What's That Noise?

English electronic producers in the 90s I am retroactively begging you to practice some restraint in your album lengths. I was enjoying this album a pretty good amount ("Stop This Crazy Thing" is awesome!), then I looked at the runtime and realized that, after listening for half an hour, I still had 40 minutes left to go! Point deducted for being too long, which is a shame because it's otherwise quite good.

Brilliant house music. There was always something different about Coldcut - the variety of genres, the wittiness in the samples, a playfulness and genuine musicianship. So much House was formulaic and predictable. Coldcut were anything but. We need this on streaming services and soon!

Already a fan of Coldcut although I must admit I hadn't listened to this one until now due to it's lack of being readily availability. Great mix of vocal and instrumental tracks which would become the style of many of their albums to come. High energy and a blast to listen to. Although it must be said that the first track, "People Hold On" does sound noticeably different to the rest of the album but is still a great song none-the-less Stand out tracks: - My Telephone - Stop This Crazy Thing - No Connection

This album is a 1995 24-Hour Fitness Spin Class jammed into a box.

Dope. Get it on YouTube definitely worth it

Great listen. Found on youtube. This was a true all time classic. Lisa - what a great artist. Not listed on Deezer, or on Youtube Music. Shame on all. Thank you for remembering this here!

This absolutely slapped. It hearkens back to everything that made me respect and fall in love with electronic music when I first listened to The Avalanches, and also calls to mind Paul's Boutique. I can see the massive influence this had, and it makes me wanna get up and wiggle.

This is a great record. Would be great at parties to show you are OG. Too bad it's not on Spotify. Had to go to YouTube.

Pretty cool and interesting album all things considered but I would definitely not be in a rush to listen to it again. It was kind of a lot. Favourite song Stop This Crazy Thing. (Also future me rereading these reviews listen to the first minute of the album again just do it)

Wow. 1001 albums featured a house collection that doesn't make me want to stab myself in the eardrums. I can actually put this one on and, you know, *listen* to it.

Whenever I see "British Electronic Music Group" on here (so basically every other day for the last 3 years) I always cross my fingers. Sometimes it's great, and sometimes it's awful. Today was great!

Disgusting techno-crap

Super fun, great for focusing at work.

I don't know what I expected but it sure wasn't this. What a party! Danceable and fun. Delightful.

Why had I not ever heard of this? I mean, it seems like something that I would have listened to in 1989. I totally felt this jam!

Wall to wall bangers. You could have told me that No Connection was on RENAISSANCE and I would have believed you. Favorite track was definitely Stop This Crazy Thing

dance club vibes; loved it

What an AWESOME album! Never heard of this but it had everything I love. Hip Hop, Samples, Synth, Dance, Creativity and Bizarreness… loved this album. Going to mix it into the rotation for sure! This is my first 5/5 rating on here. Going to find more about this band for sure!

Not my fav genre but reminded me of DJ Shadow. Then I realized this predates Shadow by several years and realized what a groundbreaking album this truly is.

I had not previously heard of Coldcut, but this album was fantastic. Clearly very groundbreaking, hard to imagine that this came out in the mid-80s. Will definitely check out their other stuff.

FUNKY SO GOOD

Oddly, I have never heard of this artist, or this album, yet practically every track on this album is familiar and - more importantly - good.

So dissapointed that this isn't on my streaming services but so glad I was able to listen to it because it's right up my alley and so good I'm finding it hard to pick a favourite track. As soon as Smoke Dis One kicks in I'm hooked and Stop This Crazy Thing ramps up the vibe, Not Paid Enough is so much fun but I couldn't find a list of all the samples. Which Doctor? and My Telephone are great and Fat (Party And Bullshit) keeps the party going.

Standouts: Stop This Crazy Thing, People Hold On, My Telephone, No Connection, What’s That Noise.

Really good dance music, sounds ahead of its time for sure!

A good house/EDM/digital album.

It's an hour in the dance clubs. How did I never hear this as a teenager?

Toffe plaat. De samples zijn duidelijk uit elkaar te houden, waardoor je de intentie van de artiesten en hun skills beter kunt appreciëren.

What does waste look like in music? Some theory of it's behind criticism of records for length, feature lists or lack thereof, repetition, suitability for dancefloor or headphone. What's That Noise? doesn't electrify the body; It turns skits abstract, nonverbal, unmoors them from either pre- or proceeding. The electronic middleness is sprinkled with just enough, ending up good. Fair and fitting as a question without an answer.

I think something like this walked so someone like DJ Shadow could run. It's also an interesting note that Mark E. Smith and Queen Latifah were on the same fucking record. Back half is way stronger than the front. Favorite tracks: "Stop This Crazy Thing", "Smoke Dis One", "Not Paid Enough"

A pretty good edm album. Enjoyed the two listens. Could only find it on Youtube. 4/5!

I have had quite a problem with some of the electronic entries, because I don't really get house genres for example. But this album is captivating and I just find it extra cool that it's a debut from 1989

I enjoyed it

Undeniably a classic of its time, but dance wasnt amazing back then

If you'd asked me who this was before I listened to it, I'd've told you I have no idea. I'm surprised at how many of these songs I know. Either from having heard them before or having been sampled by other groups.

