En-Tact

Like being at a rave with all the lights on.

Really putting the shame into shamen

Listening to this record was like washing your dick in a sink after spending two weeks shagging the granny out of your own cat.

I pride myself on being somewhat of a chameleon. And being able to adapt. But someone, anyone, get me out of this gay bar.

Absolute garbage. Repetitive, uninteresting, dated, meaningless new-agey-druggy lyrics, awful sound, terrible singing - tedious beyond belief. Not even close to being an essential album and nothing like the best example of its genre. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

I am tired of music

Never heard of this. But this was great. An album pointing forward to nineties rave culture. There are way too many dismissive voices towards electronic music on this site. This is definitely accomplished dance music, with varied and surprising layers mixed into its pulsating repetitiveness. It fit perfectly for this Saturday night. Contrary to what a lot of the commentators write, I believe this is on equal footing with the more famous acts of the era. Just look past the 90’s dance rap stuff and you’ll find a good electronic record. Stand outs: “Possible Worlds: Deep PSI”, “Hyperreal Orbit”, “Lightspan Soundwave” and “Progen 91”.

5

I'd rather listen to my ass.

I did not enjoy this even a little bit. I don't think I would enjoy this even if I was at a rave all hopped up on ecstasy. Nothing personal against The Shamen, I'm sure they are fine fellows, but it's just not my thing. 2 stars.

I don't know man, I am sure this is someones vibe. But as a person not alive in 1990 it feels super old. Like not aged super well, I could see it being like a new synth electronic thing. But man, It's so old, it feels kinda comedic to a certain point. And it's like crazy long. Felt like a slog to get through. to each their own, however this isn't mine.

This is a solid sequence of tracks. With a tab of acid, it'd probably be 6 stars.

Annoying vocals over awful noises.

Track 1: 9 seconds in and rapidly approaching "No." Track 2: "I'm SMOOOOTH - Like water from a fountain!" *ugh* Track 3: END

Somewhere in 1993 I discovered Boss Drum, The Shamen’s follow up album to En-Tact. I fell in love with the sound and enjoyed listening to that album. For whatever reason I never ventured any further into their catalog. I enjoyed this album as well. The opening track Move Any Mountain and the Pro Gen remix at the end are fantastic. The rest of the album was great. My raving days may be largely behind me, but this is a great high-energy choice for doing work around the house!

Don’t think this aged very well...

This album started with high hopes from me. A promise of mixing psychedelic rock and hardcore hip hop rhythms from Spotify's band description, however this was not what I expected. This is because this album actually comes from their acid house era which they became known for. This album started out with a bang, and soon became very samey to me. I know that's the case with this kind of music so maybe it needs a few more listens from me to get to grips with the subtleties of it, especially as i'm not really listening well when coding these days. To be honest this is a no from me dawg. 2 because I liked some tunes but mostly it's not my cup of tea.

The Shaman were actually pretty good at one point, when Will Sinnott was still around and Mr C wasn't talking over the top of every track. This is probably their peak, when they were still mixing some of their psychedelic roots into a house sound, and before they lapsed into one dimensional rave party anthems.

Schwierig. Hat seine Momente. Über weite Strecken allerdings alles andere als abwechslungsreich. Mich nervt solche Art elektronischer Musik sehr leicht, da macht dieses Album keine Ausnahme.

One of the worst things I've ever heard. Everything that was wrong with the 90s. Example lyric: "Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah Y-y-y-yeah yeah Yeah yeah Ooh oh, ooh oh, ooh oh Yeah yeah hyperreal Ooh oh, yeah yeah hyperreal" Hypersh*t. Rating: 1/5 Playlist track: Pro-Gen Date listened: 17/06/23

From the first song, I thought I would need to be wearing parachute pants to truly enjoy this album. But then Human NRG took a left turn and made me think I should have taken drugs to enjoy it. Maybe both were required and would have been epic. In the end, I made it to Hear Me and turned it off.

What the fuck is this shit now? I feel a hatred and rage of Joan Crawford proportions coming on. “NO ELECTRONICA!! NO ELECTRONICA EVEEEEERRRR!!!!!”

It's like someone drilling into my forehead. Make it stop.

Horrible pseudo multi-cultural rave music. Truly execrable.

