Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Don’t even look at the 20th Anniversary edition. Over 5 hours. Original album was 2.5 hours. Did not attempt. What I did listen to was bad.
I like drum and bass at my core and I can get down with some techno/EDM stuff - but this album was to long (multiple song over 7 minutes), to repetitive (like most electronic music), and nothing that seems ground breaking (this is from 1997, my neighbor in the mid 90s was playing this stuff for me - maybe even some Roni Size for that matter - but I heard all these drum beats and rhythms in 95/96 and many times over. Aphex Twin was making this shit years earlier, and maybe even slightly better). Did I hate this album, no. Will I listen ever again, that's a bigger no. Nothing jumped out that was reasonable to have this album on the 1001. It is not ground breaking, it is not genre defining, it is not unique, it is not a master class, it is a techno/drum and bass album from the late 90s that sound very similar. If you skip forward on any song you wouldn't even notice because all 4-9 minutes are just a loop of the same beat. 4.2/10 122/1001
this is not it, girl
Sounds like a 1990s action movie’s dvd menu music.
This one is fine, I found myself skipping tracks because of the repetitiveness, but I think that’s part of the music. Maybe it’s better in a club setting or whatever, but I couldn’t sit and just listen. It’s not terrible, but not really my vibe, I think 2 of 5 is ok.
Drum and bass is fun but repetitive. Great to zone out to, hard to listen to intentionally
I can imagine why some folks would like this but I can't say it's for me. Kind of felt like I was in a matrix nightmare which I guess is cool.
Entirely too long
New Forms and Heroes are fine, but aside from those tracks, not a very pleasant listen. It just sounds like a bad acid trip or a worse version of the Axiom Verge soundtrack.
2.5
the 20th anniversary edition of New Forms is over 5 hours long. 5 hours of repetitive noise that changes every 5 to 12 minutes. Definitely not my thing.
Not sure what this is doing here. Relentless boring beat but not tiresome enough for one star.
If Electronic is your thing I’m guessing you really dig this. Never heard of Roni size although a fan of the pasta. I’d unplug.
Absolutely not losing to a five hour album. Two stars for the effort.
Unfortunately, this really didn't do much for me. Most of the tracks were individually OK, but the album itself was overall just too long and specifically-styled for me to say I enjoyed it. Considering that it's probably much more appreciated by its intended audience, I'll try to be objective. There were some interesting and cool aspects to the album. The drums were relentless and impressive. The sounds added to the mix in a not-overbearing way, but still with some complexity. Different instruments showed up throughout to add new elements to the compositions. The vocals were sparing, though some tracks had them all the way through. The artists clearly put a lot of time and energy into crafting the tracks the way they wanted. But, I just can't see how the length of the album and songs is really justified by the content. I listened to the full length album (22 tracks running close to 2 hours and 20 minutes) and it was a slog. All of it was based on the persistent drum beat with some additional parts added on, so there wasn't much diversity in the music experience itself. Most of the songs were 6+ minutes long with several surpassing 8 minutes. Even when I thought I was starting to like a track, it just kept going until it wore me out of it. I did find the last section of songs to be more diverse and engaging than the first block, but it was far too late at that point for me to appreciate them to the full extent I might've otherwise. Had I heard some of the songs on their own, I probably would've enjoyed them much more than I did in the context of the full album. For example, Hi-Potent got me back into it a little bit; I could see myself coming back to that and a couple others in certain contexts. But there's almost no way I could see myself re-listening to this entire album again, unless it's to have on in the background while I do something else. Evaluating the album as a whole, it gets a low rating. Even though there were parts and tracks I liked, I have to consider the work in its entirety. I would probably have a different opinion if the album was about 75% shorter. Overall: 1.8/5
All the same - not really for me.
Meh, not my thing
Electronica isn't really my thing, so I'm not qualified to judge this one on its bonifides in that regard. This one kept my attention well enough, kind of a chill vibe with pulsating rhythms, which is kinda fun. It all kinda blends together for me though, which isn't entirely bad I suppose, just not terribly interesting.
wow terrible, it's actively annoying to listen to. 2 stars because I couldn't do any better
Spotify lists 13 tracks but I heard an hour and 18 minutes of the same song. Good background music while using Excel but not something im going to revisit.
Ok
Kinda vibey, but so easy to ignore. Throw it on for your 90s-themed cocktail party.
Far out, didn't realise how long this was. Didn't listen to all of it. It was cool instrumental with some electric feel, nothing amazing tho for me.
Not my vibe but has some cool moments
Much too long - some interesting sounds here and there but gets boring quick.
2.5
i don’t need to listen to a whole album of this
Repetitive, dated, boring and way too long. This is definitely not my jam.
Feels very experiMENTAL. Heyyyyyyooooo.
Boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants and boots and pants Good energy
Could have been worse…allegedly
A boring Drum & Bass album from a band I've never heard of and which sounds very similar to every other Drum & Bass album I've ever heard.
3/10
This is perfectly fine drum and bass, but why does every album in this genre need to be two hours long? Favorite songs were Share The Fall, and Watching Windows.
It's pretty generic drum and bass so I'm unsure how this is an essential album to listen to before I die. Meh.
There are some good songs in here that feel quite ahead of their time, but overall struggled to get through as it’s a bit of a slog
4/10 I don't listen to drum & bass (like at all) but I really tried to put my prejudice aside for this - not sure how successful I was. IT'S SO LONG, no chance of me listening to 5 hours of abso anything. I can respect that this is an iconic drum & bass album, some parts are undeniably groovy but it's just not for me songs added to playlist: - Brown paper bag - New forms
never heard this drum & bass album, it's OK, but not something I'd come back to
I like dnb but this was way too much of it
It’s really only essential if you like a really specific kind of music. Like literally just very okay. Songs are way too long and drag on. Album is the size of a large feature length film. It’s aight
I remember the excitement when this came out, bringing the underground UK d’n’b scene to the masses, complete with a couple of singles. I had the CD. I liked parts. I still appreciate some of it - there are interesting flashes among too much repetition.
