Various - RU Receiving

Mercury: 1997

I’m sure in the lands of the Old World, where electronic music wasn’t so mocked, they had all sorts of shows dedicated to ‘rave videos’. Out here in the New World, however, our options were scant, few, and almost entirely centered on club hits of the day. That wasn’t so bad in the early ‘90s when euro-dance had a little market penetration, but once R&B took over, good ol’ house and techno was practically jettisoned from music channel rotation. Save the occasional undeniable chart climber from Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk, or, erm, Aqua, electronic music videos all but disappeared from North American TVs. Hey, at least it’s not as bad as today, where all music videos have disappeared. (hey-o!)

Still, even in those lean years of the mid-to-late ‘90s, one could find obscure shows in the wee hours dedicated to showcasing outlier acts of a broad culture. After all, the UK never stopped making music videos for their eager audiences, so why not offer up a 2am slot airing them. Gives a handy excuse to replay that Trainspotting hit or a semi-popular ‘electronica’ jam again, plus throw in a few homegrown acts like Moby and Richie Hawtin for good measure. On MTV, their show was called Amp, while in Canada, our own MuchMusic dubbed the hour RU Receiving, and holy cow was this ever the bomb late at night! Weird, esoteric music only underground ravers had much clue about, finally given visual representation, with videos equally weird and esoteric. With so few star frontmen to market around, most electronic music videos back in the day were artsy and abstract efforts, only adding to the American rave scene’s alt-culture allure.

Naturally a CD compilation hit the shelves promoting this fledgling show. As a 1997 ‘electronica’ collection, it features familiar acts, a few obscure tracks, and a couple “fucking why?” cuts. Okay, U2’s Mofo isn’t that surprising considering this was the year they got in on that hip, new big-beat sound the UK was all abuzz over. And honestly, with Steve Osborne (Grace, Virus, Paul Oakenfold) and Howie B behind the decks on this one, this is one of the best tunes that emerged from U2’s Pop experiment. The other “fucking why?” track is Orbital’s The Saint, because fuck you.

Pretty much all the very important acts and their biggest hits of 1997 are represented on this CD, including Roni Size/Reprazent’s Share The Fall. There’s Prodigy’s Firestarter, The Orb’s Toxygene, Goldie’s Inner City Life, and The Chemical Brothers’ Loops Of Fury. Wait, that last one’s unexpected, but I’m not complaining, far preferring their earlier thrashy acid breaks to the Dig Your Own Hole era. Also, as trip-hop was super hot too, we get Portisehead’s smoky Strangers, DJ Shadow’s blissed-out Midnight In A Perfect World, and Howie B’s crunchy acid-funk Butt Meat.

For me though, the one track that defines the whole RU Receiving legacy is Synaptic Response from Canadian duo Legion Of Green Men. Gander at the video, and understand.

Fluke - Puppy

One Little Indian: 2003

Progressive house, big beat, trip-hop, UK rocktronica - whatever had delicious critical buzz in Britain, Fluke were at the forefront of it. Hell, they dictated where the trends would go as much as any Chemical Brother or Underworldler. In the end though, they just couldn't shake their '90s-ness, but it's not their fault they got stuck with the 'electronica' tag like everyone else. T'was simply a price paid for signing with the mighty Virgin – bigger exposure meant being marketed how they wanted you presented. Sweet deal for the time though it was, folks in the new millennium were quick in turning their backs on any musical group that reminded them of cyber-thriller action movie soundtracks. Matters probably weren’t helped either by having a new single associated with one of the more ludicrous scenes in Matrix: Reloaded. Zion’s a great track – really, it is! – but man was that ever dumb in the movie. Not that Juno Reactor cut though, that one’s totally dope. Hail Ben Watkins, the only producer to escape action movie soundtracks with dignity intact!

Speaking of Puppy (finally), it really is a shame this never caught on, most likely for all the stupid reasons I rambled on about above. The great production and craftsmanship from Fluke can’t hide the fact it still sounds like a ‘Nineties’ electronic music album. While some of that is simply down to the group’s style, there aren’t any trendy, (then) new genre bandwagon jumps either. Fluke was known for progressive house, but the stuff on here is of the groovy, chugging sort (Electric Blue, My Spine, Another Kind Of Blues, Hang Tough, Switch/Twitch) that defined early Sasha and Digweed sets, not dubby ‘dark prog’ or poppy crossover fluff. Breaks are here too, though are reminiscent of big beat (Snapshot) or proggy ethnic-fusion (Nebulus), fashionable stuff years prior but not as buzz worthy as nu-skool was in 2003. And what’s this? Nary an electro house/clash/anthem cut found? No wonder so few gave Puppy a damn!

