Sincere

Boring Drum and Bass (?), although I might have liked that 25 years ago.

When the first song started and the drums started playing I was like “omfg this is going to be amazing!”… until every song after that sounded exactly the same. This is inoffensive background music for a sonic videogame. I think my fav was “Rough Out Here”, maybe ‘cause it was the one that stood out the most

I think I probably would have played this to seem sophisticated and trendy in my Uni years. Some nice DnB pieces in here, but wasn't particularly earth-shattering at the time. *checks notes* Oh, Mercury Music Prize nominated. That explains a LOT

I sincerely do not enjoy this album.

Remember back when this came out and it was called techno? Yeah it isn't any better now than it was then. One song in and I can already rate this 1/5. Gonna be a long 2 hours. This album has no business being on this list.

Oh, fuck me. This is garbage.

Got old very quickly.

1/5 - This was outstandingly lame. Sincerely.

Qobuz only had the Deluxe edition of this dreadfully boring album and at just over two hours that was more than I could bear. Can't really see why this makes the 1001 albums list. I could certainly have done without listing to it.

UK garage, 2-step, and soulful electronic music built from clipped breakbeats, deep bass, keyboards, vocal samples, and polished electronic textures feels like being stuck on a conveyor belt that keeps passing the same few objects in front of me, each one slightly rougher than the last. The rhythmic patterns are repetitive enough to become predictable, while the clipped percussion and synthetic textures can feel surprisingly abrasive beneath the album's supposedly smooth surface. I can hear the sophistication in the production, but instead of drawing me into its groove, the combination of repetition and abrasion gradually pushes me away.

A little bit of soul, a little groovy, but a body mover all around. Favourite Track(s): Crazy Love, MJ FM Interlude, Sincere Least Favourite Track(s): Introduction

Techno clubby beats I just can't get down with

Some early electronic music. It's just ok

Unfocused, unoriginal. Nothing worth a second listen.

"man I hate how every album on this list is just shitty dance music" "man I hate how every album on this list is just shitty prog rock" "man I hate how every album on this list is just shitty rap" "man I hate how every album on this list is just shitty britpop" Maybe music just isn't for some of you guys, and that's okay. In the meantime I'm gonna be actually enjoying myself

Sincere is a great track. The ret of the album was pretty good but not the same standard.

This is not a great electronic album. The best songs on here are average at best, and there isn't much that really stands out or keeps me engaged. I gave it a fair shot, but there's just nothing here that makes me want to come back to it. I will not be revisiting this album again.

Anything I picture Renata Bliss dancing to is hard for me to love

Uninspired turn of the millennium coffee house music. I have nothing to say about this and I'm not going to spend 2 hours listening to it. Tapping out at song three.

It's like listening to video game music (derogatory). Soulless, boring background music Favorite Songs: Bandelero Desperado, You're Mine

nothing remarkable to note from me

This pissed me off

This was a sneakily fantastic album! I love a good electronic soul album to throw on when I need something playing in the background. This shit had me dancing while folding laundry, really glad i listened to this one!

Kind of a struggle to get through.

Not the best

Nothing I didn't like here, but nothing that made me think it needed another listen or that anyone really needs to listen to it Just sounds like background music for a menswear store

Electronic music is by lowest rated genee of music on this list. I have listened to more electronic albums due to this list than ever before in my life. This isn't great but its better than the majority of the other albums in this genre i have had 515 albums in.

Pretty good

You can hear the roots of a lot of modern breakbeat and house cuts on this record. I've got no doubt that MJ Cole is a monster live and he appears to be a big name in the production scene. The formula for songs on this record is mix one part excellent sound design and one part fantastic production then absolutely milk the track for all its worth. Nothing here is offensive, but a lot of cuts really overstay their welcome, and the overall sound is pretty dated. These are deep cut gems to drop during your DJ set or do a remix of, but I don't see myself revisiting this album aside from the big singles.

A nice smooth pop album with sweet vocals.

I didn’t think I’d ever hand out a 1 star. This is music so devoid of any emotion that even my cousins who can only handle sanitized club music of a similar wavelength wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole. I didn’t think it was possible to make something so empty sounding

This album was genuinely awful, holy shit. One of the top reviews hit it right on the head: the author should have his ass whooped for including this trash. Extremely dated beats (seriously, this sounded like it belonged in 1988, not 2000), lame production (the garbage backup vocalists were reject holdovers from the early 90s), and arrangements so vanilla you could bottle it as extract. The songs were simultaneously boring and annoying. A horrible listen; album #400 hits the ground floor with a thud and will be my twenty-first 1/5

Great, really interesting. It calls your attention—nothing background about this, but not loud.

I'll give it this: The music sounds just like the perfume counter the cover is mimicking.

A couple decent tracks outweighed by several bad ones (“Crazy Love,” “Slum King”), others that lack distinction and some insipid, cliched lyrics and vocals that draw attention to themselves for the wrong reasons. The soul feels phoned in, and I reflexively detract points any time the artist asks “Do you feel the vibe?” repeatedly on a dance track.

How many double techno albums must I hear in my life to know this style is Not For Me?

A pleasant, albeit snoozy listen. Cleanly produced with smooth vocals. Nothing too exciting or interesting happened. Would be good background music while grinding away at work. 2.5/5.

Ah, great. Another of those “WTF is this, and WTF is it doing on this list” albums. At least it's only… *checks*... two hours long. 🫠 But, in the spirit of this project, let's reserve judgement and give this an objective chance. The first song, “Introduction” fills me with hope. A classical piano loop blends with reversed vocals before that UK garage beat kicks in. I could do without the cheesy spoken word interludes, but it's not the worst. I was hoping that I was in for a strange blend of classical music with 2-step garage, which would have been an interesting idea, but it strays from that vision very quickly. Instead we get a lot of very generic garage music that, frankly, I have no interest in. I try to keep an open mind though, and while this type of music doesn't click with me at all, there are moments to save it. Save it from a 1 star review, that is. The title song “Sincere” has some of the gorgeous textures hinted at in the introduction, swirling around the background of a more traditional garage tune - which honestly isn't the worst. And I fully like “Slum King”. It's exactly the kind of grime song that is enjoyable because it's just good craic and doesn't take itself too seriously. Songs like “Bandelero Desperado” bring back moments of classical music, before ruining it again with terrible, bravado grime rap. The repeating “Attitude” mantra rings in my ears. The rest of the album has me glancing at the tracklist, wondering how much is left to endure. Honestly, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. And that's the nicest thing I can say about the album. What I can't say is WTF it's doing on this list.