Gear: ZMF Bokeh Artwork: 💿🏛️💤 Production: 🙄🤔🤷 Music: 🥁🎛️🥲 Rating: 📎(📎)/5
Yeah i need to be in the club and off a popper for this one
Holy repetition, Batman!! Endless loop of electronic-computer googly-goop that went on seemingly forever! Actually the version I listened to did go on for a long time and when I had to cut it short after several hours, there was even more of the same to come. I get there are fans of drum and bass groups, but I can't fathom how and why this is essential? This might work in the clubs or a video game soundtrack, but to analyze and enjoy this, was not my idea of a good time.
There's artistry on display here but it really wears out its welcome.
This album is so tedious. Every song is 3 minutes too long. I skipped one song because it had a drone that sounded like a dentist drill which was physically painful.
I get it, important to drum and bass history and iconic for the time. But it’s just really long and everything sounds the same. Minimalist production and really long songs get boring quickly. The bass sound though with the sort of cello sample sound mixed with synth is sick, and a couple of hooky songs stood out.
Boah ne, stresst mich unnormal.
If this is your type of music you are in luck b/c this album is soooo long. I feel like 've transitioned to becoming a skid from letterkenny after listening to this. I
Generated this album yesterday and was so annoyed at getting another 90s electronica album, especially one over 2 hours long, I skipped it. I followed-up on it today though, and I can't say skipping it was a bad idea. It's long, it's repetitive, it's electronica. It overstayed its welcome by probably and hour and a half.
Jaja
I really liked drum and bass back in the late 90s, but this one just doesn't stick with me. Listened to it a month ago, forgot to write a review, listened to it again. Still doesn't do anything for me like a lot of stuff in similar genres from that era does.
Monotonous club beats, all too long
Music for watching grass grow. 2 bags of fertilizer out of 5 🌱🌱
I don’t know. I don’t like it but I’m gonna play it today at work because I think it we’ll either make the kids do their multiplication timed test at super spies or they will just crash out. Let’s see.
it's not that the music was bad, but automatic star deduction for being that long of an album and all the songs practically being the same, in my ears.
Generic drum and bass album that had no business being 2 hours and 20 minutes long.
To be fair, I expect the proper way to listen to this album would be to be dressed in a full on teddy bear furry outfit, pockets full of mDMA, soother firmly in place in a warehouse full of writhing bodies. Given that I listened at the gym, pockets of my shorts full of nothing, sweating for altogether different reasons, I suppose it doesn’t have the desired effect.
Another electronic album. Still a little tough to listen to casually. Nothing overly impressive. Not the worst electronic album though, nearly jungle. 2.5/5 Probably won’t listen again
Brother what is wrong with dnb jungle whoever these people are? I'm on tidal so I look to see how long the album is and it's over 5 hours longggggg.... OK it's a special edition so maybe it's bot that bad..... over 2 hours... broooooo. OK now that my whining is out of the way, this is a drum and bass thing. It does drum and bass things. Not my thing. Whatever. But this had some moments of almost being something I could see listening to but not quite. I just can't with the 3 second drum loop being nailed into my skull for 11 minutes. I appreciate some evolution. But that dumb drum beat is killing me and maybe someday it won't but for now it hurts. And by the by I have not finished the album yet and I will but the last 3 songs are not going to drastically change my mind............. it did not
I dunno what to make of New Forms. Drum and bass is a genre I'm unfamiliar with. Do all early drum and bass record reuse the same backbeats for over 50 minutes? Because that's what I heard and it distracted me from the sounds layered on top. Pity really. Overall: 3/10
custom_rating: 4
Man, this was a slog. All the right elements are here - deep bass, crisp drums, atmospheric synths - but something’s missing. The energy is there, but it just loops itself into oblivion. Feels more like background noise at a mid-tier coffee shop than something I’d actively listen to. Maybe it worked in '97, but now it sounds like a museum piece. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions: - Brown Paper Bag
A bit of variation between tracks, but within themselves the tracks were repetitive and far too long. This is another 30 minute album stretched beyond breaking point. According to Wikipedia, the actual length is over 2 hrs, but I’ve only listened to the hour long disc 1 because I have some shreds of self-respect still left
I don't hate it but it shouldn't be on this list.
Good album with DnB influences but not my piece of pie.
I didn't like DnB until a bit later, at the time it felt like it was all trying a bit hard to be different. And, on reflection, this album *still* feels like that. The rhythm is there sure, but there's something missing. I don't want to get my white-boy skank shuffle on, and without that vibe, it's just some lo-fi beats and vocals. This list was definitely put together by someone living in Bristol in 1995-2000 wasn't it?
every song was at 2 or 3x longer than it needed to be. i get this was probably foundational but it sounded like a root canal. i feel like as a society we've moved away from this super repetitive droning stuff and i'm not mad about it.
a pretty dull and inessential UK 90s drum n bass album. there were occasional sparks of brilliance hidden inside the mammoth-length tracks, but overall the juice is absolutely not worth the squeeze. these records are a dime a dozen. favorites: brown paper bag, new forms
Synthesizer club-ish sounds
Techno beat with lowkey rap
I wonder what type of people listened to this when it came out.
Two EDM albums in a row. Not good! Unlike the previous from The KLF, this one is not short (5 hours long is the nly version I could find...and no I did not listen t all 5 hours) and though it has trip hop flashes it is most defininitely firmly in the EDM genre and I just know when the time and place is to enjoy this kind of music. So I don't. It seems to me to have no sould and little craft. 2 stars
NOT my thing. 2.3
A cool sound, makes you want to dance. But its waaaaay to bloated. Started checking the time already at the 45 min mark
Weird beats/electronica -Brown Paper Bag
Too long and repetitive, felt like I was listening to a soundtrack from an old video game …not for me
No particular fan of drum and bass, so don't think I will listen to it again, but it did put me in quite the focus while studying.
This is not for me. Good instrumentation, but very, VERY repetitive, over 70-80ish minutes and I'm lost.