This was probably not exactly the right choice for me today to listen to as I am a bit under the weather. But still it was clever and fun and expertly assembled. The cover is also awesome. Some of the songs were definite 5s for me, some not. Very entertaining!

Some good dancy dance electronic music from the late '80s. Although I didn't really recognize this (apart from many of the samples that were commonly used then!) it felt quite happily nostalgic for days of yore and kept me moving while I cleaned the kitchen.

Not on Spotify. Good YT album available though! Pretty eclectic west coast rap vibes. Enjoyed quite a bit!

pretty pretty pretty good

4/5

Some good songs that take me back.... 4/5

People Hold On is a classic late 80s piece of pop-house which has aged very well. The rest of this is a classic piece of late 80s cut and paste and very listenable. Helped by the fact I found it on youtube as one piece with no ads. The longest track was my least favourite though, the one with the horns In the Hall of the Mountain King. Smoke Dis One was great. My version has (the excellent) Not Paid Enough instead of Doctorin' the House so I stuck that on at the end. Oddly I have no memory of that one. Ninja Tunes is a decent label too.

Love coldcut but the album isn't on Spotify. Finally an album that isn't rock. This list is so biased towards rock, or the random selection of very rock heavy currently.

The worst part of this album was that it isn’t on any streaming service. But I did enjoy the vibe

Very bizarre but fun album. Reminds me of the electronic music my friends and I would make in middle school

Stop stop stop that crazy thing

Very chill and well made

I'm reminded of a multitude of samples listening to this album. The result is a patchy, but interesting cacophony of beats and rhythms. It's a funky experiment that sounds surprisingly modern considering it was released in 1989; the vocals to betray a 80/90s aesthetic, but enough time has passed that it can be perceived as nostalgic. 'Stop This Crazy Thing' and 'Theme From "Reportage"' particularly feel as if they could have been created today using vintage samples.

There were a few tracks on there I was already familiar with and I found myself enjoying the album overall. Vibes of Happy Mondays mixed with New Order, at times.

Smoke Dis One

Really fun and grooving album. Easy to dance to and get lost in. There were a few weird tracks and misses, but overall good.

7/10. Quite enjoyed this one in general, though a couple tracks were rather annoying

What a perfect portrayal of the decade of cocaine.

Not a bad electronic album especially since it is from 1989! I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed this album and several songs were added to my collection. I have never heard of Coldcut until this album came up. It is a shame that I can only find the album on YouTube. I highly recommend at least one listen of this album in its entirety. Favorite Song(s): "Stop This Crazy Thing" (both versions), "People Hold On", "My Telephone", "Not Paid Enough", "(I'm) In Deep"

Electronica, house. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

It’s not on Spotify tho

Catchy rhythms

Had to listen to a different coldcut album as not on Spotify, but Nice groovy stuff.

This was fun, liked it. What was the other review here? Feels like an hour - long spin cycle class! :)

Honestly dope album for 80s/90s vibes

Great dance album, lots of variety good sampling, really worth listening if you can find it,

This hit the sound that most electronic music went for in the 1990s. Some absolute bangers, and some truly weird stuff. Maybe slightly long.

Real nice listen with some diverse and heavy hitting features. Big jump between Mark E Smith and Queen Latifah. What's That Noise was the only recognisable tune and also my highlight.

Groundbreaking beats.....

A wonderful cacophony, with samples piling on top of each other to build a collage of sound. Not really my thing, but I can certainly appreciate the skill involved. Some excellent guest vocals as well, and and infectious joyousness that made me want to dance around the office. Not sure what happened to the spotify link, or if the album has been removed for some reason, but this is well worth seeking out on an alternate platform.

Hard to access but from what I've heard it was quite good!

tiny ass album cover. bändiltä löytyy spotiftstä musiikkia mutta ilmeisesti ei voida albumia sinne laittaa.. noh onneks löytyy 40 tuhatta näyttökertaa saanut upload you tube sivustolta. käytetään arkipäivän asioita, kuten puhelimen rimputusta ja ihmisäänen kavallusta osana musiikkia. esim. pink floyd ehkä kopioinut? There is no dark side in the moon, really. As a matter of fact, it's all dark my telephone

Fun and innovative for the era, this collection is an intense kitchen-sink approach to capturing a huge range of electronic music capabilities of the time. Great samples, vocalists, and even song structure. This calls to mind "Paul's Boutique" in it's approach to sampling everything on planet earth, but in a tasteful way. Not an everyday listen, but complements to the chef.

A nice history lesson, shame it is a little too long.

I could only find this on YouTube. My guess is that they couldn't clear the samples that were used. Too bad - good stuff.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: People hold on

Relatively generic 80s electronica. I'd put this on in the background of an 80s party, but probably wouldn't seek it out on it's own. Very creative samples and the nostalgia of hearing "Not Paid Enough" bump this up a half a star.

Oh this is groovy. And I'm not the kind of person who calls things groovy.