The beats are kinda fun. The vocals are pretty cheesy but I kinda vibe with it.

Ok, I didn’t actually finish this whole album as 2 and a half hours is a bit on ask but I gave it a good crack and enjoyed what I heard

Meh

JESUS LOVES UK GARAGE. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 3. I mean, I get why this has a 2.38 on the site. It’s a little undeserved, but I get it. It’s way too similar throughout because they only really have one set of drums to work with, & while they try to dress it up in compelling ways, they just don’t go far enough with dressing them up in more appealing ways. A lot of these tracks loosely feel like a set of demo tracks for SEGA games from this era, specifically, in the same range as Jet Set Radio or Persona. That’s my biggest compliment & my biggest complaint, because while they’re in the same range, they’re not at the same level of overall polish & memorability. This album was in DESPERATE need of more filled out soundscapes in the back, especially on its earliest tracks where the repetition has absolutely nothing covering it up. If you listen to a Jet Set Radio track (literally, any of them), there’s constant progression going on, due to a myriad of samples & brass hits & back beats to keep the snappy pacing going. This album hits some of that mark, but it doesn’t go far enough at all. It’s frustrating on a track like “Slum King”, where it’s just got NOTHING to avoid noticing the repetition, and where you can feel the potential had it just filled itself out with *something*. That said, a lot of these tracks are totally, utterly fine, even if they just meet 50% of their potential for the most part. I’d say some of them even border on good, including “Crazy Love”, “You’re Mine” (though the pacing on both is absolutely fucked), “Strung Out”, “Rough Out Here”, “Hold on to Me”, & “Free My Mind”. Those 6 tracks all fill out the soundscapes a bit more, and with some compelling vocals helping them out, they’re pretty pleasing to my VGM-coded brain, as a lot of them would fit as solid backing tracks for fighting games or racing games in the early PS2 era. Granted, part of that is nostalgia speaking, but I really do think a lot of these tracks are fine at worst. They’re not very compelling as a result, but they would be a little more compelling if this album wasn’t a fucking eternity long. 72-ish minutes for 16 tracks isn’t too bad on paper, but far too many of them stagnant halfway in, or even earlier than that. Outside of the 6 I mentioned, I think this album could’ve easily been trimmed down much, much further. This album is nowhere near as snappy as it could be from section to section of each track, lingering way too long in the ears & becoming totally homogenous as a result. Hence, a 3, but one that isn’t quite as godawful as the 2.38 would suggest on the site. If you don’t have the tolerance for it, that’s fair. If you don’t think it deserves to be on the list, I’d totally agree with you – there’s nothing that really stands out to me in that sense that makes it an essential listen before you die. I don’t know if THAT warrants the 2.38 on the site, but again, I get it. For me, it’s just too half-baked, and I’m frustrated that this has so much potential underneath it that it just won’t ever reach. My VGM brain has the tolerance for it, but as a full album, it’s just not there. It was probably better than “Smokers Delight”, at least. Same rating though; just a 3. P.S.: To Mr. Dimery, even though you’ll likely never ever read this, I might’ve suggested putting in “In Person” by Sweet Female Attitude if you really wanted some representation of 2000 UK garage music. You’d have gotten some more ladies on the list, gotten some cred with the kids in the future for picking an album Pinkpantheress sampled & it would’ve been way shorter too. “Flowers” is at least a banger, which is more than this album had.

Gear: SIMGOT SuperMix 4 Artwork: 🛍️🔥🪞 Production: 🥾𝄢😌 Music: 🎛️📚🫥 Rating: 🚒🚒/5

Sorry. Two hours of this did not seem like what I wanted to do. Maybe I’m missing out on hidden treasure. Maybe I’ll revisit. But this did not hit.

Not my thing

elektronische tanzmusik - gut gemacht.

Ich hab so eine Melodie im Kopf... Ja cool machen wir eine Platte. Oder etwa ähnlich.

I thought I wouldn’t like it but I actually caught myself grooving along sometimes. 6/10

Huh this was a weird addition to the list. I didn't hate it but I didn't get it lol. The 90s were weird I guess.

2 hours of intensely boring R&B? Nah, I'm good.

Meh

Tried twice, god deceived twice ! Forgettable 100%

The chilled out songs are nice enough but the more garage songs are a bit rough.

Not sure what genre this it but it feels like the pinnacle of the form. Not the genre for me though.

Yeah whatever kind of electronic music this is just isn’t for me

Not what I expected

Almost 20 years ago when going to the mall was still a thing, my oldest niece was just entering her teenage years and was obsessed with Abercrombie & Fitch. So every birthday and Christmas - being the good aunt that I am - I would suck it up and walk into the Abercrombie & Fitch store at the King of Prussia mall (which was right near my office) and buy her some clothes. When I walked into the store, I immediately felt my age because this loud electronic, very repetitive music would be playing. I tell this story, because I can't be certain I've never heard any of these songs. In fact, I believe I heard them during those trips to Abercrombie & Fitch! As I listened to this album, that's all I could think of.... this should be playing in either a club, a store that I don't shop in anymore, or a hipster coffee house. I feel like I've already gotten several EDM albums on this list, so I'm a bit concerned about how many must ultimately be on here. As I've said before, not my genre at all, so I have no idea how to judge this. But this particular album is really, really repetitive and really, really long. I also could find very little information on it that would indicate it is somehow groundbreaking or had a major impact on the UK garage/house music scene. Just not my thing.

This was pretty good, although totally out of my wheelhouse and I don’t really feel I have the context or knowledge of this genre to judge it. Was definitely bopping my head though

Nothing makes sense in this album and it is painfully long. There’s literally nothing redeeming about this.

I love dance music, and I don’t think this is good.

For the 2nd day in a row, I am getting quite repetitive and boring 90s club music. This might be slightly worse than the one yesterday though. I couldn't even finish it before work and not tempted too much to listen to this again. Get off the list

No time for it.

It was really great in places but a 2h album is a test of stamina in this project that takes off some of the shine.

Woke up my baby early so his cries would drown out this drivel

I kind of like this kind of music, but it misses some cool factor. Too many love lyrics and too clean.

