The Chemical Brothers
B-Sides Volume 1

I love the Chemical Brothers! Because they are powerful, explosive, psychedelic, unleashed, creators of absurd rhythms that are true mental trips (without the need to take pills) because they create club dynamite, tracks capable of encapsulating completely different musical genres, which have marked an era (the Rock with Techno, hip Hop with oriental sounds, disco dance with electronic Big Beat). I love them because in the field of modern dance electronics, they are absolutely the best.

After having binge-listened to their (in my opinion) masterpiece "We Are The Night" for an entire season, I feared that to excite and thrill myself again with the next album, I would have to wait at least two years. Instead, great surprise, among the shelves of a well-stocked music store, here comes this new CD! The chemical duo has finally released the first collection of their B-sides (last November) titled "B-Sides Volume 1". A jewel collecting 10 unreleased tracks taken from old, recent albums, and the latest "We Are The Night".

These tracks finally bring back the old formula of the Chemical Brothers, heart-pounding rhythm, pure state Big Beat sounds, acidic sounds and a mix of Rock and Acid House! Anyone who thinks the Chemicals have lost their edge... is very wrong! Some of these B-sides are quite well-known, like "Nude Night" present in the single CD of "The Golden Path", a track with rather minimal House sounds, nothing special.

"Base 6" instead offers an explosive mix of Techno, breakbeat, Rock, and acidic sounds. To open the frenzied dance are the hand grenades from Rave parties and London Clubs like "Clip Kiss", a pounding and acidic rhythm reminiscent of the Ecstasy Generation of the 90s, and "The Diamond Sky", a rockish and electronic piece infused with samples taken from "Surrender". There are also Fatboy Slim-like tracks powered to the nth degree like "H.I.A." which is simply loads of fun and wild.

After years of continuous genre changes, finally, we return to the style of "Exit Planet Dust" with two excellent Chemical tracks, "Let Me In Mate" with sound markings like "Chemical Beats" and the formidable "Prescription Beats", a track that reaches the heights of the chemical duo! A triumph of electronic sounds, echoes, wild distortions, straight bass drum, full-on acidic sounds! A track that nails you to the ceiling!

Amid all this chaos, there is also room for a revival piece from the 80s mixed with modern sounds, "Snoopra", which in its humor and not taking itself too seriously, turns out to be one of the most successful episodes of the entire Chemical Brothers' career!, a Synth Pop track akin to New Order but sounding much better! (it contains a sample of "Arpoons" from the latest album).

Now, after the 80s and Big Beat revival of "We Are The Night", I can once again go wild with this collection that returns to the early days.

Recommended for anyone who wants to experience adrenaline-fueled cerebral adventures.

For those who don't follow the genre... it's just ear-shattering music.