. pitää junglistia arvostaa niin saatanasti ett' kuunnellaan koko homma läpi jassoo. se tiedetään elämästä sen verran että mitä tahansa teet: älä vittuile junglisteille.. keep your mouth out of the fucking junglists mouth.. en kyllä kehtaa katsoa global ratinkia tähän koska ihmiset ei varmaan oppinu tavoille, ei oo oppinu respektaa junglisteja miten he ANSAITSEVAT!... watching windows
Couldn't find an album that wasn't 5 hours long so I only listened for about an hour but it was fine for D&B. Not really my jam (especially cause it's Br*tish) but it wasn't bad
Not bad, it was a bit gritty in a good way. Decent music to drive around too
Decent retro DNB. There are some really cool moments on this album. However a lot of it is kind of forgettable. Still, its a good album to put on, and be hypnotized by the repetition and gradual progression.
Repetitive
Drum/Bass electronica with jazz overtones. Favorite track: brown paper bag other picks: new forms, heroes, share the fall, jazz, morse code
Cool songs, but it felt repetitive. I only listened to the first disk today because of how long it was.
Drum and Bass electronic music for 1+ hour with a great blend of samples. This is strong, but also dated. It's hard to say that I would ever want to converse over this records impact, let alone spin it. A true timepiece, the aside from it accolades, does have much lasting value apart from the British Bass Heads.
Sure, it’s interesting.
6/10.
I like my drum and bass to veer more into trip hop than this did, but a solid album either way. Can't say I'll seek to add to my collection, but glad to be aware of it.
This was interesting. Usually, I don’t care much for Drum & Bass, but this is alright.
Completely new to me; band and the music. Since there are 53 tracks on the album (20th Anniversary) I have been listening to snippets of many of the tracks. I know this is not a good way to review, but I am just getting my first impression. Odd, repedative, could be good background music or music to drive to. I will clearly listen more. It's that intriguing.
A bit dated but some great ideas buried here
It’s alright drum and bass. Also I know how long it is but Spotify has it as an hour and I am NOT listening to this for two and a half
Not bad, but a whole album felt way too long
Ran a half marathon and listened to most of this. I don’t get Drum and Bass but this was fine. I’m sure it was influential for the genre but I don’t care mate. Generous 3 as I was happy with my half marathon time
Some solid grooves, but can't listen to more than one or two EDM songs in a row
I like the fusion of jazz, funk and the electronic elements that create a unique and immersive listening experience.
RnB good. My god this is long,
Not available.
Ericmuziek! Beats en geluidjes! Maar ook weer veel herhaling. Maar ook weer veel herhaling. Beats en geluidjes! Het klinkt wel aardig, maar als je het bijvoorbeeld in de auto zou opzetten, val je achter het stuur in slaap. Beats en geluidjes! Maar ook weer veel herhaling.
Eind jaren '90 kwam de D&B op. De basis: één en hetzelfde ritme. Boem klap Boem-Boem klap. In de beginfase was dit genre bijna per definitie een vergeetbare 3. Het was vrij uitwisselbaar. Ik heb zelf Aphrodite behouden in mijn collectie. Had ook Roni kunnen zijn. Beide voegden ze nog net iets extra's toe. Een stukje zang bv. Het is goed dat het genre vertegenwoordigd is in de lijst. Maar het is ook slechts een basis voor de meer interessante opvolgende muziek. Met meer variatie, meer kracht, of meer creativiteit.
