Bring on the Acid!

As far as Techno goes I'm not a huge fan. There are some techno artists that I enjoy; yet I overall prefer straightforward rock made with actual instruments. The techno artists that I do enjoy and listen to include Moby, Fatboy Slim, Meat Beat Manifesto, Prodigy and these guys. The these guys in question are Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons known collectively as The Chemical Brothers.

Rowlands and Simons are two London DJs/Producers who create and perform techno music. They released their debut album Exit Planet Dust in 1995. They followed that up with the album being reviewed here, Dig Your Own Hole, in 1997.

Dig Your Own Hole was released in the midst of what was known as the "Electronica" boom. At that time, MTV had started taking notice of techno and other electronic forms of music. This interest pushed the album to the forefront of music and many critics praised it. Of course we know now that the Electronica boom did not catch on the way people thought it would. But Dig Your Own Hole has actually survived the hype and still sounds as fresh today as it did when I bought it back in June 1997.

Dig Your Own Hole spun off two hit singles. The first song on the album was the second single "Block Rockin' Beats" which begins with an ominous synthesizer riff mixed with bits of wah wah guitar, reverb and a get down and boogie techno sound. Topping it all off is a sample of old school rapper Schooly D with the line "Back with another one of those Block Rockin' beats!". The song itself has popped up on several party compilations since this album's release and that is appropriate. The block rockin' beats will get you to boogie down at any party.

The other big single was "Setting Sun" which featured the voice talents of Noel Gallagher of Oasis. The song begins with a wailing guitar riff that sounds like it was lifted right out of the Jimi Hendrix riff book before a pounding get-on-the-floor drumbeat kicks in. The limited lyrics are purely psychedelic and will make you feel as if you were experiencing an acid trip (if acid were legal that is). In fact, this song gives an indication of what the Revolver era Beatles would sound like if they were to try their hand at techno.

As I noted, most of the music on here is instrumental aside from a few guest vocalists and sampled voices. One guest vocalist who stands out in particular is Beth Orton. She appears on the track "Where Do I Begin" which has a sort of ambient feel that sounds like a sort of coffee commercial jingle. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the beat and her singing ("Sunday morning I wake up...Where do I start where do I begin") were co-opted by the coffee companies. That aside, the song has an emotional resonance to it.

The most pure techno song on Dig Your Own Hole is the title track. The songs relentless backbeat makes it perfect club music. Then there is the extended “Elektrobank” with its pulsating backbeat and Keith Murray vocal sample and the just plain weird "Private Psychedelic Reel" which is good. But can get tiring after 9 minutes..

Out of the twelve tracks on Dig Your Own Hole there are a few weak moments on. "Get Up On This" and "Don't Stop The Rock" are generic dance songs that are as generic as their titles suggest and best skipped.

Overall, Dig Your Own Hole is a good album that will appeal to pop fans that aren't major techno fans, yet won't alienate hardcore fans of the genre. If you're looking for music to boogie down or trip out to, you can't go wrong here. Pass the acid.