I've got a known track record here for hating on UK electronica/beats/whateverthisis. This didn't convince me otherwise. Frenetic beats over monotonous bass lines with some bleeps, bloops, and samples thrown in. I don't think I do the right kind of drugs to appreciate this. The occasional vocal elevates this to "barely listenable."
2 same old electronica. At least this one was good to zone out to
5/10. I really want to pay respect here because obviously this is a pioneering work and one of the records which set the scene for all the jungle that followed it. And I love jungle, but call me a newgen but I much prefer the more melodic stuff, whereas the tunes here are much more oriented around the drums themselves. I also think theat I consumed this via the wrong medium - in another context I think this album would go way harder but I have to rate purely based on my enjoyment from the listen I had and so I can't go higher than a 5.
Music's good, but I lost interest every time they started vocalizing.
Not bad, a little entertaining, but I literally forgot I'm listening to it several minutes in. Another album which likely works on its own, but its length makes it hard to review as I'm not willing to give this one multiple listens.
I'm not sure why I would have to listen to this before I died but since I couldn't make it past the first disc, I think I'll be okay.
This album makes feel ways about things. Rage and confusion come to mind, "Am I supposed to have glow sticks and am I supposed to listen to this stark raging sober?!?" I don't get it.
Yikes no way I'm listening to all 2 hours of this
Electric rave music, just about all that can be said. Listenable to but nothing special 2.
Whilst there’s plenty of interesting melodies and guest vocal collabs going on, you’ve got to love that drum pattern to love this. And I’m afraid it’s all just too much for me.
Has some elements I like but mainly makes me anxious.
Drum and bass isn’t for me. Makes me think of Letterkenny and the skids. I started listening to this driving down Mt Tamborine late last night but it was putting me into too much of a trance, making me feel like I was in Mario Kart or something, and I got worried I was gonna crash, so I had to stop and take it back up this morning in a safer environment! Also makes me want to do drugs? Anyway, I like the tracks with more vocals better, like Heroes and Share the Fall. But overall not something I’d ever listen to again.
i'm not really into drum n bass stuff and this shit is boring as hell
Ehhh not super bad, but not my thing that much
I mean this is cooler than some of the other UK electric crap on this list. But I didn’t need to listen to this when I could’ve just watched some British TV and movies from the 90s.
I cannot get into drum & bass. It's just that simple. This isn't the worst D&B album I've heard, but still, no thank you.
Just not for me.
Not my cup of tea
I don't think that I enjoy when electro songs are all over 7 minutes long and repetitive
Towards the end of this album, I really did see its possible influence and I respect that, but I was just getting through the album for the majority.
Next-up in the 1001 British Albums You'll Never Hear Again book: "Sir Morwin Hedwig Cavendish III sings lullabies from the Lake District" Yes this is all about being open and wide ranging -- but the problem is that this album is *so* niche in a "there's no goddamn way this should be on any essential wide ranging list of any size" way that after 930+ albums I finally and truly understand all the critiques about this list being outrageously British-origin heavy, so it's a little hard to not be snarky about it. Drum & Bass has its place for sure, but jeez... you've got to bring something compelling and different and digestible to the table for something so potentially polarizing and **especially** an album that's in some forms LITERALLY OVER 5 HOURS LONG. jfc. I did make it through 13 songs. Begrudgingly. Enough already. Will give 2 stars for obvious influence on the ~17 remaining people who continue to obsess about D&B (I know one!) but this is a tough task to listen to for more than a few tracks. 3/10 2 stars
Too long in every way possible. Came real close to being my first dnf (218 in).
Too repetitive to enjoy, the music becomes that annoying mosquito buzzing around your head.
ps1 racing game-ass music
Hi, I am trying to be a mellow Prodigy. Trying.
Some cool basslines, but I just don't know what situation in my reality requires 140 minutes of intense and constant drum and bass beats.
01) Railing - 6,5 02) Brown Paper Bag - 8,5 03) New Forms - 7,0 04) Let's Get It On - 6,5 05) Digital - 6,0 06) Matter of Fact - 5,5 07) Mad Cat - 5,5 08) Heroes - 7,0 09) Share the Fall - 6,0 10) Watching Windows - 7,0 11) Beatbox - 5,5 12) Morse Code - 5,0 13) Destination - 7,0 14) Intro - 4,0 15) Hi-Potent - 6,0 16) Trust Me - 5,5 17) Change My Life - 5,5 18) Share the Fall - 5,5 19) Down - 6,0 20) Jazz - 5,0 21) Hot Stuff - 5,0 22) Ballet Dance - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,93 (59/100) Current ranking: 327/405 139:54... My sweet Lord... This one will take few days... It's soooo long and repetitive.
This list is super biased with 90s british electronic music. This is ok, but nothing that feels genre-defining to me, 2* I stopped at disc 1 because I got it.
I can see the appeal of this but DJ and repetitive lyrics aren't my thing right now.
2.4 1x
Not necessarily a bad album, but really not my thing. It was a struggle to get through this. 2/5
I think drum & bass is a really cool genre. However this album was pretty boring unfortunately. Favorite Song: Brown Paper Bag Least Favorite Song: Beatbox
För lång och fantasilöst. Hur svårt kan det vara att göra den här typen av musik?
Tried multiple times to get into DnB and never got it despite enjoying of other electronic music genres. This is not convincing me to become a DnB fan. If anything the opposite. If I have to listen to this album again in this life it will be completely against my will.
No really my style
I stuck with it for 2 out of the 5 hours of run time. Maybe they switch it up a bit in hours 4, 5, and 6, but I can’t imagine that’s the case. It grew redundant for me and I felt like I was listening to the same song the whole time. It was a decent song, but I wasn’t high enough to have it take me on the journey it wanted to.
1.5, rounded up to two I don’t think it’s worthless, I really don’t. There’s aspects of it I like. The energy is there, there’s moments where the drums get very jazz-like. It’s just it’s SO long. The standard version of the album is TWO AND A HALF HOURS, of extremely similar-sounding music. And every song is like 6-11 minutes long! It’s a struggle. Eventually just had to put it on in the background while I did other stuff, which worked well. Extremely niche reference but I think the people that know will absolutely agree, it sounds like music that would be in the background of, like, a Toonami promo for DBZ from 1999.