Olin aluksi että nice, kivaa talo-teknoo. Sitte alko ärsyttään, miks pitäny ”pilata” ylimääräsellä huutelulla/laululla ”Yyeah yyeah”

Omaan makuun liian paljon hoilotusta/laulusampleja houseen. En tiedä liekö ensimmäisiä house-lättyjä ja siksi listalla, vai mikä homma. Ei mene omalle listalle kuuntelun perusteella. Vähän hajuton.

not my type, sorry. Horroroso, horroroso.

Not for me

So boring it's painful. All of the other albums even if I didn't like them at least have so possible way of arguing they should be on the list but not this one.

This album reluctantly grew on me. At first I was like what? why? Then y no fault of my own I started head boppin and the groove took control. I love this project so much - case in point. I had no idea I could unknowingly head bop to uk garage.

Will (probably) come back. Wish I didn't though. Just bland house. They say 1001 albums you must listen to but I disagree sometimes.

*2000. House music. *I can tolerate this for like 1-2 songs, then I'm done. *Did not finish. Will not finish. RATING - 4/10

Decent edm

Wat het precies is? Geen idee, in ieder geval een boel gezellige loungebeatjes, wat relaxte zang eronder, trompetje hier, keyboardje daar, het is nog net geen Café del Mar maar het komt in de buurt. Met andere woorden, ik kan het goed hebben. Hier en daar valt het me iets teveel in herhaling, maar in vergelijking met bijvoorbeeld de ijskoude robotmuziek van Orbital van daarnet is dit veel warmer, en dat heb ik graag.

Aan het bijna klassieke begin wordt de belofte gedaan van een rustige sfeervolle plaat. Er volgt een lichte jaren '90 beat en een rustige stem. Waarna de ware aard van het album zich toont en een drum&bass-achtige beat de basis legt. Later blijkt soulachtige zang ook een belangrijk element. Ik ben niet sterk thuis in de garage-house. Ik kan dit slecht ergens mee vergelijken. Wat mij betreft had de lijst hier wel meer van mogen presenteren. Maar dat is niet gedaan, dus wie weet levert het gebrek aan goed vergelijkingsmateriaal een sterretje teveel.

Dit is dus uitgebracht in 2000, maar het voelt enorm als early 90s of zelfs eind 80s, met al die bubblegum RnB-zangers en zangeressen. Waar mj cole dan continu hetzelfde beatje onder zet. Dan is het toch al gedateerd op het moment dat het uitgebracht wordt, of is dat het hele idee van de stijl? Ergens is het best relaxed, maar ik vind het ook erg langdradig. Zeker als ik alleen maar de deluxe versie kan vinden, die nog langer is. Sorry, daar zit ik allemaal niet zo op te wachten. Dit gaat een lange zit worden, dus ik zet hem heel zachtjes en ga wat anders doen. 2 sterren voor de gedateerde moeite

It’s a decent sound. Goes on a bit.

tried, didnt like. Not my thang at all

A tough listen. Not easy to get through. 3.7/10

Decent 90s electronic music, just not really my style

Immaculate vibes.

I didn't really *get* this album—seems like a bit of a mash-up, techno, rap.... I didn't really enjoy listening.

Long. Not worth the time or effort to listen to, but perfectly serviceable.

First Listen Favorites: Bandalero Desperado Sanctuary Hold On To Me Honorable Mention: You're Mine

I know this site skews older but if anyone has seen that episode of SpongeBob where he and Squidward think that Mr. Krabs is a robot and there is that song he plays? That's what this album sounded like for the whole runtime to me. 2/10

OK. Nothing amazing, but fine as background music.

Not something I’m gonna bump in my car whilst cruising the streets, but not a bad album.

I remember listening to similar on the regional trains of the UK in the 90s. I'm currently travelling on a regional train of Australia. Still cool

A relatively fun electronic album with lots of bouncy production and lively loops and vocal performances. I found some songs to drag on a bit more than they needed to but remained a fun album nevertheless.

I’m just gonna give this a two, I think I enjoy what is on the album, but I can’t just sit and listen to two hours of house or electronic music. I think if it was in a club or in the right setting it would be great, but that’s not really how I’m listening to the challenge. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve heard.

There are good moments in here, but I just don't really vibe with this type of music. I'm always on the verge of getting a headache from this style of beat. I didn't get a headache, but I didn't find myself enjoying any full tracks.

Way better than expected. It's really a 3.5,would be a solid 4 without all the remixes but we'll round up either way.

Actually enjoy this a lot more than I thought it would. It’s certainly far from amazing, the songs are decent but not incredible, and there’s a running beat in here that is similar through many of the tracks. That said, there’s enough on this record to make it worth the listen. 3 stars

This is the first time I've been completely nonplussed on why an album was included in the 1001. I can usually discern a cultural importance or see the art in what's been created, but not this time. This funky British house/drum and bass collection is short on creativity and even shorter on enjoyable hooks. Obviously the creator of the 1001 has a love for the genre because there has already been quite a few entries, and I'm only 190 albums in. That's the only way to justify this record (that I will never revisit) being on the list.

Sincerely, this album is a dud...

Wat een bijzondere plaat. Rap met oergeluiden en andere weird shizzle… Ik weet niet zo goed wat ik hiervan moet vinden, wat ik wel weet is dat meer dan 2 uur van deze muziek niet echt hoeft? Ik ga sowieso niet heel chill op albums die langer dan 1 1/2e uur duren, te lang te veel van hetzelfde ofzo? Hoewel er zat in deze plaat wel echt veel verschillende liedjes en ambiances. Helaas een middenmode, doordat er ook wel wat mindere tracks op staan.

Na 3 nummers had ik al genoeg van die garage beats. Misschien zijn op een festival sommige nummers nog wel leuk, maar de artiest heeft geprobeerd om er een verkoopbaar album van te maken en zangers/zangeressen voor gevraagd die ik zeer matig vond. Een heel album van dit vind ik wat veel.

Prima album, t klinkt wel lekker millennial door de vocals. Ik was een beetje bang dat die 2 step drumbeat het hele album door zou klinken, dit was wel t geval waardoor t een beetje saai werd. Verder heb ik wel leuke subtiele geluidjes gehoord. Maar int geheel vond ik t voor de 1001 challenge t een beetje middle of the road.

Not my type of music.

