Nitin Sawhney obviously has talent, and the musicianship is laudible, but most of this album is just too polished, too polite for my tastes. It makes Zero 7 sound like death metal. The concept of the album also seems a little half-baked with the vocal sample snippets coming across like an afterthought rather than essential parts of the tracks.

Never heard this before (outside of the singles) and have to say it is both more poppy and more retro-sounding than I would have imagined, seeing as it came out in the days of garage and grime. I found it a bit bland to be honest.

Everyone in my peer group was into this album in 2002, it was everywhere for a while. I've definitely overheard it as not listened to it for years. It was interesting to go back to it now. I can still see it's appeal, it's very accessible, and doesn't have to rely on adding vocals to tracks to do so, although there are a couple of good performances by Erlend Oye. Royksopp never reached these heights again. It tails off a bit in the last couple of tracks (especially the last one which wasn't on the vinyl version and so is sort of a bonus track really, and sounds like it).

I’d never heard this. It was a lot mellower than I expected and reminded me a bit of Super Furry Animals.

Superb crossover electronica album. ‘Juanita’ is one of their best tracks, ‘Pearl’s Girl’ is also a fantastic driving breakbeat track with wonderful pads. Sone of the 1/5 reviews of this are hilarious, these people should really just filter “electronica” out of their albums selections.

Their 5th album, and also their 5th best album. It seems quite garish compared to the graceful sigh of Behaviour (perhaps a conscious reaction to it), but contains some of their best known (if not best) tracks. Can You Forgive Her? and The Theatre are outstanding.

This is a strange one. I think it's a great soundtrack and I am a fan of Air, but there are at least three better albums they have made, and I assume they are not all on the list. This is very atmospheric, well played and composed, but it is really just a recurring set of half a dozen tunes arranged differently. Standouts include 'Playground Love' and 'Dirty Trip'.

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.

I bought this album on the day it came out and returned it to the shop immediately after listening to it as I thought it was rubbish. But you couldn't get away from hearing it in 1997, it was absolutely everywhere and I soon succumbed to its charms. I never liked Block Rockin' Beats as a single, but it was a Number 1 hit here in the UK and a very 'accessible' way into the album. 'Dig Your Own Hole' is rawer, better, and more like the live Chemical Brothers experience. I'm also fond of 'Elektrobank' and the toughness of the breaks, and the vocal sample works well. 'Piku' is the first suggestion of filler to me. Pretty but lightweight. 'Setting Sun' was another monster number 1 hit. At the time in the UK it was illegal to say anything negative about Oasis. This is the better hit for me as it's a bit more distinctive. I have a soft spot for 'It Doesn't Matter' as this was huge in techno clubs in the UK at the time and takes me back to them. Side C of the album is most like the live experience, but perhaps doesn't work as well in album form. If this side was missing I don't think the album would suffer much, even 'IDM' is more of a club track. There's a pretty Beth Orton-vocal track and it finished with 'Private Psychedelic Reel' which is OK but goes on a bit. All in all holds up pretty well, despite my first negative reaction back in 1997

Great album by the very dependable Hot Chip. They are so prolific I don’t think I’d listened to this through before but am very familiar with Night & Day and Flutes

This album is just a glorious rush. One of the reasons it's just so enduring is that there are so many memorable tunes that could have been singles (but that would have been too corporate for Factory Records). "Son, I'm thirty/I only went with your mother 'cos she's dirty" is one of the best opening lyrics to an album ever. I was going to give it 4 stars as I previously thought it tails off for the last two tracks but listening in one go it still had me smiling to the end.