More influential than it is actually inspiring to listen to.
No. 288/1001 Railing 3/5 Brown Paper Bag 2/5 New Forms 3/5 Let's Get It On 2/5 Digital 2/5 Matter of Fact 2/5 Mad Cat 2/5 Heroes 3/5 Share the Fall 3/5 Watching Windows 2/5 Beatbox NR Morse Code 2/5 Destination 3/5 Intro NR Hi-Potent 2/5 Trust Me 2/5 Change My Life 2/5 Share the Fall 2/5 Down 2/5 Jazz 2/5 Hot Stuff 2/5 Ballet Dance 2/5 Average: 2,25 Really fell off towards the second half.
Groovy at times but there’s absolutely no reason for these songs to be 8 minutes and the rapping is terrible.
so much. too much. boring and too much.
2 - sorry not for me
Not my taste.
Not a “must” in my opinion
Any one song is like 3.5+ range, but 2+ hours of it is just too much. 2/5
Shit, I actually played this yesterday but forgot to log it. Anyway, C-
I can appreciate for background music. Beats are cool for a while but a bit repetitive.
I can see this music being beneficial if you ever need to force hostages to talk. Or maybe in the background if white noise is not available. I can appreciate the drum n bass sub-genre, but this was simply too long and too repetitive.
Maybe I could see putting this on in the background if I’m in the right mood and need something upbeat and more instrumental. Beyond that, really can’t get into this.
There was a moment during this album I thought it could be a 3*. Then I had to do some work, came back to the album a few hours later and realized I still had over an hour left. I can see enjoying a track or two in the right setting (during a workout, doing lots of drugs at a rave, etc), but nearly two hours is simply too much. 2.5/5
Okay too long
2 hrs, 19 minutes and 54 seconds of FUNNN Wikipedia says "Ballet Dance" is the last song, forgive me if I don't get into the extra 3 hours on A.M. Like the D&B compilation spearheaded by LTJ Bukem, Logical Progression, this also contains propulsive, intense beats with more atmospheric breakdowns. However, said breakdowns are less enjoyable this time around. They seem less like part of the track and more like a necessity to protect your brain from sensory overload. "Trust Me", on disc 2, sounds like fragments of a more intriguing album is buried in here. The samples are like something RZA or Nas would've used, but chopped up in an otherworldly way. Unnecessarily tedious HL: "Destination", "Share the Fall (Vocal Mix)", "Watching Windows", "Hi-Potent" 10/11/2024
Some cool bits, but just too damn long. 2.5/5
Started off okay, but got really repetitive and boring after a while. Not really enough hooks to keep me interested. 2 stars.
Really dated collection of cold sterile drum and bass. There’s the occasional fine groove like on Brown Paper Bag and ok vocal features like on the title track. There is a distinct lack of warmth, variety and musical interest across the project though. Really is just repetitive breakbeats and lifeless video game menu music. Also the runtime is merciless. Album is practically neverending. Discs of this are like Hydra. I attempted to start disc 2 but my mind just got frazzled very quickly after the intro.
one thing i notice about dance music when doing this list is that it is not really album compatible. i like DnB but this feels more like i should have listen to in a dim lounge and having a drink. Dance music is often very loopy especially earlier electronic dance music (but also some disco). It's not bad and nice to have in the background but it don't really grabs you and acts more as good Mood music (actually wished there were a bar near me with this kind of vibe)
not my vibe at all
The only enjoyable part were the bass parts, nothing else
not for me
At first a bit anoying music. Every track sounds the same. It is very outdated music. But still It kind of grows on me the more i listen. I like it but I will rate It as a 2.
Aaaaah, the UK Bias of this list strikes again. A Drum N Bass album that just overstays its welcome. The album starts off as a very solid DnB album, and I was kind of getting in to it, but it never really evolved further than what it did in track 1. This wouldn’t be a problem if the album wasn’t almost 80 minutes long. By the time the halfway point hits, I just wanted the album to end. I probably would have given it a higher score if it knew when to stop, but alas it doesn’t.
First of all why is it so freaking long? The beats are interesting in some places, but lacks catchy melody. It's a boring background music.
I acknowledge that there’s a time and place for drum & bass, and I did the album no favors by listening while not in a dance club or something. In the context in which I listened, though, this was a bit of a chore to get through. It could’ve been improved by making each track a minute or two shorter. I did like the title track, however.
Every track sounds the same...
I did not enjoy this but I guess I get why someone would
BootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAndBootsAndCatsAnd
I ended up liking some of this, especially the second disc which had a lot more ambient, jazzy vibes. But the audacity of putting a 2 and a half hour long drum n bass album on the list. Can't go higher than **, I think just disc 2 on its own would have been a *** or better.
This version wasn’t available in the States, so I listened to the 20th anniversary edition which was. Annoying. Gets a second star for the percussion.
Maso
Electronic 1997. It has a lane, just not the one I need at the moment.
Not to my taste, though I do find myself intrigued. I do a lot better when it has no vocal. The wandering bass grabs me.
Firstly - I was angry back in 1997 when they won the mercury prize because it just seemed like the bigwig musos were voting for the least known, least interesting act but it would generate controversy. Which it did. And it’s not as if they’ve carved out a monumental career since. I really tried to be mature about this and see if I could connect with the album this time but about a minute into each song I was just terribly bored. I tried a bunch of times to start afresh but it wasn’t happening. I luckily accessed the original 16-track album but if I’d had to listen to the 53-track reissue I may have had to cause serious damage somewhere. Tedium beyond….
Incessant frenetic repetitive drum loops interspersed with repetitive vocal and bass clips reminiscent of the sound my car makes when someone forgets to put on their seatbelt. Sound like something you want to play on your stereo? Good for you. I choose no.