I don't enjoy listening to it, but I have a deep appreciation for the talent it takes to make electronic music. That being said, this wasn't some of the strongest I ever heard. Very repetitive, nothing unique or crazy going on. Songs with lyrics were very simple. But it wasn't offensive.

It's a bit odd this is in the book given the lack of critical acclaim and the fact that garage was so very of it's time. I'm not really aware it had any popularity save for a year or 2 in the UK, did this kind of music get any traction elsewhere at all?? Anyway it's not bad, garage is not my thing but the beats land and I can see how people enjoy this type of thing in a nightclub.

DNF. There are some decent ideas here with actual instrumentation including piano, and rap, but the house beats are repetitive, subject matter dull, and less than halfway through it’s bloated 72-minute (!) runtime, I pulled the plug.

Boring slog of an album that seems, even for EDM music, to be lame. If there's something that I'm not getting about this genre I really don't care what it is. I think there might have been one song that held my interest. Most undeserving album for this list yet.

Boring and repetitive dance music, and every song is at least three minutes too long. Generic as hell and doesn't deserve to be anywhere near a list like this

Nope. Sounds like bedroom dj. Repetitive and dated.

Sincerity is the only thing Len Houmous lacks - a quote from Len’s 34th wife. 3.6 6/25 Crazy Love

Mislim da sam prije čula jednu pjesmu s ovog albuma ali za svaku pjesmu sam pomislila da je to baš ta koliko su skoro identične.

Electronic. UK Garage. House. Ni fu ni fa.

656 albums in, and this is the worst one so far. Far too long and with no redeeming qualities. I listened to all 75 minutes in severe pain and boredom.

Repetitive and kind of boring. A very subdued electronic album, which never really goes outside of it's comfort zone. 2/5 Won't listen again

Alright if you’re a chav I guess but otherwise absolutely brain numbing

Life, it never die Women are my favorite guy

Yawn.

Long and not nemorable at all.

This album is like going to an underground party where everyone knows each other but you. You're like 'Who the hell is this guy Cole and why are my feet moving?' It's one surprise after another. Drops that'll make your grandma say 'Well, isn't that something,' and vocals that pop up when you least expect it. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - Attitude - Crazy Love - Sincere (Re-Cue'd) - Free My Mind

Embassy Suites-ass music.

I generally appreciate garage and other similar styles of edm, but over an hour? The vocals didn't do it for me and only one or two songs stood out.

Meh.

2,5

Yes, it's very long and repetitive (par for the course and forgivable), but it's also completely undanceable and boring. 1.5/5.0: Bad

the genre is listed as "uk garbage". oh wait its supposed to be "uk garage"? makes sense, they probably wouldve called it uk rubbish

Hard to describe the genre, somewhere inbetween pop, hiphop and DnB

Elite level inessentialiality.

Неплохой расслабленный, но динамичный набор электроники, движовой и танцевальной, но ненапряжной. Вайбы такого, знаете, Y2K-модного магазина или журнала с прическами из парикмахерской. Единственный минус, что он немного однообразный, но в принципе клевый.

The album opened with a bright piano riff, but then electronic beats come in. Ugh. Then a sultry voice. By the end, I was ok with it. One or two songs later, some hip hop with electronic beats. So, though this is not in my interest area, there is enough variation to hold my interest, so far. Update: This grew more tedious as it progressed.

"Crazy Paving". There was a period in the late 90's, early 00's where this sound was the dominant sound in the UK urban/club scene. It was all over the charts too. I was familiar with a few of these tracks, but not the complete album, and I have to say I think it's a very good example of the garage scene of that period.

This might be someone's cup of tea. This gives me 2000s shopping mall vibes. It sounds like the generic music you would hear at a JC Penney, Sears (RIP), Macy's, or what have you. Maybe a Hollister & Co. Anyway, I couldn't get onboard with it. It was nostalgic maybe for like the first two or three tracks, then I completely lost track of it. It was good background music during work, but I could not tell you any single distinct feature about the album, music, or artistry. This album gives me a generic mall clothing store Hotel California vibe. You can check out any time you like, but can never leave. Also, while the cologne-esque album art gives me the old vibes of my teenage years, I'd return this product, because it stinks. If this is YOUR vibe reading this, I'm happy for you. For me, this ain't it. If you know remember the "Boots and Pants and Boots and Pants" club vibe, that's the entire album.

automatic gear selector-tor-tor-tor

personal hellscape

I like garage but I wouldn't be an active listener. Musically the album was interesting.

This isn't my thing at all but it's not that bad

Relatively enjoyable if not a lottle repetitive. I agree that it’s odd to find it on this list - although it isn’t the first within this subcategory.

Maybe it got better in hour number 2? I couldn;t possible find out because hour #1 was unbearable.

Listened to this all the way through (including some stuff that may have been Special Edition nonsense because the track listing was a bit messed up) and all I could think was "this sounds like music they'd play in a restaurant with chic industrial decor that charges $70 for a tiny meal."

At some point it was a 4 and then in became a 3 again

I remember buying this album. I thought garage was cool at the time. Sincere is a decent track. I think the problem with this album is being confined to a certain sound. It just doesn’t work. I don’t understand the genre. Is it trying to update house music without a thumping groove. I think that’s why this album falls flat. There isn’t a real groove to any of the songs. They try but fail. Plus all the bad singing

From from to back, this was garbage. As far as house/dance music goes, this was uninteresting and annoying. Easily 1 star.

I guess the boots and cats trope of electronica had to come from somewhere, I just didn't expect it to make its way onto this list.

dogshit

I vibed but nothing special.

Not really my thing… Fav song is ‘Crazy Love’.

Did not enjoy. 1/5

Pas fameux.

Bon déjà electro-lounge, on part avec un handicap. Mais j'ai pas détesté absolument. En chillant dans la maison un dimanche ça passait bien. Les petites loops de piano sont smooth et il n'y a rien d'agressant ici, contrairement à beaucoup de choses électroniques.

Moins pire que je m'attendais! Je me disais bon encore de l'osti d'électro british comme on en a eu plein de mauvais, MERCI monsieur Dimery! Mais bon, j'ai quand même aimé. Plus soul, musique de lounge. Ça se joue bien en background!

I gave it an honest listen. Genuinely.

Ikke helt min greie, det her, sjøl om det dels e sånt æ e vokst opp med, men innafor sjangeren va det nok andre ting som på den tida traff bedre enn det her gjør nu.