I LOOOOVE IT ITS SO GROOVY AND A LITTLE WEIRD I LOVE IT it feels like i am on a spaceship

I’ve always had a soft spot for these early electronic albums, and this one really hits the mark. I’ve known about The Shamen for about 30 years, especially their track “Move Any Mountain,” but this was my first time listening to the whole album. I can see why it was so groundbreaking at the time. It’s a reminder that to really appreciate this kind of music, you have to consider where it fits in history. This album is a blend of early techno, breakbeats, and acid house with a bit of an ambient feel in the background, making it great for either a party vibe or just chilling out. The production is packed with samples and loops, a hallmark of dance music from this era. I didn’t realize until now that The Shamen used to be a psychedelic rock band and switched up their sound with this album. Now I’m curious to check out their earlier albums.

8.5/10 - The first three songs I absolutely loved and there were a bunch more that I enjoyed too. I would completely understand if someone did not like any of the songs but it works for me. 666 edit also was fantastic.

Another solid groove for a Saturday dance party. Really enjoyed it!

Really good early 90s electronic music. Solid all the way through

1990 - Techno, Electronica, Acid house, House music

Vibe

I didn’t want to like this alt-euro dance aggressively 90s album but it grew on me. It’s groovy and honestly really nice to have on in the background.

This was so cool. If you're reading this, I implore you to listen to it while playing any N64/PS1/DC era racing game. NFS or Gran Turismo.

I liked the first 4 songs. More interesting than most house music. Then it fell off a bit.

The Shamen may have made a weird swerve from psychedelic rock to house music here, but I guess they get some credit for embracing house and helping popularize the genre on an album, outside of the club? But the credit for a style that evolved in the Chicago club scene with African American DJs going to a Scottish rock band is kind of weird. And it was early in the evolution of house music, but most of "En-Tact" is pretty boring. Or annoying, as in the case of "Omega Amigo."

At 880 albums in, I’m starting to feel like I’ve heard every British electronic record that was released in the 90’s. …and now they’ve all coalesced into a megalithic mash of synthetics and breathy vocals that haunts my waking hours.

How many EDM albums are on this list anyway? Better question: how many that made this list will I enjoy? So far there's only been one and this surely wasn't the second. Annoying and overlong. Maybe I just don't get the genre but I know what I like and don't like and I gotta say: I HATED this. Never again. Throw this crap into the bog.

This is awesome!! It's like the beginnings of techno in the 90s. I actually really like this so far.

I am familiar with THE SHAMEN and the album EN-TACT, since I have it, but I haven’t listened to it to since the early 90’s, since the rave culture went out of fashion. After listening to EN-TACT, I knew I would like it at the beginning from what I remember from it, but I was rather surprised how well the album held up after repeated listening. I thought it would sound dated after a while but, no, it still sounds fresh and vibrant although the rave culture has subsided. I like EN-TACT more now than I did in the 90’s. I’m glad for this re-listen. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, THE SHAMEN’s EN-TACT Is the only album listed. Rate Artist: THE SHAMEN (5.0) Rate Album (Year): EN-TACT (US 1991 Original) (5.0) Ranking of THE SHAMEN - EN-TACT songs No. Title Length Ranking 01. "Move Any Mountain" (Progen - Beatmasters 7") 3:28 10.0/10 02. "Human Nrg (Massey)" 4:39 10.0/10 03. "Possible Worlds: Deep PSI" 3:44 10.0/10 04. "Omega Amigo" 4:44 09.5/10 05. "Evil Is Even [Edit]" 4:23 10.0/10 - Instrumental 06. "Hyperreal Orbit" (Early Fade) 5:22 10.0/10 07. "Lightspan" 4:39 10.0/10 08. "Make It Mine" (v1.3 Lenny D Vox) 3:32 10.0/10 09. "Oxygen Restriction" 3:49 10.0/10 10. "Hear Me" (O My People) (Edit) Orbital 5:11 10.0/10 11. "666 Edit" (Move Any Mountain) 4:48 09.5/10 12. "Make It Minimal" 3:18 10.0/10 13. "Hyperreal Selector" (Edit) 4:01 10.0/10 14. "Lightspan Soundwave" (Edit) 4:19 10.0/10 15. "Progen 91 [I.R.P. in the Land of Oz]" 5:21 10.0/10 Original US 1991 Release 149.0/150 = 9.93 / 2 = 4.97

Never got too repetitive. Nice in the background and found myself nodding along a lot.