I went back and forth on this but ultimately recognized that I was trying too hard to enjoy.
Some tracks worked but this album is far too long and there's plenty of duds that hamper it.
Boring robot music. Probably great live at a rave, not listening through headphones at work on a Wednesday. 4/10 (2/5)
Somewhat techno with tracks all being very similar with beat. Too many songs on the album - 53!!!
Too long. (The album and the songs.) Most of the songs on New Forms have six beat electronic base lines with simple harmonies and very repetitive lyrics. (OK, that’s electronica). Share The Fall, Washing (sic) Windows, and Beatbox make for a tolerable threefer. My take aways: too long, very repetitive, but 1001 list worthy. Comes in at (2.4*s)
Another loooong drum and bass electronica album. I'm just not into this style...so repetitive."Watching Windows" broke the monotony and is best track. I did like it a little more than the Goldie album though. Maybe throw this on when you feel like spazzing out...1.8.
One trick pony. This was pretty boring overall. I normally like electronica music, but this just didn't do it for me.
Drum and bass just gets painful to me after awhile. Just sounds like my anxiety.
New Painfully Linear Forms
Man, that's what I call something endless. "Brown Paper Bag" was interesting, the other songs were not hurting but were not pleasant neither.
i don't know what a junglist really is, but its not for me
Boring drum and bass
Brown Paper Bag // New Forms //
yeah i get it but come on
It's fine and even enjoyable but I am not impressed or interested by it? All sounds the same to me which was fine but I will never listen again
That was something. But also, way too long. I couldn’t differentiate the songs from each other if I really had to.
Why so long?
2/5
This was OK but I found most of it pretty average and forgettable.
An hour of early drum and bass music almost feels like I’m being punished for something.
Boring and generic drum and bass. 2/5
My hot take for electronic music is that the harder it is to reproduce, the better it is. This is music for a movie heist scene, and the reason it works in a heist scene is because the scene generally ends within 5 minutes or so.
Good ideas on there. Would listen to that on a hot summer day while drinking in a bar if it's in the background but not on purpose.
Ok
Roni size Another English electronic album from the late 90’s. Hard to keep my attention with electronic music. The grooves are cool but hard to dig an entire album of this. I liked some Squarepusher and Aphex Twin albums that are more I teresti g compositionally. Prefer songs with vocals like heroes.
5 hours is too much of the same
Remember this being a towering influence at the time, a true drum n bass classic. And at times it scales those heights still today. At times it also sticks around longer than necessary and feels very dated but in fairness, it wasn’t written to be listened to while unwinding in my lounge after work.
I wanted to like this more than I did. Just too long, man. The problem with digital technology in music production and reproduction is that what used to be a creative constraint, being the amount of material the artist could reasonably add to an album. Because tape was EXPENSIVE, took specialized knowledge to work with effectively, had a finite physical capacity, and took up physical space among other things. The artist and producer needed to be super selective about what they committed to tape and by extension the record they made. You had to rehearse as studio time was also expensive and in limited supply. A lot of effort had to go into song selection, recording method, it all adds up. Only the best performances make the cut from a purely practical and financial perspective. But with digital all that went away. On the positive side, now anyone truly can make professional sounding work, and make recordings anywhere (dorm room, backyard shed, etc.). Digital distribution has further democratized the industry, and most barriers to creating, publishing, and marketing music are gone. Additionally, recordings can be ANY LENGTH without constraint. This lack of constraints allows artists (who are in love with their own work as if it were more important than their own offspring) the ability to publish everything they make, regardless of quality of the performance, whether it's a unique or novel expression, or any other reason to prune. This lack of constraints is especially detrimental in electronic music, where an artists ability to play a musical instrument is another constraint that no longer matters. Just sample something, loop it, add some beats, boom - done. Now there's too much. This Roni Size album has some good stuff on it! But too much. Too much of every song contains recycled elements of the last, and the next. Pop clearly eats itself here, but not in a self-referential post-modern way (like Boards of Canada). An example of the post-vinyl digital abundance and ego stroking that is now de rigeur.
Repetitive beats, nothing noteworthy.
An hour and 20 of drum and bass is too much for me. Fun tracks, but this isn’t my idea of a good time.
Clearly a very strong album, and it was teetering on three stars for me. I'm just not that into drum and bass.
It was fine as background music. But a lot of the songs sounded the same. It's not really a genre that does anything for me. I typically give a 2 to stuff I don't like. It feels harsh here. I'm not sure that this music was really created to be judged as an album, in the same way that Abbey Road or Dark Side of the Moon were. But that's what this rating system compares. So on that scale it was long and boring.
Look, it wasn't *bad*, but it was LONG af. 20 songs at 6 minutes a piece that all sounded the same. Like, I genuinely couldn't tell you one song that stood out from the rest, so much so that I imagine this was a 2-hour glimpse into what purgatory must be like. Oh, and to top it all off, the album cover was giving me serious "90's business suite software that you need a 300 page manual to start using" vibes. The one "plus" of this album was that it wasn't terrible to listen to as work background music, sort of like lofi. Maybe if there was a Lofi Girl equivalent for Drums and Bass I'd find this album more endearing.
According to the wiki, the original album was over 2 hours long but the only options I had were an hour long or 5 hours long. Unfortunately I could barely even stomach the hour long short version. I’d say that I don’t like drum and bass that much but I swear I’ve reacted positively to this type of electronica before—even the radio after the album wasn’t bad. This one just happened to suck balls and was incredibly annoying to me despite being considered the opus of the subgenre apparently. Very low two
i truly expected to absolutely hate this, and while I didn't, i did also go out of ny way to make sure i listened to the album as originally released (not the one disc version the spotify link here leads to) and good lord there is no album that can justify a 2 hour and 20 minute length, and certainly not when that album is entirely drum and bass. I'll toss it an extra star for not making me 100% bonkers which is an achievement, but if I'm grading this as an album listening experience than holy shit you will never ever catch me putting this on again
When I saw that the 20th Anniversary album was FIVE HOURS LONG, I instantly had a 'ain't nobody got time for that' moment. I decided to listen to Disc 1 before going back to the rest of my backlog (which is currently full of bangers, a nice juxtaposition to what I've listened to lately). The initial drum and bass combo on Railing and Brown Paper Bag really work quite well, but from there the tracks are entirely too long and too repetitive, and this would have benefited from some level of restraint or curation. As is, it was even hard to zone out to. That said, acknowledging that this was a first of its kind and really paved the way for drum and bass music, it's spot here makes some sense. But given how niche it is, did I really need to listen to most of this before I die? Probably not.