Day894 - it’s awful and i hated it

Like listen is the vibe great. Yes. Does it feel mad repetitive after an hour, also yes. But hey the shit sounds like baseline junkie so I cannae be hating too much

This is the closest we’re getting to J Cole on this list I just know it

I'm sorry, man, no I'm fucking not, fuck you! Five flat.

Why is an album of cafe dance mix tape on a list of 1001 albums you must listen to before you die? 🙄

mehh

Interesting ? Good background I believe

Wow! Never heard of this! Great dj electronic jams that seem ahead of the times.

This album is deeply bad and I hate it

Awful. Leave it in the garage.

Wasn’t bad but certainly wasn’t good

I do not see the appeal here at all.

So desperately not my thing that I stopped doing the list for a week afterwards.

Is this an ad for a men's perfume? It's garage/house and it's a pretty solid album for a road trip on a sunny summer day. I can't fight the production, I feel like every song has a chance for being a commercial success through ads, influencers, movies or film. It's music with a mood and yes, the mood often lends itself to the thought of a fragrance or an expensive fast-fashion retail store. It really makes me think of the EDM scene in the UK and how it evolved, and this seems like maybe it's a stepping stone towards the more refined stuff. Details in the production make me think this one might be a slow-burn, but I only feel like giving it a day. Not something I'll be looking for again, but I didn't mind giving it a listen. 3.4/5

A really repetitive album; this is just an hour of uninteresting beats, and when it did get unique or interesting, it was quickly ruined by annoying vocals performances.

This album is CRIMINALLY boring. The beats and music sound incredibly generic. The female vocals are decent enough, but the lyrics for the male vocalist sound like your "hip" uncle trying to sound cool to the young people. C'mon, there was way more interesting electronic music at the time this was released!

😠 bad

Great album

This is definitely another case of an album only being on this list because it's violently British, but at least it's fun. It's pretty damn hard to make Garage music that isn't fun. "Jittery" is the first word that comes to mind with a lot of this stuff, in a good way. I love the overly energetic stuff going on in the background paired with the vocals that want to take their time by comparison. The lyrics across the album are ridiculously shallow, but it's an album that's clearly meant to be played in a club. As a whole, it's about as simple as it is fun, for better or for worse.

Not for me

Sigh. Not bad. Not good. Mid.

I think was made for clubs, not general listening. I'm 63 and can't dance and just can't relate.

Sophisticated 90s club music, which would be fine if it was the 90s and I was a sophisticated hipster in a sophisticated club (on some sophisticated drugs perhaps?) But sadly, none of those things is true. Mind you, when the radio interludes came on, I immediately thought of Kurupt FM on 'People Just Do Nothing' (https://youtu.be/s9lL9TT-DaY?si=tO8S8VKm_GrrpMoC) and I laughed.

5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background

This is a surprising one. Didn't expect anything and got a elctronic and pop masterpiece. The songs are great, the beats are incredible and non stop fun. Yes, sometimes it gives a "background music" vibe, but that was fine with me. Not perfect, but an incredible album, nontheless. 4.5/5

Unsure why this is here. But I grew up listening to garage so I'm not moaning.

Boring. Not worth 2 hours of my life.

Not my genre, not my decade

A big ole no for me.

노래가 꽤 신나고 좋았다. 앨범에 수록곡이 생각보다 많아서 놀랐다. The song was quite exciting and good. I was surprised that there were more songs on the album than I expected.

If I heard this in the wild I would assume it was AI slop. Completely generic. Some tracks start with a few seconds of interesting instrumentals, only to be overshadowed by the half-hearted R&B or rap gobbledygook.

Nice music, but only good for a beach bar.

I can't believe this is the album you gave me today. Oh no... Sorry for coming to it with this attitude, but, really? The word that immediately come to mind is - generic. But as I usually say about this albums, why they have to be so fucking long. Generic is not that bad for 30 minutes, could be worse you know... but this long? That's the real crime. I can't figure out who's the person who listens to that in his spare time. And I Truly think this has no place on this list. I can't wait for it to end... I don't know why I'm so loyel to this random generator. Makes me wonder about some life decisions.. I took the wrong path here. Slum King should exist, yet, it lasts for five and a half minutes. One of the worst entries here ever. A shameful 1

Long album listen to, but I reallly liked it - good beats - obviously “Sincere” a great track with different mixes - will listen again

Smooth all the way around. Perfect for getting things done

Largely unobtrusive, I didn’t mind having this on in the background for the day. Buy as someone who was pretty into electronic house music at the time this album came out, I can’t say I had ever heard of this musician or that this album holds a candle to many of its contemporaries. So I guess nice to hear a new-to-me artist that works in a genre I appreciate. But I couldn’t help thinking that there are at least 20 odd similar albums that would have made for better listening.

I don't know. I felt like a really cool city girl listening to this. Like, one of those girls that I once read about in Cosmo who needs the versatility of a work outfit that can transform into a "night life" outfit so no time is wasted. Not bad background music at all. There's this one singer in one of the songs that sounds like Titus Andromedon from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmit. That's all I got.

just sucks

This has got to be one of the worst examples of electronic pop even for its time in Britain.

Absolutely nothing redeemable about this sewage. Boring and repetitive generic slop.

Yes I like electronic music fine, but it's not that good

It's an OK album. I'm not a big techno fan, so wasn't a hot for me. It is somewhat relaxing and might be good to put on while reading a book or something.

No album needs to be 2 hours long. Each one sounded very similar to the last

1. Introduction (★★★☆☆) 2. Tired Games (★★★⯨☆) 3. Attitude (★★★☆☆) 4. Bandelero Desperado (★★★☆☆) 5. MJ FM Interlude (★⯨☆☆☆) 6. Crazy Love (★★☆☆☆) 7. You're Mine (★★★☆☆) 8. Sanctuary (★★★☆☆) 9. I See (★★☆☆☆) 10. Sincere - Re-Cue'D (★★★⯨☆) 11. Strung Out - Edit (★★⯨☆☆) 12. Rough Out Here (★★☆☆☆) 13. Slum King (★★★⯨☆) 14. Radio Interlude (★⯨☆☆☆) 15. Hold On To Me - Re-Rub (★★⯨☆☆) 16. Free My Mind (★★⯨☆☆) Total: ★★⯨☆☆ (2,6) -Debería ser un 3 estrellas, pero lo sentí tan olvidable que serán 2.