7.5/10. It does feel a little bit cheap, but I really like its vibe. This album gives me cool club vibes, and I feel like grooving to it. I don't care about its negative reception!!! :)

Back when this album came out, you have to understand there wasn't much else like this. Rave Music was kind of getting started so to to have a group that were essentially a rock band pick up samplers and sequencers and release something like this was revolutionary. Sure others followed and did it better but En-Tact had made this list because of what pathfinders they were. Move Any Mountain is still an anthem

Where do I start? When I tell people I love the Shamen, people always think of 'Ebeneezer Goode'. It's very depressing. Their debut is in my top 5 all time great albums, their second is in my top 50 (For some reason, you can't find them on streaming sites!) Where does this fit? Top 2000 probably. I discovered them on the J Peel show with 'Knature of a Girl' in 1987 and loved them from that moment. When I heard 'Omega Amigo' for the first time in 1989, there was a huge departure from their previous sound. Next was 'Progen' in the same year, I expected it to be a huge hit, but no... (that only happened when they renamed it Move any Mountain!). The nearest they got to their old sound was with the single 'Make it Mine' with it's great guitar hook. 'Hypereal' is just dreamy and was probably the first time I came across the genius of W. Orbit. 'Lightspan' is probably the best non single track on this rather eclectic and what sounds like, thrown together album. They were still experimenting and finding their feet in a different environment to which they began. It isn't perfect in any way, and it's not helped with the tracks being rejigged on streaming sites, which makes it a bit different to the original release. It still gets 4 stars

I listened & chose my rating, then looked at some other reviews. LOL I'm sticking with mine, I like this style of music. It's great for work, keeping me energized to get through the day.

listened to 90% of this and thought it was fine background music, then I got onto Facebook and a friend mentioned an album by this French rock band called Magma where they invented a language and also a sci fi story about a bunch of people leaving earth for a new planet and I highly recommend you listen to "Kobaia" by this group because it's awesome. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magma_(Magma_album)

You thought I was gonna give this a 1, didn't you?

A time capsule record, from the London rave scene of the late-80s/early 90s. First few songs I was into, but then it became repetitive. I can see how this fits into the acid house/dance genre. But I honestly wouldn’t listen to this again.

I don't think I've ever listened to an album more reminiscent of the 90s than this one. Some decent melodies and occasional guitar work on here, but it's not enough to escape the LP's datedness or lack of forward momentum.

Oh look another shitty UK Electronica album.

Our run of great albums had to end at some point. We really had like two weeks there of mostly 4s and 5s. The opener to this sounds like when a sitcom parodies a DARE psa hip hop group but the eighth listen of it I’m finding it enjoyable in a making fun of it way, I think. This album has the target demo of Elementary school P.E. Coaches and the band that made the Macarena. Maybe it’s because I’ve loved almost all of what we’ve been listening to recently to then get hit with HUMAN NRG put at the same “you must hear this” importance as fuckin War Pigs is insane. I’m trying to give this a 2, we’ll see how I feel when the time comes.

This isn't the worst thing I've heard, but I think I'd prefer to hear someone vomiting than listen to the rest of this album. Why is this on 1001 albums? It's a tepid example of a forgettable genre from the '90s.

Perfect! Very underrated on this site

Mega vibe, wszystko co lubię, na pewno będę wracać

classic!

Good stuff.

Electronic music but I liked this. Shorter songs meant that the sound changed pretty frequently and there was a lot of interesting songs.

I can move move move any mountain

Great!

incredible

Ik heb The Shamen altijd wat links laten liggen, omdat die hits allemaal wel geinig zijn, maar zeker niet meer dan dat. Ik kende vooral het hieropvolgende album Boss-Drum. Het album van een aantal bekende nummers. Maar niet dat album staat in de lijst (wellicht ook een te kort album), maar dus dit minder bekende album. Een snob-keuze? Zeker niet! Ik wordt positief verrast door dit album. De hit is nog wel een wat suffer euro-dance achtig plaatje wat ook op Boss-Drum had kunnen staan. Maar de rest is een hele fijn begin jaren ’90 geluid dat soms zelfs wat zelf flinke stappen de rave induikt. Een geluid dat ik wel mis in deze lijst. Waar is bijvoorbeeld Experience van The Prodigy? Jullie houden toch zo van debut-albums? Sterker nog, ik ken veel van de geluiden uit latere rave platen. Althans, ik denk nu dat The Shamen vaak eerst was. Maar het is een onderzoek op www.whosampled.com waard. Ik twijfel wat tussen een 4 en een 5. Laat ik de ondervertegenwoordiging van dit genre de doorslaggevende factor maken.