Het luistert als een soort zenuwachtige triphop. Het heeft ergens wel die relaxte vibe, dus het staat moeiteloos op de achtergrond op. Alleen is het ook wel vrij repetitief. Ik heb de boel halverwege disc 2 afgezet. Het album is ook alleen als disc 1 uitgebracht en die duurt al lang genoeg, dus dat lijkt me ook wel voldoende om een cijfer te mogen geven. Ik heb er verder ook weinig over te melden. Het is drum n bass, vrij kaal, pas net ontstaan uit andere housestijlen. Het had wat afwisselender gemogen, of wat meer versierd. Ik ben niet zo bekend met drum n bass, maar dit is meer Dieleman-muziek en medeluisterer Dieleman heeft me ooit een keer Hold Your Colour van Pendulum aangeraden. Wellicht dat dat niet puur drum n bass is en misschien niet met Roni Size mag worden vergeleken, maar dat album levert veel meer afwisseling. Voor Hold Your Colour van Pendulum zou ik zo 5 sterren kunnen geven, maar Roni Size haalt hoogstens een kleine vergeetbare 3.
A record like this takes me back to my early days of DJng and going to raves. House music was all the “rave” 🤭 around this time and this album was a major contributor it seems. I’m sure I’ve heard this music before in the past, but didn’t know who it was. My friend who’s a huge DnB fan says “Brown Paper Bag” is a classic in the scene. It was also really nice hearing Bahamadia on the title track - classic underground emcee. This record is what it is for electronic music in the late 90s, and it’s a great representation of it. Not my forte, but I enjoyed it.
This album is okay, I do like rhythm and flow from one track to another. However, it's likely not going to make my regular listening rotation.
Very recently played this and it's a long double album, as drum and bass often is. A fistful of absolute classics (the bassline on brown paper bag!) and an overall great background music vibe. Solid 3.5, but rounding down.
I appreciate this album was probably quite influential in the Uk garage scene. Not my style of music
S'fine
Will trust the drum n bass sproingers on this one. Not for me.
I imagine this is what breakcore was born from, this album sounds like protobreakcore, if you will.
Didn't really care for this. It honestly wasn't too bad. Just not my thing. Kind of repetitive.
I had not heard of these guys. I like the drum and bass choppy sort of dance shit, but this does not remotely earn its original length, nevermind the anniversary monster.
Didn't mind - liked the double bass in Brown Paper Bag
General review today, well I'm not a huge fan of this kind of music like some songs were terrible to listen to like "New Forms" or "Mad Cat" but you had some really nice ones like "Railing", "Heroes" or even "Watching Windows". I generally don't like songs which are way too repetitive and so that's why I didn't succeed to get into it but I think that this guy made a lot for the dnb back in the 90s. So good job m8 I'm just not a huge fan of your music style.
DNB LETSGO Brown paper bag starts as boring and weird, but gradually pulls you in. Finished the song not realizing I've been headbanging for the last 5 minutes Let's get it on drum break is tight af Digital : Vocals are really dry The sterero imaging in Matter of fact is really cool, so much movement Sounds are WEIRD, often sounding like they're not even in time Album cover is fucking cool I want to put 4 cause me like dnb but if I'm honest I haven't had such a great time listening
Good background music if you were hacking into the Matrix.
Enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. One long piece that flowed very nicely.
Whoa hello early 2000s. The jazzy high-tempo beat is so unique and nostalgic. What a weird time for music, super experimental, but not in a bad way per se. Fave Song: Brown Paper Bag Least Fave Song: New Forms Rating: 3/5
Najbardziej "British junkie" rzecz, z jaką miałem do czynienia odkąd ciągnąłem ketę. Ogólnie spoko, trochę ciekawych rzeczy, ale raczej nie wrócę. The Prodigy fajniejsze.
It's like I licked 90s' but it taste more mid than I remember.
7/10, divertido
I liked it
I don't care much for the MC stuff. I am all in for the instrumentals however. Oh and some of Onalee's singing. Brown Paper Bag is such a catchy drum n bass hook, that double bassline!! It's just sex. But I don't think I had taken in it's various movements before. Delightful soft stings of jazzy piano. And there we have it, thus ends my prior knowledge of Roni Size tunes, 2 tracks in. The book scared the shit out of me with a running time of 133 minutes, which happily proves to be false. Ah. No, this is a re-released shorter version I have here. The full album is available on Spotify. Well, let's see how I go on. People whining about having a drum and bass album in here is pretty unbelievable - what do you want, yet another 70s classic rock album? Perhaps one more by Elvis Costello. Ok there's definitely a few tracks here that are just on, however it's soundscape time and we've got jazzy instrumentation to keep tingling my ears, even if they aren't bangers of tunes. So I'll allow it. I didn't really like Watching Windows, and it had begun to lose me a bit by then. So this is the end of the 'short' version of the album, I'd rate it a 3. There's some decent stuff on the second disc, I was mainly just reading though. Hot Stuff, Trust Me.