Can't tell if this was one long boring song, or a collection of several all sounding the same.

1.99

There are some interesting gems hidden in a sea of noise and silliness. The first part of album 1 made me angry, which is no way to start your morning. Not for me Clive.

Background music that would have been playing too loud at Abercrombie or Express in the early 2000's. Something the kids shopping there never actually heard of but it made them feel cool. Now, its just a little boring and repetitive. Its not unpleasant but doesn't really keep me interested.

I had no idea what to expect with this because I've never heard of him and the Wiki description gave nothing. So it was a vibey dancy surprise, and I quite enjoyed it!

Longest elevator ride ever. I can't tell if this guy is good or not with all of the different collaborators.

Why? Just why?

Балдежный балдеж, из-за попадания в вайб 4/5

As I have stated before, one of the things I like about doing the 1001 albums is a chance to hear things that are not on my radar, even if I don’t happen to like them. However, this album still has me scratching my head as to its inclusion on this list. I am pretty sure I could have shuffled off this mortal coil without regret without having heard this one. Nothing unpleasant, but completely innocuous music here. Weirdly starts out with mostly hose tunes, then switches abruptly about 2/3 of the way through to a poor man’s Marvin Gaye with the songs Rough Out Here” and “Slum King”, which I actually found to be two of the better tracks on the album. Docked a star for not editing himself — this goes on entirely too long. Unfortunately this is often a characteristic of albums released in the 90’s and 2000’s; vinyl limited an artist to at most 45 minutes whereas CDs can go for much longer. I mean, why express yourself concisely in 45 minutes when you can now express yourself indulgently in 65 minutes?

some good brit deep house

Dude debuted with a double album? That takes some serious blind confidence. I couldn’t even make it through the first album. From what I heard, they committed to one programmed drum machine sound for about 80% of the record. It just wasn’t good and I saw no reason to continue.

2-step isn't really “my thing”, but it's not actually that bad either, so I'll give it 2 stars...

Initial response to opening... yes please! Quite like this - popped it on repeat, nice in the background, nice in the car... not setting the world alight, but a nice little vibe.

Not my cup of tea, actually. Drum and bass and some vocals over it, but I'ts not the best

Not bad, for dance music.

Feels technically proficient but just kinda dull. Probably good if it's your jam but doesn't really land.

fun. i really liked degrees and attitude

Terrible news: The Abercrombie and Fitch at the local mall became sentient after being exposed to too many Bath and Body Works samples and has morphed into a godless 2-hour long techno mixtape. We must offer our Build-A-Bears as a sacrifice to Lord Auntie Anne so that it stops wreaking havoc on the townspeople.

Dance music…

It probably takes a lot of effort to sound this generic and forgettable. But let's remember a lot of people liked this sort of music and its offspring, the Café del Mar series. Saturated consumerism, oblivious to the world in the worst possible way.

This is fine. This is the kind of stuff we all danced to around the turn of the century. I don't recall ever hearing these particular songs, or if I did, hearing anyone ask whose song it was. And isn't it the guest vocalists who add the quality here, not the beats? Am I being unfair? Four on the floor is fun, whatever form.

Just regular 90's/early-00's soulful electronica. Didn't really register with me, which is strange considering how long it was.

Ok listening for a little bit but I didn’t finish the album.

Forgettable house/garage/club music with generic R&B vocal stylings. Great for strolling the boutique hotel lobby or maybe cleaning the house. The lyrics are kind of on the cringe side, the music would probably be better without any vocals at all.

Not sure why this one’s even on the list

I hate albums that are so unnecessarily long for no reason. I did actually kinda like the chill & at the same time upbeat vibe of this. it's giving dimly lit restaurant late at night with every table booked and drunk chattering and that's an amazing vibe to me. sorry but I could not stop bopping!! still just too long and a bit repetitive but sir mj cole you're not horrible and I see you be sincere .♪..♫

To my ears, not real great. The similar beat over all the tracks a bit gets old. The difference in vocal styles keeps it kind of interesting, but not enough to save it for me. 1.5/5.0

Never heard of album or band. Low expectations because I don’t like dance music. Piano is cool Ont he first song. Rest is pretty generic dance. Never heard a dance song that didn’t have absolute bullshit vocals. Fired games is a lot better. Cool production and actually good vocals. Cool sounds. I don’t like attitude. Just doesn’t hit. I just hate how restive dance songs are. And they always make them 5+ mins even tho it’s the same riff repeating 100 times. Pianos ok on bandelero. Not much thought behind it tho. More bullshit lyrics. I actually like the interlude a lot. Most normal song yet. Crazy love is ok. The songs with this Elizabeth lady are way better than the ones without her. You’re mine is fine. I like the vocals and the production is pretty good it’s just not my style. Back to bullshit with sanctuary. Another piano on I see that seems to have 0 thought behind it. Just hitting random keys and looping it. Don’t like the drums in this one. I can’t believe there’s still 7 songs. 0 chance I listen to 1 second of disc 2. More of the same with sincere. Just the same bs on loop. And considering this is what Apple says is the most popular song I think I’ve heard enough. It’s the exact same as the rest. I have a score in mind but I will tough it out til the end. I actually like the strings a lot on strung out. Apt name. Finally a little variety. Background production is still generic. Rough out here is kind of a banger I can’t lie. Great strings and horns. Great production. Back to bullshit with slum king. Pretty good production bullshit lyrics. Much more usable piano on hold on to me. Cool horns again. Not wicked long either which I like. This is a fun song. Free my mind isn’t bad either. The best songs on this album are the first interlude and the songs that are way more pop than dance. I’m glad it’s over I’m not going to lie. Even the good songs were only good because they were surrounded by nothingness. Don’t waste your time. 2/5. JAA.

Generic music, fine as background, nothing particularly compelling. But not unpleasant

I always forget how heavily UK-focused this list is until I see stuff like this.

some of this is really ok but the repetition made me want to claw my ears off. So much repetition....

I understand this came out in 2000 but in 2026 you can find hundreds of albums in this vein of music on youtube, they come out all the time. Even before 2000 though you had Metalheadz and Good Looking Records. Just not sure why this is on here.

Not my thing.

Ha sido un poco insufrible. Suena bien y las voces elegidas son muy buenas, pero creo que ha envejecido mal. Me he guardado "I see".