Ganz ok und ganz schön lang
This album is so bipolar. Half of it is lovely raucous and rambunctious drum and bass and the other half you can imagine the artists passing around a blunt in the studio and repeating the word “Deep” with meaningful emphasis.
Good for background noise
Too long and boring, but I guess it functions ok as background music.
It was okay
Holy cow this thing is long. Okay listened to the first disc and had to call it quits
What's worse than finding a new electronic assignment? Finding out that it's a double album! >:-| I actually didn't hate the first track when it started. The guitar break down in the middle was cool, and the jazzy bass at the end was too. I stupidly got my hopes up. And the beat kind of reminded me of the Blade soundtrack — which should've been my first clue, because the reason the music works in that movie is because they only use a 40-second clip of an 8-minute song. This is elevator music for people who think they're cool. Is "Digital" the most annoying thing ever recorded? Maybe. No, I stand corrected. “Morse Code” is worse. This isn't even enjoyable as background music, because every time you get in the zone they introduce some new annoying klaxon or droning sound that can drive you insane. 2/5 because at least it has vocals. It’s not the worst electronic album I’ve gotten, but I still hate it.
Some interesting sounds being created here although I’d trim a lot of the songs because they get too repetitive. I understand that’s kind of a trademark of the genre though. Not the kind of music I tend to go for.
Not as bad as I thought it would be after the first song. But not my style, never liked electronic music
2nd disc is better, a lot of stuff is almost what i like but really just not quite good to me
Afro funk psychedelia electronic dance grooves. Not for me but also not too bad.
I like it a lot more than I thought it would. I sort feel like there’s a story being told by the music, with changing environments and random characters added in. It would be a good background to a video game, sort of reminding me of Ratchet and Clank. But it is wayyy too long. Even if it was a normal length, I’m not sure I could have finished it but in reality I made it about 7 songs in and decided I didn’t want that noise in my life all day.
Uhhh wtf is this. Was not prepared for that opening song while driving home from work this morning trying not to fall asleep, it def kept me awake, so it had that going for it? I guess some of them were essentially just lo fi beats so that was ok but I hated the “talking” going on. This album really painted a picture for me of a sleazy underground British club with a bunch of sweaty pale British dudes, tea sloshing around everywhere. Not about that life. If Tom waits is the bar for a one then I can’t really put this that low but man it was close.
Too long. I was feeling it the first few songs, but I didn’t feel like there was enough variety to keep it going. I am fine with albums being consistent in their sound, but this album felt way too bland. If it were 20 mins it would be different. This is just too long. I think I would still like drum and bass though in general. You know what you’re gonna get with the drums, this album just didn’t have the accompaniment I would have liked. Shoutout toonami!
It’s any old 90s afternoon. I’ve got my Bagel Bites, a blue Kool-Aid jammer, and some Dunkaroos. Everything is lining up to be great except I walk into the den at my grandma’s and my brother already has the tv on Cartoon Network. That means I’ll either have to start a channel changing battle without the remote, or I’ll have to watch Toonami instead of Nickelodeon. To make matters worse, Sailor Moon hasn’t even ended yet and there’s still a half hour after that until Dragonball Z comes on. That’s what listening to this album is like. Some good, some bad, but ultimately it’s not really what you wanted.
Meh...
Slower tracks are okayish. The faster the beat, the more annoyed I got. I've listened to several British electronica albums from this list (maker of this list has some weird relationship with this genre) and sometimes I just think Brits should leave electro music to the French.
An hour and eighteen minutes of dum and bass feels like punishment. This is good music, I just need WAY less of it.
Robot rap. Not for me 3/10
i dont enjoy this
Put this on and go to sleep.
Not my style but still somewhat chill to listen to
english
Another pretty boring lounge electronic music. It has a quite original and unique style, but unfortunately it's not enough to deem it worthy of a listen. I've been to hotels with much better music, although it nailed one specific feature of this genre - it's really forgettable.
If I only rated this by how much I enjoyed listening to it, it would definitely be a 1. But I dunno, doesn’t feel right. I just don’t Get it, I have no reference point for drum and bass. Is it good? Maybe. Is it influential? I could imagine so, if not hear it. I don’t know. Giving it a 2, considering it an Abstain.
DnB. Looooong DnB. Two CDs worth of DnB. I need to be on Molly to enjoy this.
I listened to the two hour and nineteen minute run time of this album with my headphones on while working at my computer. It wasn't the worst album I've had from the list but next time I'm sticking with chill hop lofi for my background vibe.
Drum and Bass does nothing for me, but while I was writing some code this is was in the background, and I never been so productive before.
Nope
Not unlistenable as far as d&b goes, but not my thing either. Some interesting elements here & there. I much prefer a trip-hop or dub vibe to these frenetic beats though. Bottom line: my rating is based on personal enjoyment over talent or innovation, which in this case I don't dispute.
I've listened to drum & bass, jungle and breakcore that I've enjoyed quite a bit so I'm disappointed that I didn't get into this more considering the influence it had on fans of the genre. Tracks drag on for too long without much variation, and I felt that the samples often didn't mesh particularly well. You can see the jazz and hip hop inspiration. The brief acapella track was a fun idea. I just wish I found it more engaging.
Brown Paper Bag was a good single, favourite track is New Forms, I really like the almost spoken, close vocals. Bit samey elsewhere.
Was this even multiple songs? Because I could swear it's just one long, boring, song. I didn't even realize when the album started over.