Would have given it a 3.5 if I could. Definitely enjoyed it, but rounding down due to extreme and unnecessary length. Sheesh!
Did not need the rapping at all. “You’re gonna need a lyric proof vest” come on
was evacuating.
I put this on while cleaning the house and man did I zone in. Very productive album.
not listening to 53 songs
I am a HUGE electronica fan. I would say I am a techno lover that works outwards in all directions from that base. This is definitely electronica, even maybe trance or going in that direction. So why do I ... I don't love this. At first I thought maybe it just doesn't have enough expectation, it is a little too monotonous. But what do I mean by "a little TOO"? Trance is monoTONE by nature but it remains interesting, it still vibes. I don't get that vibe here (in most of the songs but not all!!) But I don't know why. Maybe it has too few drops or doesn't change up enough. It is not progressive, which does not bring you on that journey from one place to another. I suppose it just isn't ever going to make my favorites list...
Doesn’t age well
Not enough variation to be this long.
Pretty sure I bought this back in the day, but didn’t really like it. And bloody hell it’s quite an unrelenting listen. Much like having to do the full Offspring or Germs albums in recent times on this list. Feel like you need a lie down halfway through. Anyway, with time has brought me a much better appreciation of drum and bass. Tbh I’d rather dance to it than techno or trance, the rhythms are more interesting. So while this had a bit too much of a ‘garage’ tinge in term of some feel and lyrical style in some places. I really enjoyed some of the tunes (Mad Cat. Morse Cose and Destination in particular). And special note to Matter of Fact which sounded like an Ozric Tentacles song with drum and bass percussion, not sure it entirely worked but it amused me. Would listen again, but not entirely sure what would drive me to do so mind.
I've never heard of this album or artist before, but the cover screams "electronica" to me, and based on the reviews of this album, the vibe I got from the cover is correct. I don't think I've ever heard of drum and bass as a music genre before, but I'm guessing its defining characteristics are in the name. I tend to like electronica, so this album... HOLY CRAP, THIS IS OVER TWO HOURS LONG?!?!?!? Well, this is certainly a choice for the Monday after Thanksgiving. Might as well dive in! Overall, this album was fine. I would have liked to have spent more time listening to it, so that I could have really picked up on some of the more subtle elements of the music, but at that runtime, that wasn’t an option today. However, even with clocking in at over 2 hours, I never found this album to be boring, and I enjoyed the overall sound. I think one the biggest letdowns with this album was that even with this much material, there wasn’t a lot about it that stood out to me. “Let’s Get It On” was probably my favorite song on the album. I loved the cymbal riding on the drums, and the main bass line was awesome. The ending segue into “Digital” was really great too. “Share The Fall” had a great bass line as well, as did “Brown Paper Bag.” “Down” was probably my second favorite song on the album, and I really loved the drumming on it. I definitely wasn’t blown away by this album, but I’d be willing to give it another go some day.
2.75
Some good songs, I did enjoy the album but didn’t love it
One of those random ass mid-90s downtempo albums that I got excited for but turned out to be pretty boring. Not bad, but Talvin Singh and Suba outsold.
53 song? 5 hours.. Nope, thanks. Enjoyed few tho.
Rating: 6/10 Way too long but better than a lot of the other electronic albums on the list, has an interesting futuristic vibe to it at least.
Interesante, aunque no se si por el momento lo escucharía de vuelta. No sé, es rara la sensación, pero algo me generó por lo menos.