I wonder though, has this caught any retrospective love? Has Puppy lately earned the respect it deserves now that we’re far enough removed from the days it was mostly ignored? Fluke has their die-hard followers, sure, and those I know who’ve heard it do sing its praises, but my sampling size is small. Hell, even when Fluke were at their commercial peak, the most my peers could immediately namedrop was Atom Bomb (because obviously). At the least I’d assume those weaned on ‘90s progressive house have come around to it, as it has everything they could hope for in a ’00 album, a natural evolution of that sound without succumbing to flash-in-the-pan genre bandwagon jumps. Well, okay, maybe the gospel-leaning closer Blue Sky has shades of Faithless, but even that sounds more at home in the UK acid house era than anything post-2000.

Damn, that’s another ‘90s reference. Wait, isn’t that decade in the midst of a retro-return? Best excuse to get Puppy if you haven’t, then!

Various ‎– π - Music For The Motion Picture

Sire Records Company: 1998

As promised in the last review, here is your Pi. What do you mean this isn't what I meant? Look, it’s not my fault you misheard what I typed, but what did you expect? I can't manifest baked pastry goods from the intercloud and have them promptly delivered to your computer desks and palms of your tablets. And even if I could because you're one of the lucky few who have a 3D printer, I guarantee it’ll taste awful, even with whipped topping. So how about a delicious assortment of late '90s 'electronica' that soundtracked a movie about puzzling mysteries related to the number pi? (get lost, Geogaddi - you're last month's joke)

Okay, I haven’t actually seen the flick, though it’s on my ever-growing ‘check out someday’ list. I cannot deny some curiosity in how a paranoid thriller could work in Banco de Gaia’s Drippy in there, one of Toby Marks’ more chipper tunes at the time. I highly doubt it was assembled through studio and label dealings, this being an indie film and all. Maybe former Pop Will It Itself member Clint Mansell, who handled the music duties (and kicked off a successful run as a film composer in the process) is just a Banco fan too?

Even within the context of Pi, the CD, Drippy is an odd one out. The only other light-hearted track on here is Aphex Twin’s Bucephalus Bouncing Ball, and that goes all scatter-skitchy after awhile, just like protagonist Maximillian Cohen’s head, if I’m reading the IDMB synopsis right. I guess Spacetime Continuum’s A Low Frequency Inversion Field is upbeat too, if you count psychedelic space ambient as positive energy flow.

Mostly though, Pi features smatterings of electronic genres on a darker tip. There’s the Ed Rush & Optical Remix of Roni Size’s Watching Windows, combining two of drum-n-bass’ then-trendiest sub-genres under the sun (tech-jazzstep!). Trip-hop’s taken care of in Massive Attack’s Angel (of course). Downbeat EBM sludge gets a nod from Psilonaut’s Third From The Sun, though I suspect this genre’s only here due to TVT Record’s massive influence on soundtracks at the time. And hey, do you remember ‘technorganic’ tribal? You will after hearing GusGus’ Anthem. Naturally, big-beat must be featured, and that’s handled by from Clint Mansell himself We Got The Gun; his other track, 2πr, goes jungle). Finally (or initially, since it’s the first proper track on here), there’s… whatever the awesome P.E.T.R.O.L. from Orbital is. I’m calling it evil techno-electrocore, because why not.

Like the movie itself, Pi earned something of a cult following way back when, an edgy alternative to all the mainstream mega-selling soundtracks with obvious names and tunes. True, Roni Size, Orbital, and Massive Attack weren’t exactly under the radar when it came to ‘electronica’ collections, but their selections here were definitely off the beaten path (wow, Orbital had more licensed songs than The Saint and Halcyon & On & On?). Easily worth the fiver it’ll be selling for in a used shop.