Ik wil dit heel graag goed / mooi vinden maar bij elke luistersessie dringt de kwalificatie 'zenuwenmuziek' zich op. Niet mijn ding I guess.
It’s like twirky background music. Not a fan.
A drum and bass album. I for it to be justified to make the list, I really hope this is the very first drum and bass album or the very best. After listening to it, I am quite certain that it's not the latter, and after taking a look at the release date, I am also quite certain that it isn't the former either. So...
I just could not get through it. It was not in my musical taste group and I found boring and repetitive. I'm sure it has its place (perhaps as background music or a dance club) but did not interest me in the least.
Not bad. Some great beats and voices. Unfortunately the production doesn’t hold up to today’s standard. 2 stars
I didn’t love this the first time I listened, but I really don’t remember it at all so it’s basically like listening to something new. Speaking of albums that are too long, this is over 2 hrs and gets old fairly quickly. I wish the album was more drum&bass than trance, it’s at its best when the drums are constant and rapid and the bass is booming, but unfortunately that tends not to be the case on most of the album. “Matter of Fact” was a highlight to me.
Remember all the buzz about this when it came out. Honestly didn't get it then, still don't get it now
Interesting music for the background but not something I’m terribly interested in.
Another one that makes me wish this site wasn't created by a Brit who came of age in the 90s.
non capisco
Straight out of 'People just do nothing' but missing some Chabuddy G sauce
Notable tracks: Brown Paper Bag, New Forms, Heroes
Unts unts unts unts
Epilepsy for the ears.
Didn’t like this at first, but it makes decent background music.
Frenetic jazzish
För långt
Pas ma tasse de teh
D&B und dann klanglich eher schlecht, habe durchgehalten aber war musikalisch nicht das Wahre
Not bad at all. Seemed to be primarily electronic/synth vibes with very little vocals. Enjoyed overall but the album was over 5 hours long, so I didnt listen to the entire thing.
Nope
Decent for focus work
Not a bad background album, but probably won’t listen again. Didn’t hear anything in this that genre defining. 2/5
There was both drum and bass, so I can't complain too much.
I get that it was genre defining, I understand there's a thing. But this is over two hours of one idea over and over again. Someone now could make this with Logic Pro loops. It's of almost no musical merit. But it's not impossible to listen to so it doesn't hit the floor vote.
not hugely into drumnbass or jungle, so slick as this is, it hasn't grabbed me and there is no way I am sitting through 53 tracks! Okay, if you like that sort of thing
Meh. Very similar to the prodigy and some others
I’m not the type to listen to a whole drum and bass album. It’s too repetitive for me. I did like the bass on Brown Paper bag and thought the first three songs were good
At the start I was fine, but by the end I was exhausted. It's a 5 hour album on Spotify - you're going to need to make some choices.
I really don't like DnB. Let's just get that out of the way. I also have little patience for songs >6min so I skipped most of these at the 5-6min mark. All in all, I probably listened to about 65min of this album, as 140min is way too much. Even though I dislike this genre, there was little enough singing that it was tolerable. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it.
Way too long
Je peux comprendre l'importance de cet album pour la musique électronique, je peux comprendre que la prise de drogue bonifie l'expérience, j'admets que de temps en temps il est intéressant de suivre l'évolution des "boum tchaca boum chac" et voire dans quel ordre les boum et les tchac seront dans le titre d'après, mais ça dure plus d'une heure, c'est souvent insupportable voire ridicule ("Beatbox", "Morse code") et ce qui est censé être le tube ("Brown Paper Bag") est aussi horripilant que le reste, puisqu'identique. Deux étoiles parce que parfois, peut être, un peu.
I wasn't even a fan of drum and bass even I went to raves in the 90's.
My friends were dropping acid and listening to this. I was the designated driver and trip sitter for their safety. They LOVED this while they were tripping. It made me want to fall asleep. Sitting here while working, it's not repetitive in a way that helps me focus. It's more like an itch. I could imagine this hitting different if I were high. It's good for its genre. Interesting enough. I'm sure it has a cultural significance. But I'm not from the UK, and this wasn't my scene, so I can't get the cultural import and why, exactly, I needed to hear this before I die.
Can music be jumpy and woozy at the same time? If so, this is it. On the whole finds this a little interesting but not at all engaging. Seems liike it should either trance out or be more like a regular song. One doesn't mind the distance of it, just the dullness. If one were forced to dance, one would prefer this to traditional house music. The singing feels secondary. "Mad Cat" might be best song. The genre is very well named. But one gets the feeling that drum and bass might be better off with a good bit less drum and bass. And just less overall; this is way too long, especlaly given how much runs together.
Really tough one for me, I respect the originality of this and how influential it is. Yet the whole British 90s electronic, drum and bass, etc doesn't have a huge appeal to me. Maybe something that I'd rather experience in person, feel like it would be much better then. Gonna go for 2, feel like this is a 2.5/5 for me
Meh. This was not some sort of groundbreaking album for me as all the people in the UK thought. It was just repetitive, uninteresting background music.
Meh. Kind of like electronics and jazz had an average baby.
Nah this is not a thing I needed to heard before death. Lol
Very very repetitive and many songs are much longer than they need to be. With that being said it's not the worst album I've listened to from this list and I can't in good conscience give it 1 star so this gets 2 stars from me.
Boots cats, boots and cats , boot cats, boots and cats. Boots cats, boots and cats , boot cats, boots and cats. Boots cats, boots and cats , boot cats, boots and cats. Doiiiiing.
Not really my jam but a couple of good songs.
big old meh
I have tried my best to appreciate drum n' bass. Nope. This album is exactly why. It is minimalist to the point of dull with the occasional rap thrown on top. It's music for machines and maybe a sci-fi soundtrack. One might possibly use this as background music. Otherwise, it's sleep inducing, but not in a good way.
No.