Much better than most electronica I’ve heard, but not enough to make me a believer…
this and another album so heavily bring to mind a hacking sequence in any early 2000’s action film.
This album was ok as background music. Not super engaging, and not something I'd choose to listen to again necessarily, but I didn't mind it on while I was going about my workday. 2.5/5
Definitely not my style, but I could see how some could like the relaxing style of almost ASMR music.
Oh god, the only version which isn't remixes I could find is like 5 hours long. So I only listened to disk 1. I liked it though, reminds me of the background music at a coffee shop that thinks it's trendier than it really is. Impressive for 1997, and has not really aged in the 25 years since it came out apart from DnB being a bit of an aging genre.
2.5
Enjoyed this
Songs went on too long but went to some interesting places. Better than Daft Punk for sure. Probably more like a 2.5/5
When I saw the nearly 140 minutes runtime on a drum and bass record, I had nothing but dread, and it's taken my 3 weeks to find the time and willingness to subject myself. It's honestly pretty enjoyable and pretty chill, just way way too long.
Need to come back to this, it was over 2h xD
This one is gonna be hard to rate . Drum & Bass is not a genre I'm all that familiar with. Now I do love me some 80s/90s House and Techno music. I’m not stranger to this style of music Per se. Anyways time to listen and rate it Stand Out Tracks Brown Paper Bag Heroes Watching Windows Destination Share The Fall It’s very hard to rate this. As with most Electronic music in this vain it’s all about “Feeling” and Grooves . It’s an either I like this track or this one isn’t as good On most of my days this would be a 2.5, but if I’m in the mood for this kind of music and for what it is I’d say it’s a 4 On that note I’ll meet it in the middle. Think the biggest deterrent is the almost 3 hours run time. The version I listened had a couple extra tracks and with songs ranging between 7 mins that’s a long time to commit to one album. This was a journey and a challenge but I came out the other side. Will listen again but definitely in snippets 3/5 1* - Not Good 2* - Has Merit 3* - Would Listen Again (Good) 4* - Like It/Love It 5* - LOVE IT AND IT IS A CLASSIC ALBUM
Good band but not my favorite.
3.5
Late 90s bumping club music was an enjoyable composition of samples and sounds
Interesting chill music
I am not a drum and bass, or jungle, fan overall, but there are a few DJ's that I like. AK1200, Dieselboy, Photek (my favorite), and Roni Size. They do it right. Drum and Bass is too repetitive for me. Other than Brown Paper Bag (I like the shorter radio version better), I always enjoyed Share the Fall on this album.
I was not prepared for a 5+ hour album and it took me multiple days to finish. I enjoyed the cohesiveness of the sound throughout, though, many times I wouldn’t have known I was on a new song without checking. I definitely enjoyed the change ups to slower beats since many of the songs tended to use a very similar, repetitive beat. I’m sure I’d listen again in a rotation but not sure I’d download the full albums.
Easy listening background music, with Standouts in Railing, Brown Paper Bag, and New Forms.
Though the forms no longer sound new, I can certainly acknowledge this album's impact on electronic music and how it helped establish drum and bass as a respected genre beyond the club scene.
This album was pretty cool overall.
Not my style, too long, but I liked parts of it.
Lots of loops. I feel like every song on this album is one loop. Not really for me, but I don't think this is bad.
Toonami
Nice for the nostalgia. Not sure I’ll keep it in rotation. Not my favorite but I can actually see why it’s on the list, so that’s maybe a first.
Very out there and interesting album. Apple only had some 50 track version so I listened to the first disc. A lot of this reminded me of Jet Set Radio Future which was a plus!