So much fun

What a vibe it feels so modern and timeless at the same time! And the transitions are awesome

Never heard of them but enjoyed the album. Easy to listen to and good for coding.

This is great.

Na luzie można dać 5 stars

All the tracks sound mostly the samey, still a classic album

That was amazing. I've never heard of this group. Would have been 100% into these guys if I had discovered them when they came out in the early 90's.

A lot of dance albums rely on repetitive hooks, this clearly sets out to take you on a journey using electronica. only knew them as a novelty with Ebaneezer but this a great piece of music.

Kick back and have a party , this album is banging

Good

"En-Tact" was part of the rock and dance hybrid genre that emerged in the early 90s in the UK, alongside bands like The Happy Mondays and Primal Scream. The Shamen had embraced rave culture following their time as a psychedelic rock band. The various versions of the album feature remixes by some major names in the early British techno scene, like Orbital, Paul Oakenfold (fresh from working with the Happy Mondays), 808 State, William Orbit, and Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto. It absolutely marks a very specific place and time. While I didn't live through that era myself, I did once become interested in it and so there's some secondhand nostalgia for me here. There are some good songs, as well, most notably "Move Any Mountain". It captures a bit more of the rave side of the movement as well. However, I don't think it's the best representation of the era. To start with, it's sort of a remix album, so a lot of the sound is coming from other artists. For the rock/dance sound, other entries on this list did it better. For rave culture, they could done better by selecting early works from someone like Moby or Orbital (both on the list, but from later eras). It's a very generous 4 stars from me. It deserves 3, I know, but I found it fun to revisit this kind of album.

Surprising jam just at the right moment in life

Dug it

Surprisingly enjoyable.

Do tańca i do różańca Puśćcie mi go w klubie i będę tuptać Puśćcie podczas pracy i będę w full skupieniu Byłam cały czas jak w transie, loveee it

Good

A little repetitive, but the songs are infectious and a great backdrop to keep me pumped during a sewing project.

it's peak!

a mix of pop beats/music/refrains with rap verses. pretty catchy stuff. some wannabe-futuristic sounds (best way I can explain it). Some psychedelic and jam riffs, which is usually my vibe. 4/5

Det här svängde mycket mer än jag trodde det skulle göra. Bra gym-musik! Svag fyra.

Great 90's rave energy. Enjoyable and will have to check out more of their catalog.

This was fun and ... interesting. 4/5 stars.

Nice beats, 80s electronic sound mixed with new wave vocals, kinda cheesy at times, a precursor to a lot of 90s electronic (think EMF “Unbelievable”), NIN-esque, 7.1/10

Fantastic indie dance album that I stunned I had never heard of before. Finally this list recommends a worthy album and artist I had never heard of before. While I have never heard of this band, I can hear their influences on Jesus Jones, EMF, Techtronic, Pop Will Eat Itself, Prodigy, and even U2's ZOOROPA and POPMART. I've been following this list long enough to know that my fellow reviewers are probably going to hate on this album, but I truly love it! Fantastic ideas, mixing, and production, particularly for 1990. Very groundbreaking stuff. No pretentious lyrics, just great grooves who brings the emotions without the words. The dismissive voices should try to place this into the greater context of music history.

Hatade det från början. Blev bättre och bättre. Techno-aktig grej. Lite soft.

Like being in a very cool alt dance club in 1990.

Люблю психоделический рок

4/5

82% Best: Move Any Mountain; Possible Worlds: Deep PSI; Omega Amigo; Make It Mine Must-Hear? Sure. Bonus points for being the first electronic album I have heard on this list so far to not have a single song 6 minutes or longer.