Spotify has only the Anniversary Edition but aint no way i bumping 5 hours worth of drum n bass, electronica whateva... Disc 1 2/5 had some bops i like. Its not really my genre but i enjoyed it much more than i expected! Disc2 2/5 hard to not skip sometimes ngl i love and have no problem with long songs but its actually hard when theres a 1 minute time frame where nothing happens! Disc 3 1.5/5 Vocals carried the downfall of this listening experience yet. but only for brown paper bag and few other. Disc 4 1.5/5 Doesnt need remixes imo and i wont listen to it again 1-2 songs with vocals was nice but the rest... had some skips cuz 5 hours is way too much wtf...
There's a lot of good stuff going on here, but god damn is it way too long, feels like i've been listening to it all day and there's still a couple songs left. With a big load shaved off of it I think this would be a pretty good listen, but it all blends together after an hour or so. I don't think the average song length needed to be like 7 minutes either.
It's better than a 2. It's good. But it's not at the level of other 3s.
Olen teoriassa ihan mukana tässä. Teorian suhde käytäntöön on ongelmallinen. Käytännössä jään miettimään, olenkohan kuunnellut jo koko levyn, vai pitääkö minun vielä soittaa LP kaksi, kolme, neljä ja viisi.
Un LP interesante. En primer lugar, un trabajo sumamente repetitivo; cada una de sus canciones podrían durar fácilmente la mitad. En segundo lugar, es un éxito sumamente local, siendo influyente solamente para la escena británica de electrónica. Y en tercer lugar, demasiado largo, el trabajo se beneficiaría de una edición que elimine las pistas menos innovadoras.
15 seconds in and I new I was in trouble.. It got better but not my thing.
Super repetitive and very long. Not really my thing.
Not for me. I felt like I was trapped in a 90s British Indie film. Also super long - made it through about an hour and there was still close to an hour left. Good to listen to if you want to feel like your being chased by Robert Carlyle though - hence 2 stars instead of 1.
I found this exceptionally boring and repetitive.
Meh
bass, e bass and drums. high intensity
Jeez I like drums and bass as much as the next guy, but I like other instruments as well… Top Tracks: 1) Heroes 2) Watching Windows 3) Share the Fall
A lot of my feelings about Logical Progression by LTJ Bukem are echoed here. I think drums and bass is just not my style of music. Every song feels like it could be 1/3 of the length that it is and people who want to could repeat it three times. 2 stars for me as it is sonically inoffensive but a slog to get through. Song going on my "1001 Songs" Playlist: Heroes Songs Going On My "1001 Albums Savelist" Playlist: None
I’ve never been a fan of the core sample used in drum and bass, so this was a harder listen. It was good as background music, but I really struggled to actively listen for some songs, and nothing really caught with me.
I only listened to a portion of the album. The version on Spotify is like 5 hours long (!!). I gather that for it's time this was a genre-defining album (drum n bass), which is something I respect but it's not a genre I spent a lot of time with. I got some hints that are related to other music I'm a little more familiar with, like Morcheeba or Prodigy. There were also some tracks that made me feel like I'm shopping at Banana Republic. On the whole it was fine, but I'm not sure I'll be returning to this one.
More interesting than the other DnB album we listened to, but still DnB. It’s like an all or nothing genre. Either you love it and listen to it ravenously, or it’s just something that was in 90s movies. I did not enjoy it.
Take this with a grain of salt because 1) I know next to nothing about be genre and 2) sitting on the train listening to this is definitely not the ideal experience for it Much prefer the LTJ record on this list. For me these cuts are too minimalist; 7-8 minutes of drum track with some light sampling just isn’t enough for me. I’m 1000% sure it would be a better experience if it was played in the proper setting ( a club, etc)
Drum n bass, meio monótono
There were a couple moments that appealed to me, but overall it wasn't great. My first reaction was horror that I would have to listen to such grating noise for so long... But it went uphill from there.
Dull and repetitive, Mr. Roni simply pushed "90s fast drum beat sound effect" on his computer and accidentally forgot to stop for 2 hours.
Peut-être que cet album est considéré important dans la scène électronique et plus spécifiquement dans la scène drum & bass, mais pour moi c'est toujours la même chose d'un pièce à l'autre. J'ai honnêtement de la difficulté à voir l'intérêt. Je vais lui donner des points à cause de son impact musical, mais cet un album vraiment trop long avec des pièces qui s'étirent interminablement pour rien. 3/10
I was blown away by how hard-hitting the opener’s lyricism was by the end, but that energy quickly fell off into typical 90s dance floor tracks. There have been ~10 albums like this so far on the project and I honestly couldn’t tell the tracks apart if I did a blind listening test.
There's this youtube playlist of songs from Playstation 1 games called "Playstation jungle mix" and it sounds exactly like the songs in this album. So, quality-wise, this is videogame music. Not saying it's bad, but it's just not very remarkable.
So much energy. I need to drink some red bull. This version that I have is over 5 hours long. The original version is over two hours long.
Damn was this long. I really do not understand why this is on here outside being a niche thing. The music is bland and similar and once you've ever heard about 3 songs you've heard them all. Yeah I guess if you were in the club high on some drug you'd like this but sober it is boring and repetitive and way too damn long. I don't want to give it 1 star (since those albums are straight up unlistenable to me) but this isn't impressing me at all. 1.5/5
Yet another D&B album that I "must" listen to
How are snoozefests like this on the list but so many amazing albums like Combat Rock, Wheels of Fire, and Rejuvenation are totally ignored?
Too much noise
Dit ging maar door en door en door en door. Boem piep krak boem piep krak.
Long, repetitive. Best songs: Heroes 2/5
I dunno. Don’t really like this music but some of it isn’t bad. I like the standup bass parts. Really a genre that just reminds me of Ali G.
Don't know... thought that I'd like it but I just don't.
Not my style
I had no idea "drum and bass" was a genre of music. Not sure why it is, but apparently it is. This is okay, but I hate the repetition in this type of music. Also, just a pet peeve of mine, but I hate when artists put out twenty different versions of an album so there is no definitive track listing. Some artists need a good editing function - pare this down to 40 minutes and it would be a decent album. But no way am I listening to the 5 hour/53 track edition. 2 stars.