Loved it. Sample based like the avalanches

Coldcut rule. They're masters of patchwork sampling, and this album is no different. Every song is packed to the gills but still manages to feel cohesive.

Never would’ve heard this album without 1001 Albums, and now if I ever come across a copy I’ll be snatching it up because it was quite an enjoyable listen.

For some reason I am not supposed to listen to this as neither Spotify nor Qobuz had this available (in my country). I did find two tracks on youtube (featuring Lisa Stansfield) ant those were pretty good (I generally like Lisa Stansfield). I also listened to some tracks from other Coldcut albums that were available from Qobuz and I liked those too. None of them could be called masterpieces but they were very enjoyable so 4 stars.

Lots to like on here but unfortunately a fair bit of messy noise too. Needs a second pass with to edit it down to a tight 35mins to bump it to full marks.

Cet album inlassablement repris par de multiples rappeurs sous forme de sample m'a bien plu, mais sa présence unqiuement sur l'outil Youtube ne lui aurai jamais permis d'espèrer atteindre la note de 4 étoiles.

J'ai très peu d'estime pour la house music. Restez sur vos rooftops et nous faites pas chier.

British DJs. Its not bad, but I'm partial to electronica from the early 90s. Honestly I would probably give it a higher score if I hadnt had to listen to like 100 albums by mediocre british artists on this list already. 3/5

I prefer Coldcut’s later work. But this a fine album nonetheless.

Some ok stuff on here

Estuvo mejor de lo que esperaba.

Spotify doesn't have this album, and I'm too lazy to go find it on another platform, so I can't accurately rate the album. I did find another album they made in the late 80s (Some Like It Cold) and listened to that... they created a pretty nice blend of the 80s sound with early 90s hip hop beats, even got some reggae and latin vibes in there at different points. It got a little weird and/or monotonous at a few points, and I'm not sure exactly when I would listen to this music, but overall I liked it.

reminds me of louis and his style of music. not really my vibe, but it's interesting

Another British electronica album? Surprise surprise. Kinda hard to find what exact version to listen to since youtube has a different listing of tracks than wiki. It's at least varied enough that makes it interesting. Still very dated but it had some charm that made it better than the other bland EDM stuff on this list.

Hyvää musiikkia oikein mahtaavaa... sample albumi knspetri hullu puhelin konspti puhelin sanoo ring irng.. hello whos there HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA PUHELIN WHOS THERE HAHAHAH Kysyy sii skuka siellä toisella puollella puhelinlankoja.. uskomattoman avant garde... eclevctric...

Coupdn't listen in Aus.

Sample-lastiges Electronica-Album mit Gesangsfeaturen. Mal funky, mal Disco, mal HipHop - insgesamt spaßig und cool zum Nebenbeihören.

“People Hold On” is a classic track, a great pop/club crossover. I was hoping at least one critic would mention the socially-conscious lyrics, like house music’s answer to Marvin Gaye, but no luck – instead all they talk about is Lisa Stansfield “belting” it out. “Not Paid Enough” or at least Coldcut’s remix of “Paid in Full” was also ubiquitous back in the day and was a masterclass in sampling, though it doesn’t seem to be listed as a track on the album, just on the YouTube version – possibly they had issues getting paid by Eric B & Rakim? Anyway, a number of the other songs I found a bit show-offy, like they were trying to out-sample their competitors, which leaves the music sounding a bit too fractured up for me.

The first song sounded like disco which had me worried but they then went off on a couple of electronic tangents that were quite good and had cool percussion. They then dabbled in some areas that were less interesting.

2nd October 2023 Listened on the 4th while sorting the house. Perfect housework music which will have given this a higher score than it otherwise might have got.

It has its moments, but I found myself waiting for it to end.

Wow, I don't know if I've heard an album so completely of its era, as much as this album is. Generally a solid 3, but I really liked "(I'm) In Deep" with Mark E. Smith. Quick moving, housey/clubby, peppered with random blips and samples. A bit silly at times, but it was fun. Not available on Spotify, but easily found on YouTube. Fave Songs: (I'm) In Deep, Stop This Crazy Thing, Which Doctor?, Theme From "Reportage," My Telephone

House 100% 80's. El seu to anyenc i superat convida a la nostàlgia i és inevitable fer un somriure al sentir els scratches, els samples i el so en general del disc, tan del moment. Però és un bon treball, amb temes que van ajudar a definir l'any, com 'People Hold On' i altres joies amagades com 'Which Doctor?' o 'Stop This Crazy Thing'

This LP was fine, if a little long. It thrives mainly on its unlimited energy, tapping into a constant but varied rhythmic flow to keep things moving at a pounding tempo. Some of the melodic leitmotifs got old quick, and some tracks were a bit too similar to one another, but I got some good work done while this was on and didn't hate it so by 1001 standards it's solid for sure.

Another album not on Spotify so had to listen on YouTube which doesn’t give the full experience, I enjoyed this good dance album using samples one I’d come back to if it was available on streaming, so would agree this deserves to be on the list.

pretty damn good

I find this genre so boring! 🥱 Also, too many samples.