IDM Mailing Archive

i have to admit i had some respect for the chemical brothers (moments of 'dig your own hole' were enjoyable) until today. just saw the new "hey boy, hey girl" video. arrived halfway into the video and despite how awful the song was, i had a gut feeling that it was a new chembros song. FILTER SWEEP NATION! major step backwards for them. song includes an attempt at a catchy vocal sample: "hey boys, hey girls, SUPERSTAR DEEJAYS [[how awful is that?]], here we go!" anyone else have the misfortune of hearing this song? of the song, my brother said: "reminds me of old demo music" [few will understand this statement. those who do, those who remember Future Crew's Second Reality, show yourselves!] tomas np: Tresor - 100=six

I've been listening to the album for a few days now, and have to say I'm a little nonplussed. I'll still go see them live (always a good live environment), but the album doesn't merit a lot of angsty anticipation. The Barney Sumner track falls flat (on its face)...like he was trying to recreate the tense indifference of The Perfect Kiss, but forgot the "tense" part of the equation. It still grows on you, though. In light of other "big name" releases this year by older pros, this isn't at the top. However, it won't surprise me in the least when it ends up running amuck like Fat of the Land. (sigh) laz Tomas Jirku wrote:

quoted 16 lines i have to admit i had some respect for the chemical brothers (moments of

> i have to admit i had some respect for the chemical brothers (moments of > 'dig your own hole' were enjoyable) until today. just saw the new "hey > boy, hey girl" video. arrived halfway into the video and despite how > awful the song was, i had a gut feeling that it was a new chembros song. > FILTER SWEEP NATION! major step backwards for them. song includes an > attempt at a catchy vocal sample: "hey boys, hey girls, SUPERSTAR > DEEJAYS [[how awful is that?]], here we go!" > anyone else have the misfortune of hearing this song? > > of the song, my brother said: "reminds me of old demo music" [few will > understand this statement. those who do, those who remember Future > Crew's Second Reality, show yourselves!] > > tomas > > np: Tresor - 100=six

Actually Hey Boy, Hey Girl was a track that the Chems had been playing in their live show for the past couple tours. IMHO, the live versions of the track had a lot more ooomph than the version on the album, but from the interviews I've read they held back on certain tracks intentionally. Although that track misses the mark for me, the rest of the album is quite brilliant (I don't care what the other cat who posted about the album said, the track with Bernard Sumner is the best New Order track New Order never did). It winds you through all of Tom and Ed's influences from hip-hop/electro, English psychedelic folk/pop, indie, acid house, progressive Trance - kind of like a mixed tape of someone's favorite songs, but instead of putting other people's songs on the tape, they made the music themselves. The Chems set out to make an album that was a progression from Dig Your Own Hole. If you truly understand what the Chemical Brothers are about, you'll know after you play Surrender for the first time, love it or hate it, that they've succeeded. Peter Wohelski ex-Astralwerks In a message dated 5/29/99 6:32:24 PM, tomas@yirku.com writes: << have to admit i had some respect for the chemical brothers (moments of 'dig your own hole' were enjoyable) until today. just saw the new "hey boy, hey girl" video. arrived halfway into the video and despite how awful the song was, i had a gut feeling that it was a new chembros song. FILTER SWEEP NATION! major step backwards for them. song includes an attempt at a catchy vocal sample: "hey boys, hey girls, SUPERSTAR DEEJAYS [[how awful is that?]], here we go!" anyone else have the misfortune of hearing this song? of the song, my brother said: "reminds me of old demo music" [few will understand this statement. those who do, those who remember Future Crew's Second Reality, show yourselves!] tomas>>

good to have some PR on the list. this post even reads like a press release! tomas Oscillate@aol.com wrote:

quoted 10 lines did). It winds you through all of Tom and Ed's influences from

> did). It winds you through all of Tom and Ed's influences from > hip-hop/electro, English psychedelic folk/pop, indie, acid house, progressive > Trance - kind of like a mixed tape of someone's favorite songs, but instead > of putting other people's songs on the tape, they made the music themselves. > The Chems set out to make an album that was a progression from Dig Your Own > Hole. If you truly understand what the Chemical Brothers are about, you'll > know after you play Surrender for the first time, love it or hate it, that > they've succeeded. > Peter Wohelski > ex-Astralwerks

In a message dated 5/31/99 2:13:15 AM, daniel@peachfuzz.net writes: <<Umm, he did sign them, which means that he is/was obviously into them. His address distinctly says "ex-astralwerks" and comes from an "aol.com" account as opposed to a "caroline.com" account so it's obviously his own opinion.

quoted 1 line thanks, daniel for coming to my defense. Considering that this is the IDM

>>>thanks, daniel for coming to my defense. Considering that this is the IDM

list, and even _I_ would not call the Chems IDM, I would expect the slight searing that I am taking from my comments. I will admit that the Chems is not my FIRST choice of music, nor perhaps my second. However, I have a MASSIVE amount of respect for Tom and Ed and understand what it is that influences them and what they are about. Then again, if an astralwerks employee had sent something similar, would it really have been so bad? I cheer for the people that were on Loraine all the time, Gonzi's always cheering for the Orange and Rephlex artists, Jeff's always cheering for Ninja Tune artists, etc.

quoted 1 line Hey if you're and A&R person who doesn't like your own artists, then

>>>Hey if you're and A&R person who doesn't like your own artists, then

you're working for the wrong label or you're in the wrong business. Full stop. The moment I stop being a fan is the moment I quit and start to sell insurance. I'm lucky. Not everyone is fortunate. As for the Chemical brothers, I think 'Exit Planet Dust' was one of the best electronic albums ever. It's one of those rare albums that still sounds as good to me as it did when I first got it, (a quality in which I fear alot of my IDM releases that place too much emphasis on tricky programming won't prove to have). 'Dig Your Own Hole' is a typically sophomore album. Their sound spread out a bit, some of which I thought was brilliant (especially 'lost in the k-hole', 'where do I begin' and 'the private psychedelic reel') and some of which I thought was pretty weak (especially 'block rockin beats' and 'it doesn't matter').

quoted 1 line I actually prefer Dig to Exit... Jeff Mills confirmed that Tom and Ed's

>>>I actually prefer Dig to Exit... Jeff Mills confirmed that Tom and Ed's

shit really rocked when I heard him play Don't Stop The Rock at London's legendary Lost a couple years ago. IMO, they could have rehashed Exit, but they picked up where Exit left off (Block Rocking Beats) and went to another level that American acts have been trying to imitate since then. The new album brings them another leap above the competition, building on the framework of Dig and tracks like Private Psychedelic Reel, Don't Stop The Rock, and Setting Sun into a new, improved model. Now that there's all this attention on making thier album a big hit, especially after the commercial success of The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim and The Crystal Method, I'm sure they'll have to churn out a couple radio hits. I just hope there's still enough room left for the good shit.

quoted 1 line Trust me, there is... Let's reconvene after June 22.

>>>Trust me, there is... Let's reconvene after June 22.

PW ex-ASW