This one was very cool, a nice electronic departure. A bit longer than it needed to be, but some solid grooves on here. Also, yet another song featuring the same sample that was in our recent Primal Scream album, which was also sampled by Kanye West on the beat for Pusha T's "Lunch Money," I feel like I'm going insane. Favorite tracks: Brown Paper Bag, Matter of Fact, Beatbox, Morse Code. Album art: Not much of anything going on here, not sure what I'm looking at. Minimal in nature, some mild digital art, the color scheme reminds me of dishwasher pods. 3.5/5
3/5. Gives Prodigy and Fatboy Slim vibes. Maybe a little Beastie Boys. Lots of heavy snare drum.
viel drums, nicht soviel base .. und wenn alles gleich tönt (wie bei dylan 😉) dann fehlen hier die texte teilweise komplett. mir gefallen tracks wie Heroes, weil es gesang und elemente von jazz hat.
It was a bit of a slog to get through but not an unpleasant one. Brown Paer Bag and Hi-Potent were great.
This about did me in. So long. So very long. So much repetition. The thing is that I would enjoy this quite nicely in smaller doses or in the background of a boutique hotel lobby bar sipping a cosmopolitan circa 2003.
The repetitive loops and rhythm were perfect to send me off to sleep on my plane ride. When I awoke, I thought that I was on the same track as when I fell asleep. But no, a different track, and not even half way through the whole album.
Good lord that took forever. I did not like it at first as accompaniment to dinner-making. But later with headphones on doing some work at the computer, it made for some decent background sound. There's just so much!
Music for my retro-themed turn-of-the-century boutique hotel lobby. It was ok in the background but I didn’t need 2 hours of it.
it's a pretty nice little package. brown paper bag is top tier dnb, and watching these songs played live is pretty great. drags on a bit cause it's a 90s edm album.
The first few tracks I actually kinda liked, then it got boring and repetitive like most of the rest of the stuff in this genre.
The backing is great. Other than that it is pretty standard for now, but considering the time it could have been cool. Sadly, it doesn't compare to modern music of the same sort.
really enjoyed the first 3 songs of the album but it becomes quite repetitive after that and starts dragging without ever picking back up. it's pretty decent background music for work though
A memorable album from the late 90s
I think a lot of the songs would be great if they were half as long, New Forms is a great example of this, it's a good beat and the vocals are solid but I think it just goes on a little past its welcome. Some would be fine if they were half as long, and instead are almost just bad, like Let's Get It On which follows right after New Forms. And then there's some I don't think I could get behind at any length, like Digital which follows right after those two and is even longer than either. That being said, this is the listening experience sitting and listening to it relatively focused in an office, I highly suspect that wasn't the intended place to listen to it. In a club it seems like (the ones that are at least fine, definitely not Digital) great music to shout over, something to keep up the energy in the background while you step away for a drink. Overall, I appreciate the beats they lay down for the most part, the actual physical stringed bass on it is great pretty much everywhere it's used, I would never listen to it in its entirety for fun but I can appreciate a few of the songs.
Surprisingly nostalgic feeling, was old Ronald. It's quite repetitive and at times pretty irritating, but at other times there's quite a bit going on, and the female vocalist who pops up every now and then adds a lot of value.
This album wasn't necessarily a struggle to get through. More so it just blended into my subconscious while it played in the background. This is a new genre that I only heard about when someone asked if there was a D&B album on the 1001 list. I thought the nature of the genre would lead to a bunch of artists sampling songs off of here, but that really wasn't the case (at least from what I could find). I think it's best use is how it was first shown to me as the Toonami background music while Anime clips played over it.
I joined to hear new music. Not my jam but this was worth my while to listen too.
Good in parts, but overlong
I believe that in retrospect this album and its genre were a bit less important than many people in the British and Dutch press made me believe at the time. Brown Paper Bag is still an absolute diamond though, what an incredible song.
I love this genre but man this was waaaaay to long and not varied enough. Felt like one really long song that just kept repeating. For someone who doesn’t like this music I am sure this is pure hell. 6/10
Liked much of the sounds but it couldn’t pull me in.