Various - Motion 2: A Six Degrees Dance Collection

Six Degrees Records: 2002

This alphabetical stipulation is a burden sometimes. Its fine when I enter a CD series that has some prestige behind it - Global Underground, Fabric, Fahrenheit Project (!) - but what of the obscure ones? I can't imagine folks were waiting with bated breath as I went through four volumes of Elemental Chill last year, and Lord knows I was running on fumes by the end of but two mega-volumes of Goa Trance: Psychedelic Flashbacks. Now we have Motion where despite containing another round of classy tracks, is likely destined to languish in the back corners of this blog once disappearing from front page rotation.

Trouble is there's so little to talk about these CDs beyond the nuts and bolts review fodder. I'm not versed enough in Six Degrees that I can provide a grand perspective on Motion 2's standing with the rest of the label, much less proper world beat at large (dear Lord, those New Sounds Of Brazil CDs look scary). And while I hope whatever readership I gain is open-minded enough about this music to not dismiss it out of hand, I suspect this is entirely too niche for all but the truly musically adventurous out there. Perhaps Six Degrees realized this, hence one of their ongoing slogans being “Everything Is Closer Than You Think”, hoping an occasional curious listenership found unsuspecting kinship with arts and culture seemingly so wildly distant.

That said, Six Degrees Records probably overshot their estimation of how many folks out there were gonna' dig their stylee. Motion only lasted two volumes, the remix culture none too interested in dance floor weapons from a deep world beat label. Heck, I only picked this one up out of a sense of completion when I saw it sitting in a used shop. Oh, alright, I also wanted a proper copy of that Jack Dangers Mix of Banco de Gaia’s How Much Reality Can You Take?. Don’t look at me like that, this remix is some skilled big beat action!

The rest of Motion 2 features more mint examples of house and breaks, though isn’t as dynamic as the first one. Good example is another remix of Bob Holroyd’s Drumming Up A Storm, this time handled by Bob himself. His go treads blissy nu-jazz vibes, which is fine for this sort of thing, but compared to the exhilarating tribal workout of Romanthony’s remix, it’s just not as fun. Of familiar names recognizable by even the most layman of clubbers, Chicago house don Ron Trent indulges himself in some Latin shuffle in Batidos’ Tengo Sed, and Josh Wink does the minimal techno thing on Tweaker’s Linoleum (the good kind!).

There’s more, but I sadly suspect my words would fall on dead eyes. Names like Faze Action, Q-Burns Abstract Message, and 95 North do command respect within their respective scenes, but something tells me their fans aren’t about to scope out a Six Degrees Records compilation with names like Euphoria, Hawke, and Monica Ramos on it.

Various - Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

TVT Records: 1997

The movie Mortal Kombat: Annihilation represented everything that sucked about being a teenager in the '90s: utter ruination of a popular franchise, clueless pandering with pointless character cameos, over-reliance of shit CGI, crap plotting, no campy charm, and generally just poo. It showcased how little corporate executives thought of the demographic, figuring we'd eat up any ol' slop. Okay, they were right on most occasions, but after the surprise quality of the first Mortal Kombat movie, we expected better. Man, fuck this movie.

Speaking of failures, let's talk about the soundtrack. Something feels totally off about Annihilation compared to the first, as though TVT Records were unwillingly sucked into the 'electronica' hype machine and forced to accommodate the rising bankable genre going forward. For a label known primarily for industrial rock, shoving in a pile of one-off breaks acts must have been frustrating for them. Or maybe not, and they truly were gung-ho about this turn.

Thing about the first soundtrack is it didn’t even come off like a soundtrack; rather, a mixtape from TVT staff, giving equal share and exposure to thrashy techno, industrial, and metal (plus a few original pieces from George S. Clinton). Annihilation, in contrast, is almost all ‘electronica’ of some form. KMFDM at least get a return spot, and I’m sure plenty were properly introduced to Rammstein by way of their classic Engel (for those who weren’t, Du Hast was just around the corner!). Elsewhere, industrial gets a spit more of attention with one-off act Urban Voodoo, and that’s it for the genre. Metal? Hah, don’t make me laugh. Megadeth’s Almost Honest is turned into a Spawn clone via Danny Saber, and that’s it – unless you count the thrashy guitars in Scooter’s Fire as metal, since that’s about as close as anything else gets to the genre on here. Yeah, I don’t think so.