Favorite Track: Crazy Love This type of thing being so frequent in this list really calls into question the validity of this whole thing.

4/30 Was okay

Been waiting for this one for a long time now. An album that gets a ton of hate on this list for being something very far from rock. This probably went crazy in the UK clubs in the 2000’s. Wobbly basslines and two-step drum patterns abound. I do think the synth preset soundfonts are a bit of an acquired taste for headphone listening, but that all goes out the window when it gets played on a dance floor. “Introduction” was a lovely first impression. A self-serious piano melody floats over a bunch of classic UKG production. This is what you’re strapped in for. I was looking for some of those synthetic string plucks, and I finally heard a distorted form of them on “Attitude”. Such a classic UKG touch. Elizabeth Troy fills that garage vocalist roll, being somewhat soulsful, somewhat airy. Danny Vicious fills the garage MC role just as well. The end of “Sanctuary” into the beginning of “I See” we’re a great tempo change right when it was needed. I’d say “Crazy Love” and “Sincere” are my favorites here. “Free My Mind” was a perfect lounge-house outro. A very clean sound. I gotta stand up for this album 4/5

Garage really isn't thing and listening to it while marking maths books probably isn't the correct setting, however, actually surprised how much I didn't mind it.

There’s a smoldering bag on the album cover, but what’s inside isn’t really “fire,” but more “ding-dong-ditch” material.

If I was in high school and there was a girl I was trying to bed - she's not really pretty but not quite repulsive, slutty without being fun about it, far too much makeup and perfume that makes you gag a little. Vapid and dull, not smart, but a reasonable body and maybe I can hit it and she at least acknowledges me. So I go to the mall and some terrible store like Hot Topic with overpriced trash and salespeople that are condescending and inattentive without any reason for feeling superior to me but that is somehow the dynamic so I buy some stupid thing the girl wort like anyway and the whole time I'm in said store this album is playing at full blast also max AC like the store is actively telling me to fuck off. So I get to her place and she's on the phone and says she's going to do step aerobics but I can hang out if I want and she's listening to this album while I boredly look at her ass and realize how fruitless this endeavor is and smoke a bowl and pass out only to wake up after she left with someone else and my head aches and this is still playing and I realize what terrible choices I am prone to making.

Not enjoyable.

I don't want my 2 to be misconstrued. I don't have the interest or knowledge to judge. I just don't care.

Excruciatingly dull!

Boy was that awful.

This was a long ride and I enjoyed most of it. A couple pit stops I would cut but for the most part, my kind of vibe!

1.7 So it turns out I fucking hate Jungle. 70 minutes of absolutely boring shite. I find it confusing as there are trace elements in other electronic acts I like but jesus Christ that was an ordeal. The only song I could sit through and not get annoyed was the title track. Surely this isn't the best that jungle has to offer? His listen count on Spotify tells you all you need to know.

I love me some house. Shout out to Barbie Fashion Show for having a track that sounds like it would fit right in with this album. I couldn't think of anything more I would want to scribble out fashion design templates to. Yes, that's all I could think about while listening. Favorite tracks: I See, Strung Out (Edit), Hold On To Me.

6/10 Not a bad album, but nothing here really blows me away, I guess this was the first time I heard the original sample for Desperado by Azealia Banks.

It was just so normal that it resulted in being absolutely terrible. It’s not directly bad, it’s just so forgettable. I already forgot what it sounded like lol

A couple instances where the music sounded decent, but overall very repetitive and just not for me.

really not a fan of this vibe of music

Realmente no entiendo por que fue agregado a la lista de 1001 álbumes que toda persona debería escuchar. No me parece un album irreproducible, ni tampoco me pareció molesto (sus canciones no son pesadas). Pero me parece que es un álbum para poner de fondo durante el día o para simplemente bailar en una fiesta. Concuerdo con alguien del foro de que los momentos buenos de las canciones muchas veces se ven opacados por voces desagradables. Único album de esta lista el cual no escuche completo (en realidad si lo escuché pero dejandolo de fondo y sin prestar mucha atención a la última parte) Quizás se me esté escapando el contexto o su relevancia para el género, pero no le encuentro sentido para pertenecer a esta lista. En mi forma de puntuar le pondría un 40/100 porque hay canciones que sorprenden por momentos.

Same people who call this "repetitive" and "boring" give Pink Floyd instant fives and glaze them for stretching a perfectly normal track to 7 minutes by doing some wanky guitar shit. You can really tell how pretentious the users on this website are from the reviews on this. Sure, it might not be eye-opening but it's a nice album! I really liked the sampling on this record and it kept me interested for the whole two hours. I'd much rather hear this on the radio than the new Sabrina Carpenter or Sam Smith. Favourite tracks: Tired Games, Slum King, Hold On To Me - Vocal Dub 3/5

I don’t know why this is on the list but I liked it well enough.

This gives the perfect 2000s vibes. I think it would be great for setting a cool and relaxing vibe.

This isn't really my genre, but i liked it fine. seemed more orchestral than a lot of house style music

This is cool - definitely had not gotten too much into the scene this came from but can heard echoes of this in other places that I encountered UK garage/2-step, like Burial. The piano line in the first song is awesome and some neat little jazzy flourishes throughout. It is sort of long and can start to sound sort of same-y which is probably my knock on it. It does add some interest when the hip-hop/grime influences come in like Desperado. Crazy Love is a fun song with the plucked string part, title track is good. Probably good background/working music, I liked it in parts.

4/10

I thought I might enjoy this...turns out I got reaaaallly bored.

UK was a big thing around the early 2000s with MJ Cole being one of the big pioneers of the scene with sincere the big hit here. The thing is the songs work well in a compilation or a club mix but on an album it just sounds a bit samey and bland which is a shame

This was meh to me. It just reminded me of a lot of the same electronic music from around that era. It didn't really stand out to me in any way - just pretty average.

I don't quite know what to do with this album. My suspicion is that it works really well as a low-fi background. It was good without being great, the repition didn't bother me as much as some reviewers.

Love me some UK Garage!

Esta bueno pero muy repetitivo, el mejor tema es introduction, ademas es muy largo, aunque se pasa bastante bien.

