The Chemical Brothers Rock My Block With Funky Beats

The Chemical Brothers may hail from the shores of Manchester, but their sound has little to do with the “baggy” movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Creative, wild, original, and entirely unexpected the duo made their debut in 1995 with Exit Planet Dust. However it was with 1997’s Dig Your Own Hole that they really hit chart gold.

DJs Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons came together in 1989 to create what would become a sound known as “big beat.” Varying influences ranging from the likely (New Order, The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine) to the unlikely (Beastie Boys, Public Enemy) gave The Chemical Brothers their style. It was loud, it was electronic, it was beat-heavy, and it was radio-ready. What really struck as much in 1997 as it does now is that this is a kind of music that crosses all sorts of boundaries. Fans of electronica could easily appreciate it at the same time that rock fans were attracted. Hip hop, trip-hop, pop, and a variety of others listeners also got in on The Chemical Brothers.

Dig Your Own Hole hit shelves in mid-1997 and enjoyed worldwide success—especially in their native UK and in the persnickety US markets. The Astralwerks release went on to sell incredibly well especially considering its experimental nature. Block Rockin’ Beats was a bona fide hit while Setting Sun and Elektrobank also earned The Chemical Brothers listeners. I was sold when I heard the amazingly kinetic, incredibly brilliant album opener Block Rockin’ Beats for the first time. It should also come as no big shock that the song went on to win a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1997.

Awards, successes, and acclaim aside Dig Your Own Hole is an impressive effort. As I already mentioned, the whole thing kicks off with the thumping, grinding, and energetic instrumental track Block Rockin’ Beats. I for one am not usually drawn to word-less songs and in all fairness this one does have one line that repeats a few times throughout, but the changes in sound and pace make this one something extraordinary. All the varied electronic elements work together perfectly. The vocal sample is courtesy of Schooly D, but the dance-industrial-rock-pop-hip hop arrangement is pure Chemical Brothers.

If that were the only really outstanding song on this album, I might be a little disappointed but still impressed at the duo’s talent. Fortunately there are ten more songs that are by and large worth hearing and often are truly outstanding. The title track is forced to follow up the aforementioned mega-hit, but it does a respectable job at holding my attention. It pairs the whirrs and whizzes of an old science fiction movie with grunting, heavy percussion, and a rock edge. This element of rock is definitely what draws me to Dig Your Own Hole as an album and as a song. The disc only gets better as it progresses.

Elektrobank is a vibrant, sparkling electro-rock track featuring a vocal sample from Keith Murray. It’s a hypnotic, pounding track and fits perfectly into the overall direction of this album. Piku begins with what sounds like the keyboard I had when I was a child, followed by the sounds of a fuzzy skipping LP, and finally breaks into an abrasive yet fantastic sound. Like so much else on this disc, it is dominated by The Chemical Brothers’ keen sense of rhythm. Nothing about Dig Your Own Hole seems old or boring or trite—this was a new way to look at techno-dance music.

Noel Gallagher (Oasis) provides the catchy, gorgeous chorus on Setting Sun. As one of the few vocalists on this album, he stands out. His voice isn’t used as the centerpiece; rather it is an instrument and a piece of the puzzle. Most listeners won’t be as familiar with the parts where Gallagher is singing as when The Chemical Brothers are wailing away on their synthesized and pummeling instruments. Setting Sun is certainly one of the best songs on this album. One of the less interesting songs is the repetitive and uncharacteristically bland It Doesn’t Matter. I still feel they made a fine attempt, but it reeks of the hollow and emotionless dance/techno music of the era. I am similarly unimpressed by the annoying sounds and repetitive beats of Don’t Stop the Rock.

The digression is only temporary. I’m once again drawn in by way of Get Up on It Like This. Influenced by early rap and even more obviously (especially with the drums) the Beastie Boys, it is the easiest song to categorize on this entire album. Lost in the K-Hole is also an oddly retro song. Yes, it pays homage to rap, hip hop, and soul but what The Chemical Brothers do is mix everything together to create something unusual, unobvious, and undeniably exhilarating. It is also one of the slowest and most methodical sounding songs on Dig Your Own Hole.

Speaking of unexpected things, British songstress shows up on Where Do I Begin. Whereas The Chemical Brothers have a tendency to make their song wild and diverse, Orton’s voice is flat. She sings in a cool monotone into which she somehow manages to inject emotion. What really impresses me about this song is that it sounds like a ballad, albeit an electronica one. The one issue I have with the song is that it lasts too long (nearly seven minutes) and when one considers the final song The Private Psychedelic Reel clocks in at over nine minutes it is hard not to see the album as growing a bit tired in the end. Luckily that last song is different and interesting, it just happens to last too long.

Dig Your Own Hole is regarded as the best album from The Chemical Brothers. I certainly agree with this sentiment. I don’t think it is perfect, but I do believe the good songs outweigh the bad by such a margin that it is one of the must-own discs of the 1990s. The duo continues to create music and subsequently released 1999’s Surrender, 2002’s Come with Us, and 2005’s Push the Button (in addition to a variety of remix albums, singles, and EPs). This is one disc you should already have regardless of where your musical tastes usually drift.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars (rounded up)

Track Listing:
01. Block Rockin’ Beats
02. Dig Your Own Hole
03. Elektrobank
04. Piku
05. Setting Sun
06. It Doesn’t Matter
07. Don’t Stop the Rock
08. Get Up on It Like This
09. Lost in the K-Hole
10. Where Do I Begin
11. The Private Psychedelic Reel