It’s essentially generic ‘action-movie’ big beat making up the remaining two-thirds of Annihilation, surprisingly none produced by Junkie XL. Remember how Mortal Kombat had distinctive songs that perfectly fit with the scenes and characters? Forget that nonsense in Annihilation. Perfect example is the use of FSOL’s We Have Explosive, horribly shoe-horned in a lame fight between Lui Kang and Baraka, for barely thirty seconds! But hey, they got the rights to use it, so better shove it in somewhere. Think about it: Annihilation made the f’n FSOL sound pointless and inconsequential. Man, fuck this movie.

Just as a collection of tunes, then, does this CD hold up? Without the movie association or comparison with the first CD, only barely, and thanks largely in part to the inclusion of some choice material from those already mentioned (plus Psykosonik, Juno Reactor, Cirrus, and Lunatic Calm). Keep in mind though, the music’s so late ‘90s sounding, you can practically see the wire-fu action sequences as they play out. The good tunes can be found elsewhere, and the lesser cuts are forgotten by the end of a play-through. Annihilation’s pathetic legacy, as it were.

Banco de Gaia - Igizeh

Six Degrees Records: 2000

Anyone recall hearing The Prodigy's Fat Of The Land for the first time? The initial anticipation of new music from an act you enjoy, but feeling content in the assumption they couldn't surprise you any longer? Remember how Smack My Bitch Up utterly abolished those preconceived notions? If you're feelin' what I'm preachin' here, my friends, then you'll have an inclining of how I reacted to hearing Seti I on Banco de Gaia's fifth album.

I'm by no means comparing the two tracks, as they're worlds apart (although they do both make use of an ethnic vocalization). In terms of how they kicked off their respective albums, however, and how they represent everything good about the producers behind them, they're quite similar. At first ear-glance, Seti I works a slow-building atmosphere with oodles of nature samples and chants. A stomping rhythm emerges, and a ridiculously catchy vocal hook joins in. For the duration, this tune absolutely gets the blood pumping. I don't think Toby Marks has ever opened another album stronger than Igizeh, yet Seti I is barely known; heck, it didn't even make it to his 10 Years retrospective or other such collections. So, um, I guess the Prodigy comparison ends there.

Since Seti I wasn’t a single from an album that saw at least two, Igizeh must be an astounding album. Eh, it's good, but not that good. It's actually a rather curious one when you consider the context it came out in. As odd as it sounds, the album finds Marks doing a fair bit of bandwagon jumping, yet somehow maintaining his distinctive sound throughout. The first single, Obsidian, appears to borrow quite a bit from progressive trance, with the (barely comprehensible) vocals from Jennifer Folker lending it further to something far more commercial than you'd ever expect from Banco de Gaia (until You Are Here anyway). One could say the same about the new version of Glove Puppet, a dead-ringer and mint take on trip-hop. Meanwhile, second-single How Much Reality Can You Take has elements of big beat, a notion not gone unnoticed by Jack Dangers when he remixed the tune.

Those were the popular genres of the time (or from a couple years back anyway), but Igizeh features further musical adoption than that. Fake It Till You Make It finds Marks and company going about as full-on Pink Floyd as they ever did back in those days. Gizeh adds Moog funk to their characteristic grand musical builds (Egyptian slave revolutions never sounded so epic!). And B2 sounds like, well, Banco de Gaia did during the early ambient dub days, but with a fresh year-2000 sheen.

So in a roundabout way, Igizeh might have ended up being Banco's most accessible album, but those proggy world-beat attributes didn't quite make it so. The style Marks' project cultivates keeps this firmly on the underground side of music, though as far as 'electronica' albums go, it's remarkably diverse. A bit like that Prodigy album, come to think of it.

Beastie Boy - Hello Nasty

Capitol Records: 1998

I don't think anyone anticipated the Beastie Boys having such big hits as those spawned off Hello Nasty. A fun single or two, sure, but surely their schtick was utterly dated as the '90s drew to a close. Three MCs, rhyming off each other's interplay like Run DMC was still relevant (okay, they were still around, but y'know what I mean), a bunch of wicki-wicki-waa from an actual DJ, and who ever really liked their rock and funk explorations anyway? No, the Beasties should have failed, unable to keep pace with hip-hop's over-indulgence of gangsta shenanigans and seeking the bling life. Or worse, in an attempt to reconnect with the youth, adopted nu-metal into their repertoire.

