TEN YEARS!
Ten years have passed since "Dig Your Own Hole" was birthed by the Chemical Brothers and honestly, it hasn't lost an ounce of its freshness and innovation!
"Block Rockin' Beats" breaks in like a train and immediately transports us to the fantastic dimension of the album, driven by beats and rock sounds... not to mention the Title Track with its tight and pounding rhythm... and what about "Electrobank"? ...eight minutes of distorted electronics, deep bass, and filtered voice... impressive!
The tracks follow each other like a dense magma of thumping pulses and beats on your skin, emotions to transform into dance or psychedelic journeys for the mind.
From "Piku" to the Brit-electro-rock styling of "Setting Sun", from the almost techno "It Doesn't Matter" to the hallucinogenic "Lost In The K-Hole", it's hard not to get carried away, and the urge to get lost in these electronic meanders envelops us inexorably. The splendid "Where Do I Begin" starts with Beth Orton's voice that rocks and makes us dream, then turns into a piece with syncopated beats and acidic sounds... but it serves to prepare the listener for the final journey... for that "The Private Psychedelic Reel" which stands as a MASTERPIECE of an album that already is on its own.
"Dig Your Own Hole" is a manifesto of the '90s... one of the highest peaks of innovation and creativity of that decade. Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands created, along with the fantastic debut "Exit Planet Dust" and "Surrender", an unrepeatable trilogy... then they tragically died under still unclear circumstances and... alas... they will rise no more!
I warmly recommend all teenagers who discovered the Chemical Brothers through "Push The Button" or who will do so with the upcoming "We Are The Night" to do yourselves a favor: go retrieve the first three albums, you'll see that comparisons will become embarrassing!
In the meantime: HAPPY BIRTHDAY "DIG YOUR OWN HOLE"!!
"To call 'Block Rockin Beats' catchy is an understatement; the sounds intertwine perfectly, creating a thrilling electro-house track."
"Definitely a pillar in the history of electronics and a worthy chapter for music in general."
Is it possible to create a vigorously rock album without using guitar, bass, drums, and natural voice? Yes.
Dig Your Own Hole shattered barriers and paradoxically had more influence on rock music than on electronic music.