The songs were pretty good, but DAMN SOME OF THOSE WENT ON FOR WAY TOO LONG. Prob would've given a 4, but the album is just too damn long for tracks that have the exact same beat
2.5 stars. Was more like generic background techno than standalone hit tracks. Wasn't bad, but was a bit boring.
Drums and bass all sounds the same to me and this struck me as no better or worse than the rest.
Verrrrry interesting. Kinda dug it. Relentless drums.
This sounded very 1997. That said, not bad. Listened to it at work and it was good background music. It is too long and I prefer trip hop and big bet over drum n bass but this was listenable overall. Heroes was a standout track.
Liked the start, didn't care too much towards the end 7/10
Not my thing but I liked it.
One of the albums that made DnB mainstream in the late 90s. How did it do this? With a very modern production sound, it incorporates R&B pop to make the songs fun to dance to. You can get behind the groove of each track. I think DnB has its limits, and this album is no exception. Nearly every song is based around some gimmick that is built on a theme (from the track title), which is associated with an identifying sample and mood. What this means is that every track has something unique to offer, which is impressive for a record over 2 hours. However, I find this to be too gimmicky. "Western" is distinguished by the surf rock sample but has nothing to offer. "Down" inserts some psychedelic elements with the bright ethereal synths (like chimes or waterfalls), but it feels too disjoint and out-of-place from the beat. A lot of tracks suffer from this. There are plenty of strong tracks on here, but also many forgettable ones that rely on a gimmick but are far too simple or repetitive. And when these tracks are 6-9 minutes, that's the last thing you want. "Heroes" is the only track that tries too hard to be pop, but the rest are fine. I did find the 1st disc to be more creative and expressive overall, and that's not just because that's where all the pop tracks are. The length, repetition, and weak tracks weigh it down a lot. But I also feel disappointed even the highs are as good as the genre can typically get. I feel DnB is more limited than other forms of electronica. From what I've seen in Goldie and LTJ, it seems a perfect DnB would have to incorporate other genres like techno or ambient, or become something really different like some Big Beat albums I've given perfect scores too. Disc 1 Favorites: Brown Paper Bag, New Forms, Mad Cat, Watching Windows Disc 2 Favorites: Hi-Potent, Share the Fall, Ballet Dance, Electricks
good
I can see how this is an example of a certain ideal, but I'm just not into Drum&Bass enough to be into it for 139 minutes. This would be good BGM for chill activity. The version available on youtube music is the expanded version over 5 hours. I found out where the original endpoint was and finished there.
Ja klart, den havde ikke behøvet at være 2½ timer lang, men jeg er også ked af at erklærer at it slapped. Synes musikken var fed, blev faktisk ikke rigtig træt af det.
In small doses quite good. Listening to 2+ hours of drum and bass is just so tedious. I'd never listen to this unless I needed to focus for 2 hours. I'm tired after listening to the hour initial release. I'd never make it through the 5 hour extended cut
Sprawling drum'n'bass album that grinds its own groove. Accessible but I can see how some people find it a bit indigestible.
Solid dance album, still sounding fresh
Not a huge fan of electronica but it was a decent album, some of the songs were a bit long no memorable lyrics. I'm sure in 1997 it was new and different but all my brain could equate was that I was listening to a very boring (lyrically) Prodigy album.
This is not an album I'd ever expect to appear on this list. I knew nothing of the history going in but love some good drum n bass music/breakbeat footwerk style electronica and apparently this is one of the pioneering artists/album collaborations under "Jungle" which was the first wave of this style. Very cool jazzy style instrumentals. The bass being very prevalent for understandable reasons. There is a lot of variety. Bahamadia's feature is cool. She reminds me a bit of little simz with her rapping voice. There is a lot to digest on this album as the track lengths get long and, to a casual listener, it can slightly blur together. Regardless, pretty cool album.
Not my jam...
This has the real late 90's cyberpunk industrial house feel to it. Good background music for coding.