Holy hell, is it ever a good thing they didn’t give two flute loops about what contemporary audiences expected of them and simply cut loose with what they do best. If there’s any scene they did get chummy with, it was the electronic one, which had shared history with the Beastie’s brand of b-boy bombast (weren't The KLF initially just the Scottish Beasties anyway?). The lead single Intergalactic was the perfect olive branch to ravers worldwide, with big beats, quirky electro sounds, and enough ‘up to date’ retro vibes that any DJ could drop it and get a massive reaction. Small wonder Lord Discogs recommends names like Daft Punk, DJ Shadow, and Mr. Oizo on Intergalactic's page.

Oh yeah, there's a whole album more to talk about with Hello Nasty. I'm sure ya'll remember Body Movin', probably thanks to yet another goof-ball video the Boys were masters at. A third single off here was Three MCs and One DJ, which had the trio feeding off numerous scratch samples and turntable trickery from Mixmaster Mike (sort of an honorary fourth Beastie Boy). Quite a few tracks on here do this, to be honest, though more often than not it's post-studio production creating the dense sound collages of off-beat samples, thick rhythms, and indie rock leanings.

As for the rest of the album, well... Okay, there's a reason most only remember Hello Nasty for Intergalactic, Body Movin', and not much else: too much filler. Oh, it's good filler, in that you won't find yourself itching for the skip button if you're willing to take the album in full, but can any of you recall how Picture This or Flowin' Prose go? I sure can't, and I just listened to the damned album! Maybe it was one of those instrumental, psychedelic funk jams?

Despite a second half that just can't live up to the first (how could anything with such a one-two punch as Body Movin' and Intergalactic?), Hello Nasty's still a high recommendation for those diving into the Beastie Boys' discography. It may not be as ground breaking as Paul's Boutique or as stupid-fun as Licenced To Ill, but it reaches a comfortable middle-ground between the two, and propelled the Boys back to the front of hip-hop relevancy. Not bad for three white former punks.

Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars (Clean Version)

Astralwerks: 2000

In some ways, I'm more embarrassed to have this CD than even ICP. Why should I, a grown adult, have a “Kiddies' Clean Version”? Well, it was a gift, but the tongue-in-cheek label on the cover strikes me as deliberately insulting on the manufacturer's part. This isn't just the 'Clean Version', like many hip-hop pop albums offer, oh no. This is for the children, for we at Astralwerks, we thought about the children, oh how we thought about the children. We even moved the image over a little, so the sun no longer peeks through the woman's cooch – hell, you can't even tell it's a woman anymore, much less the sun creating those rays of light. Isn't that better than our usual antics of totally replacing the cover image for stateside distribution?

Norman Cook's Fatboy project was incredibly popular when he released Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars, his prior album offering two or three ultra-mega hits that we still hear today. So that there would be a 'Clean' option for his follow-up doesn't surprise me. It's still baffling why it'd been thought of only for the kids though (what kind of teenager wouldn't get the one with crude language?).

And what major changes can we expect on this “Kiddies' Clean Version”? Star 69's been cut. Yeah, no surprise on that one. Not a big deal losing it though, as beyond the lyrical gimmick, it was a mediocre tune. There's also a slight edit of “what the fuck” in Song For Shelter, which makes- wait! Why didn't they just edit the 'fuck's out of Star 69 too, keeping the track?

Frankly, that's all I can tell's been 'cleaned up'. It's been well over a decade since I've heard the original version, so if some naughty language from Macy Gray or Bootsy Collins was edited out, I don't know anymore. Come to think of it, I don't think it matters where this album's concerned, as Halfway... is a surprisingly mature sounding effort on Cook's part compared to the rest of his discography.

Yeah, he's had his classy moments, but folks were buying up his albums by the boatloads for the big beat party anthems. Halfway... has a couple offerings as such, like Ya Mama and Drop The Hate, yet Cook sounds bored with these cuts, just going through the big beat motions. Far more intriguing (and re-playable because they aren't so dated to late '90s music) are the blues, gospel, funk, and soul offerings. And even with all the crafty beats and samples Cook throws into his tunes, the guest vocalists (including the memorable husky voice of then-soul-queen Macy Gray) help excel what could have been little more than homage to some of ol' Norman's musical upbringing.