So stell ich mer d musig vo zwei teens ide 90er jahr vor die grad ihres neue elektronisch musig gadget ide garage vode eltere usprobieret und dur biz pröble und Fiele usversehe paar club bangers produzieret. S ganz album schreit mer regelrecht “DAS SIND D 90ER JAHR DU WIXXER” is Ohr. Was mich aber bekanntlich ned stört: Goetschmann Tranceport het freut. Biz elektronische Kläng chund dere Liste vo 1001 Albe also sehr guet und obwohl mer ned all leider gliich guet gfalle hend hets de eint oder ander bangerito dinne gha. Us freud es elektronischs album z geh gits ufgrundete 4 Roland303 für de gspass

genau so stelli mir vor hetts ih de 90s tönt spikey hair, windows 95 und alles ih de fish eye perspektive das album het es paar tolli sache druf gha und ich denk dasi mir das teil sicher namal geh mues vorallem isches au chli es längers album und mis serotonin fokusierte brain chunt da mengisch nöd so mit drum chlöpfi 4 mal gege de bildschirm und hoffe das gwallt no immer de schlüssel zu allem isch

noah is back (again) – heds mi verbronchitist scusi für die längeri abweseheit <3 en-tact: überraschend & guet! aber absoluti bangers sinds au nöd han nöd alles glost willi vill ufzhole han & 1 std 7 min lid da leider nöd dinne

With memories of Ebeneezer Goode and some godawful hippy musings, I was dreading this, and...it was surprisingly great! I kept thinking "this is a bit like Orbital...now this one is a bit like William Orbit, this one's like 808 State" only to check the wiki and find out that they had done the production/remix of that track. It's not perfect - the cod-mysticism and Mr C's hacky white rapping are a bit off, but considering it's from 1990 is sounds like it should be several years later. Definitely worth a listen alongside the best of early 90s dance, and in places it's beautifully chilled out and dub-like. Strong 3/weak 4, just pushed into the 4 level by some of the later remixes.

It was fun

I reviewed the US version as I think it's better than the original UK release. The album makes an immediate start with the bouncy Beatmasters version of 'Move Any Mountain' which has more energy that the original mix and less Mr C rapping, which can only be a good thing. The Massey (of 808 state) mix of 'Human NRG' is also superior to the original, mainly because it sounds like an 808 State track (the drums are straight out of 'Cubik'), whilst also still being fairly similar to the original. Next up is 'Possible Worlds: Deep PSI'. I prefer the original mix of this, mainly because it has more of a song structure and more of the guitar, which I think is the strongest element of the track, but this isn't a bad mix. 'Omega Amigo' has wisely been left untouched, this was the flyer single for the album and is perhaps the most conventionally 'pop' song on here, well produced by Steve Osbourne. 'Evil is Even' is irritating, the vocal samples are ill fitting and it is the weakest track on the album. 'Hyperreal Orbit' is William Orbit's remix which I think edges it slightly, though I find this track quite dated compared to some of the others. 'Lightspan' is, I think, the Renegade Soundwave mix, hard to tell as they are all quite similar , but the production is slightly clearer. A pretty enough tune, but inessential. 'Make it Mine' is again a better remix as it dumps the rubbish Rhyme & Reason rap from the original, quite a jolly, catchy number. 'Oxygen Restriction' is a sleeper hit, a slinky, slightly menacing tune. 'Hear Me O My People' is an Orbital track, rather than a Shamen one. It's great though, and slightly deeper than the rest of the tracks. In summary, this is a good remix album rather than artist album, but kudos to The Shamen for their production tastes.

Loved this album. Great jams, had a real sense of time and place. Saved a ton of songs and will be relistening for sure.

Love these sort of sounds and rhythms, and Move Any Mountain is just a great track. I got a bit bored in one or two tracks, but they're not really made for a dull, grey Wednesday afternoon on the sofa. Tracks from this and Boss Drum will remain on my dance playlist for ever more.

I love it when groups just totally change their sound. The Shamen did this moving (as noted in their bio) from psychedelic rock to 'rave'. Sometimes you can see this as changing with the times. But this album feels like people who simply wanted to make more electronic based music. And that ain't that far from electronic anyway.

Solid nineties electronic dance music.

Getting a good laugh out of all the negative reviews on this site. Sure, it's nowhere near the best electronic/EDM music I've ever listened to.. but the beats are solid, with fun layering, and when listening I feel transported back to a rave club in the early 90s. With a tab of acid I'm sure it'd be even better.