Genuinely think this is the worst album I’ve had to listen to for this project so far. Just nothing worthwhile here. Overlong, as all British house and electronica albums are. But also bland and limp and doing absolutely nothing interesting or new with the genre. The least exciting beats that never change! The most uninspired samples! Usually, even with the bad instrumentals, I can point to the vocalists having fun, but not really here! The primary last vocalist doesn’t even really have a good voice! She can’t really belt or wail like you’d want on an album such as this. It’s just a fine voice. Can carry a tune but nothing you’d want to pay for. Idk why this was included. Just absolute cardboard music.

This could be playing in any store in a shopping mall... it would have exactly the same effect on me: meh An album to listen to before I die?!?!?!? Naaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Individually, it has some fun songs and beats. It made a nice background listen. But it’s about an hour too long and got very repetitive. I don’t see why this is a must listen ahead of so many others that didn’t make this list.

The most unfortunate thing about this album is it sounds like a compilation album from different bands of the same genre. There isn't much tying the album together Having said that there are some good tunes

This wasn't ... terrible ... but I'm not sure who this is for. Not be, apparently.

Too long....

Is there something I’m missing here? The only information on the Wikipedia page is that this album is on the thousand and one albums. Does the producer know a guy? The one beat across the whole album is infectious and some of the vocals are ear wormy. I don’t see this as being very influential. It does not light a fire to make me dance, but I do feel very cool listening to it.

Al principio me costó escucharlo, pero después se pudo interesante.

This is cool. Chill lay back stuff.

Too electronic.

Couldn't even finish this one sadly :(

4.5/10

Cool. Bit repetitive

So close to being a 1, there are a few parts that would make it a 3 or even 4 star album. But, it's very repetitive and some of it is really weak.

Awful and almost entirely pointless.

I liked it

not my thing

DJ Max music - ok for me, ok for work, wouldn't recommend to anyone I know.

I thought this was fine. There weren't any songs that I absolutely loved, but I didn't hate any of them either.

I saw this was House and wanted to completely hate it. However, I only mostly hate it. 2/5

Some of the worst music I have ever listened to. Really repetitive and boring, bland. Music suited for a shopping mall or mid 90's hip café. It is awfully long. It is really, really bad. Awful choice. Is this guy the cousin of the dude making this list?

I really find this music hard to love - the cutting edge of urban pop in the early 2000s - and the sound does regrettably annoy me in excessive quantities

I liked this one!

It's okay. A lot of the songs sound so similar.

There’s no way this is the worst user reviewed album we’ve gotten so far Maybe it’s because I was scarred by White Light/White Heat but this one was pretty nice. It’s very non offensive, where the singing is actually solid, 90% of the beats are pleasant to listen to, and no track really overstays its welcome by more than a minute. I’m used to house music being a lot more just random sounds and less music so I was pleasantly surprised. The variety is actually pretty good, from more instrumental tracks, to poppier more melody heavy songs, to rap focused songs (though I honestly dont think British People should rap). This albums on the generic side for sure, and I agree with the sentiment that it really doesn’t feel all that influential in the grand scheme of things so it’s fair to question its placement on this list. I think the length is ok if you don’t listen to the second side but there’s definitely some fat to be trimmed there. I did end up listening to the whole thing since I was locked in and I definitely got exhausted by the end. I don’t think this album was special or transformative, but it’s very listenable. I would listen to this album 5 times in a row rather than having to listen to something boring like Happy Sad or something ear grating like White Light/White Heat. Here’s to hoping the remaining 15 albums that are worse than this one are actually worse

I thought this was gonna be a wild one when the spotify streams were in the 5 digits. This is a chill, ambient mix. Samples are used to make solid grooves that don't scream for your attention, but are nonetheless good. It's hard not to bounce or bob a little when listnening, and that's the value of this music. That's why it's a double album. It's somehting to have on while working, something to compliment, but not compete. It's not deeply profound, but it's fun to listen to. I do think the album loses steam near the end for sure; less creative sampling, more repetitive beats, but the neat part of double albums is that you can simply choose not to listen to the 2nd half. All the good stuff is in the first half for that option :~)

When I first saw 2 discs and 2 hours of playtime, I groaned. But I set it as background music and went at it with an open mind... Not bad, actually. Not great, but not terrible. Interesting rhythms and songs, decent R&B for being 25+ years old. Nothing stands out, but listenable overall.

Really repetitive and boring, it's way too long. Spotify only has the Deluxe version and that made me crazy. It's not bad, it's just there, too long though.

Admittedly, I always get skeptical when it's an album I've never heard of. But, I decided there's plenty of great albums I've never heard of so I wasn't going to let that affect my review. Then, I saw it was a double album. Two whole hours of my time?! But I decided I was going to stick it through just like I had every other album before it. Finally I was ready to hit play. It was a little unexpected that this was electronic music, but I'm not opposed to that. Surely this is some sort of masterpiece of EDM . But here's the thing: the album is fine. I read a lot of reviews straight up bashing it, but it's not bad music. There's nothing offensive or off-putting about it, in fact, it's quite enjoyable. But that's the thing, it's good music for an elevator. This is the kind of stuff I'd put on to get some work done. There's nothing remarkable about this album. No stand out tracks, no innovation, no creativity. And that's fine, but it's not something I'd put on this list

This was very basic, mid and unimpressive. No.

2 1/2

Thirty seconds in and I know this is not an album I'm going to like. It's also a very long album. All these British house acts from the early 2000s sound like the soundtrack to overpriced hair salons. This is awful. This is an album of "boots-and-pants" beats with someone singing over them. The title track is probably the best song so far and it's not that good.

That was number 1001

Probably a 3.5. Reminds me a bit of gorillaz. Cool production. Got a little samey 2/3rds of the way through. But really enjoyed overall.

Okay but sincerely, wtf is this

not even the brief tolerable moments could bring it out of a 1

Never heard of this Cat. Not bad. Not bad at all.

This song takes me back to the countless hours I will never get back sitting in the cuck chair under a hot light at Lane Bryant waiting for my partner to try on clothes, wanting to GTFO. Repetitive beats and lyrics that must appeal to someone, but certainly not me. Ugh.

on mysteeri miten kukaan koskaan kuuntelee tällaista itseääntoistavaa konemusiikkia. Kai se pitäis olla nappi kielen alla että tästä jotain visuaaleja saa.

i mean, it's fine, but it's also very long

Very not my thing

Some bright spots but painfully bland

Totally fine