Put simply, Halfway... is easily Fatboy Slim's most consistent album, and maybe even his best. Unlike his other albums, which have big hits and forgettable filler, these are all songs I have no problem returning to and keeping lodged in my head.

Various - Freebass Breakz & Sub Funk Beats

Shadow Records: 1999

First, apologies for the crummy image at left. The only one I could find online was too small to use, thus I resorted to taking a photo with my phone. I’ve reviewed obscure stuff before, but always found a decent cover pic' (sometimes uploaded to Lord Discogs myself back when I had access to a scanner …maybe I should get one?). I know this CD isn’t terribly well-known, but surely something from Shadow Records wouldn’t be this obscure.

Yes, in a total coincidence, we’re dealing with another release from Instinct’s sub-label. Hey, they released a ton of music during their run, and believe you me we'll be dealing with more of their output down the road – they were very affordable CDs, after all. Still, Shadow's hit-to-miss ratio varied wildly, and this particular mix with the ghetto title Freebass Breakz & Sub Funk Beats is definitely a miss.

Well, not a full-on miss. More like hitting the border of the target, if you were after the hottest offering in breaks of the late '90s. Progressive, Florida, big beat, and even the burgeoning nu-skool was what folks wanted, and Freebass Breakz only sparingly has that. Instead, we're dealing with proper street-funk breaks and ...um, space breaks? I'm not sure what to call it, as it doesn't really fall into any conventional genre of that scene.

Before that though, let’s deal with some straight-up, dirty acid funk! Aw yeah, Chester Rockwell’s Alice In Wonder’s a fine way to kick things off, and following it up with a couple big beat jams is mint as well - Crossfader Dominator from Sniper is good fun, and a shame it ends so quickly. In fact, the entire opening bit is over in but seven minutes, which wouldn’t be so bad if this was a set featuring plenty of quick mixes but that’s not the case. The next cut runs nearly eight minutes long, with plenty more after that of significant length.

Then there’s that abrupt transition. Narco Dogs’ Breakbeat On Mars is such a sudden turn in tone, it may as well be an entirely different CD. This is where that ‘space breaks’ thing comes in, and though General Midi’s Outa Orbit leans more nu-skool than the others, many of these tunes seem to pilfer old school trance hooks to complement their sub-bass rhythms (though with the ’98 remix of Total Confusion, I can see why, what with borrowing elements from the original 1990 Heavenly Mix, almost a proto-trance cut itself). Unfortunately, a lot of this sounds muddy, and by the time we get back to regular big beat action near the end of the mix, most of that initial momentum’s been lost.

Still, despite a wonky track list and average-at-best mixing from Brock Landers, Freebass Breakz is an interesting listen. I honestly can’t say I’ve heard many breaks sets that sound like it, which probably was the reason I picked it up so long ago. Better than another damn DJ Icey CD anyway.

The Prodigy - The Fat Of The Land

XL Recordings: 1997

Fat Of The Land marks the end of what many fans consider the Holy Trinity of Prodigy albums, including Experience and Music For The Jilted Generation; fans that enjoyed their work in the ‘90s, anyway. I’ve no idea what the new generation thinks of the group that Liam Howlett built, though I can see them unable to handle his style if the remixes that came out with the recent re-release are anything to go by. Holy hell, are those ever fucking pointless and stupid. A lot of Prodigy’s music was already unashamedly ‘dumb’ to begin with, but it’s downright subtle compared to the bro-‘tard nonsense Zeds Dead and Noisia bring to the table.

Forget 'em. All we're concerned with here is the album proper. Fat Of The Land came out at the peak of 'electronica's push, where several UK acts were counted on to break America. Yet The Prodigy stood apart from other Great British Hopes like The Chemical Brothers and Underworld, growing ever brasher as the years wore on, and taking on thrashy punk attitudes as a giant middle finger to the capitalization of the underground scene they'd grown up in. Sure, we'll sign to your major, but you're gonna take us as we are, warts, rivets, and all.

Fat Of The Land had a degree of curious expectation going in. Lead singles Firestarter and Breathe proved they could create anthems on par with their peers, but surely a full album of that would tire quickly, and with no hope of topping those highs.

Then folks threw the album on, Smack My Bitch Up blasting from their speakers, blindsiding just about everyone with how damned good the tune was. Those fierce kicks! That snarling acid! That lush breakdown! Holy shit, they fucking did it! No way they can top- Oh yeah, Breathe! Damn, that's a good track too!