I was very unenthusiastic when I saw what today's album was. Something to do with the words 'Drum and Bass', I think! However, I was pleasantly surprised! Despite being another overlong album, it was fairly enthralling at times, and actually, without the trademark drum break rythmn holding it together, it wouldn't have worked so well. Reminded me a bit of the Mahavishnu Orchestra actually, for some unexplainable reason. Would I search it out to play again in my busy schedule? Probably not, hence the rating, but definitely worth a listen.
This was a pretty solid album, but it didn't have a clear direction to me. Is it instrumental? Is it a lyrical album? It was good for working, but entirely too long.
Repetitive but not bad
Cool old drum and bass, did enjoy. Probably won't listen again though, the songs are all way too long and a bit repetitive. Would make a great background album for doing work or something
I like the blends of future and instrument
I'm going to be a bit snobby about this one. I've always thought it's a bit overrated. 'Brown Paper Bag' is a tune, no doubt ... but the rest is a bit meh. That's the nature of the beast. 1993-97ish was amazing in the way that hardcore rave rapidly and continually reinvented itself time and time again. There was creativity all over the place, going in so many sonic directions. Contantly pushing the avaialble tech beyond it's limits into crazy sounds that still sound awesome. This album showcased a fraction of that sound to a mainstream audience. It's great that it got the attention, it's great that it shone a spotlight on the scene ... but I've never been convinced it's actually any good. It suffers from he classic issue of DJ dance music producers by having long intros, and then equally not knowing how to finish tracks. So everything feels long and drawn out. There's nothing really explosive. That jazz infused 'intelligent' sound had been around for a while and had been done better. It's fine ... but yeah, never loved it.
Not really for me even though I like a decent amount of DnB and electronic stuff. 2.5/5
quite an exhausting listen that i nodded appreciatively over in the late 90s
it's a classic d+b album, but just not for me.
Way too long and repetitive.
This is album is reminiscent of the work Morcheeba put out around the same time. I liked a couple of the tracks: "Heroes" and "Watching Windows". Other tracks got a little tiresome.
So this was nice, i enjoyed some tracks a lot, but not something i’d listen to every day.
2.5
This would have been a lot cooler without the vocals I think.
I bought this on CD when it first came out and it seemed pretty groundbreaking stuff at the time - I guess the first exposure of drum n bass to mainstream culture. But I'm not sure it holds up that well in a modern context. It's fine, but it's a little samey, even if you restrict your listening to just the first disc of what is now a 5 hour deluxe release on streaming.
Lot of people dislike this album here in reviews, something like 'can not listen to the end'. But, have we ALL hear for the name Roni Size!? Oh yes! We have. So I understand influential power of Roni Size music back than, but is it for me? No and never was. Nevertheless, it would be disrespect if I gave less than 3 just because I am not into this jungle-clubbing-beat...
OK
Impressions: Favorite tracks: Railing, Brown Paper Bag, Watching the Windows Rating: 3/5
Didn't listen, but it's probably good. Who knows, not me
Good for running. 5/10
3 stars
Maybe great for a club but not for just listening. Also with drugs. See also: Soundtrack to every scene of the Skids on Letterkenny.
I listened to the 2 disc version. This music wasn't meant to be listened to at home on a quiet day. I'm sure the repetitive nature or endless thump would be perfect somewhere people are dancing. As is, its just ok and maybe a little long.
Here's one I had never heard of before-interesting collection of music on this album-and an example of why I love the One Album A Day generator. Liked it-not my usual music of choice, but this is a good album.
I don’t tend to enjoy this genre, I really don’t. However, I found I quite enjoyed this, despite its EXTREME length. Nice listen.
Nice sounds and good beats
Not my thing
Super musique d’ascenseur, mais ca tombe vite sur les nerfs
I had never heard this before! It was a slog getting through only because of it's length. I kept picturing it as a soundtrack to some unrealized sci-fi movie (à la Jodorowsky's Dune)
Good album that probably seemed better at the time, and could stand to be cut down to one disk.