Fat Of The Land pretty much played out like that. Hearing Minefields, Narayan, Funky Shit, and Climbatize for the first time totally convinced you of The Prodigy's ability to adapt and diversify with the times while maintaining their take-no-prisoners, full-on musical attack. Not only were the new tunes fresh, but it helped contextualize the worn-out singles. Trust me when I say not many were looking forward to hearing Firestarter after a year of it. Narayan deserves extra props just for building anticipation for that squalling guitar riff again.

But that was then. Does the album hold up fifteen years on? Sort of. Make no mistake, Fat Of The Land is very much a product of its time: a big beat CD that would become one of the standards to meet in the ensuing years. Much like Experience before, it can’t escape the environment from which it was crafted. Fortunately, Howlett’s production remains as blunt, ferocious and superb as when it first hit the shelves, and I’ve no doubt they’d generate the same level of bedlam played out as they did when they were new. Fuck those current remixes.

The Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust

Virgin Music Canada: 1995

Astute readers probably noticed a missing Dig Your Own Hole as I went through the 'D's. This wasn't on account of disliking The Chemical Brothers or anything - heck, I was down with their sound when they were still known as The Dust Brothers (amazing the acts one can find on early '90s 'ambient' compilations). Unfortunately for Dig, I was already sick of hearing its lead singles before the album proper hit the shelves, and even though I can find it for less than a dollar online, I'm still not inclined to snag a copy. If I can go a whole year without hearing Block Rocking Beats again, maybe then I'll finally give the album another chance.

Exit Planet Dust, however, I can play forever and not get tired of it ...most of the time. The final few tracks are a bit fillerish for my taste, but considering how hard and awesome this album hits you from the start, a drop in momentum is to be expected.

Still, the idea of big beats influenced by hip-hop breaks had already been explored by acts like Meat Beat Manifesto and Renegade Soundwave. The ChemBros, however, threw a new twist into the mix by adding liberal amounts of funk-rock and starry-eyed psychedelia, suggesting Summer Of Love vibes and knowing winks to music festivals in wide-open fields.

Leave Home's the opener, and right out the gate one can see why Simons and Rowlands became darlings of rock publications trying to get a handle on that 'electronica' music. Blending thrashy acid lines, funky guitar licks, and a cacophony of breakbeats and effects, it's a strong start to the album. In Dust We Trust goes one better, with a snarling hook that coils around your head as only an acid-drenched serpent could. Ah, help, I’m getting buried in hyperbole!

Those weaned on latter era Brothers Of The Chemical will undoubtedly be surprised by how rough and raw Exit Planet Dust sounds, far less attention paid to songcraft and simply laying out the beats as though catching the duo at a live gig. The whole middle section of the album plays out like such a set, especially so of the 'Beats Trilogy' following Song To The Siren. Fuck Up Beats in particular is a filthy beast of a track, and a shame it's so short. As if anticipating a necessary breather after the bedlam, Chico's Groove and One Too Many Mornings provides proper downtime.

Those two cuts could have been the perfect way to end the album on, but that would run quite short of runtime. So, we get glimpses of where The Chevy Bohemians would take their career at the end: Life Is Sweet pairs them up with an indie Brit-warbler, and Alive Alone sees the first of many Beth Orton collaborations. I guess if those are the sort of songs you prefer these Brothers to work out, that's your prerogative. Myself, I'm gonna go back to those fucked up big beats! UHH!

Fear Factory - Remanufacture (Cloning Technology)

Roadrunner Records: 1997

Nah, fuck it! I get to invoke a reissue loophole here, in that all the remix material was bundled on a second CD of the Demanufacture package (plus a couple extra tagged on the end of CD1). Thus, Remanufacture is technically labeled as CD2 of its parent album in my media player list. Since it was initially an entirely different release though, I’ll talk about it separately.

Story goes Rhys Fulber and Bill Leeb were commissioned to do remixes of material from Fear Factory’s first album, Soul Of A New Machine, which led to Fulber becoming the band’s unofficial fifth member. Rather than making another EP length remix album, it was decided to give the full remix treatment to Demanufacture, each song having a re-rub to itself. Fulber was tasked with the bulk of the work, but several other tunes were sent to other producers, giving some much needed variety to the project.

I know what you're thinking. Remix albums suck, for the simple fact there's no cohesion or communication among the various remixers. Agreed, which is why having only four keeps things musically tight and flowing from track to track. They aimed to make Remanufacture just as solid of a standalone album as the parent one, and though it's not quite as good, it's still a fun ride.

Unsurprisingly, Fulber takes his remixes fully down the industrial road. Though he throws a couple surprises here and there - Zero Signal is turned into a bass-sludge EBM work titled Faithless - his work mostly retains the originals' pace and attributes. It's as though he's now the main attraction with Fear Factory backing him rather than the other way around on Demanufacture. The other remixer of note was Junkie XL, who provides two cuts for Remanufacture, and a few additional ones that initially only appeared on the Burn single but are included with the reissue as well. I've always felt he's best at block-rockin' big beats, and he's in as fine of form as ever here.

The show stealers, however, have to be Kingsize and DJ Dano. The latter goes full-on gabber with T-1000, outclassing all the other gabber remixes that were done for New Breed overseas (and yes, they're also included on the reissue). Kingsize's remix is utterly bonkers though! Titled Cloning Technology, it brings all the best aspects of big beat while making brilliant use of Fear Factory's thrashier side. Just when you think this track can't get any more headbangin', he adds another layer of intense mosh, over and over again. Some out there might be miffed that Replica's morbid theme (about a person born from rape) is essentially wiped away for the purpose of ravaging dance floors, but then that argument can be made for most of Remanufacture.

It does make me wonder how many within the metal scene appreciated these remixes. They certainly enjoyed Demanufacture enough to hail it a classic, but I don’t hear much mention of this one. Their loss, then.

The Future Sound Of London - Dead Cities

Virgin: 1996

A true magnum opus from The Future Sound Of London. Opinion tends to divide over which of their albums is their absolute best (Lifeforms? One of the latter Environments? The Isness... no.) but in terms of cinematic narratives via expansive soundscapes, Dead Cities is hard to beat. It helps that it’s one of their only albums to have a definitive theme right from the outset in the title. What’s exactly dead about these cities? Might that creepy guy on the cover and the stark artwork surrounding him be a clue? Dive right in, noble listener, and discover for yourself.

It’s probably not thought of much nigh fifteen years on, but Dead Cities was bold for its time. Backed by Virgin’s megabucks and promotion, The FSOL were being counted on to help propagate the ‘electronica’ surge. Undoubtedly the ‘artier’ group of a roster that included The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, and Massive Attack, they were given relative free reign on Lifeforms and ISDN. Lacking a proper hit though, it wouldn’t surprise me if Virgin started tapping their feet while leering over The FSOL’s shoulder as 1996 drew near. Well then, here’s a track that’s all ‘big beaty’ for ya’, We Have Explosive. Hell, you can even use it as the main theme for that futuristic racing video game you’re tied to if you like. Now let us get back to our studio, thank you very much. Well, maybe.

Here’s the thing about the rockin’ Explosive, and nearly any cut off Dead Cities: as standalone pieces of music, they’re all solid offerings. Even some of their transitional interludes were good enough to earn titles (somewhere, in that mess of a tracklist on the back). Variety comes in spades, tons of genres, sub-genres, and sonic experiments finding their way in bits and pieces that it’d take a 2,000 word review to detail it all (look at one of the old ones floating around TranceCritic for proof!). Scattershot IDM breaks. Bubbling ambience. Sampledelic psychedelia. Desolate opera, charming cyber-folk, lounge jazz, and piano noodling. 303s and 808s. Cheeky hidden metal.

Cool, then. Good tracks, download the best ones and all that, right? Nah, what makes Dead Cities a cut above is how the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts. Whether The FSOL had an intended vision or allowed the listener to come up with their own, each track details another piece of their post-apocalyptic narrative. Hell, We Have Explosive, a tune that, as an obvious ‘electronica’ single should not have fit at all, serves as an inciting cataclysm to the whole enterprise (following it with such a beautiful, mournful somber piece in Everyone In The World Is Doing Something Without Me perfectly sells it too). I’ve often imagined the latter half of the album as a chronicle of the survivors discovering remnants of civilization deep underwater but personal interpretations will vary. Take a listen for yourself and let me know what springs forth from your imagination!