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THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS

The Chemical Brothers

Exit Planet Dust - National Album Day 2024 Edition

    Originally released in the summer of 1995, The Chemical Brothers’ debut album, Exit Planet Dust, remains a key record of the 1990s. Reaching No.9 in the UK, it introduced “big beat” music – as the club-filling mix of hip-hop and acid house had been christened – to a mainstream audience, helping to fuel its dominance on the British dance scene as the 20th century came to a close.

    Opening with ‘Leave Home’, the Chems’ debut single and a swift UK Top 20 hit, the album also features collaborations with folktronica icon Beth Orton, on closing cut ‘Alive Alone’, and Charlatans’ frontman, Tim Burgess, on the album’s second single, ‘Life is Sweet’, which took The Chemical Brothers back into the UK charts, hitting No.25 following its September 1995 release.

    Amid these standouts is a track that had already become a signature tune for the duo of Ed Simons and Tim Rowlands: ‘Chemical Beats’. Originally issued on the highly collectable Fourteenth Century Sky 12” EP – issued in 1994 under the Chems’ earlier name, The Dust Brothers – it had already become a club classic by the time of Exit Planet Dust’s release, and, 30 years on, it still sounds huge on this 140g red- and gold-coloured double-vinyl reissue.


    TRACK LISTING

    1. Leave Home
    2. In Dust We Trust
    3. Song To The Siren
    4. Three Little Birdies Down Beats5. Fuck Up Beats
    6. Chemical Beats
    7. Chico's Groove
    8. One Too Many Mornings
    9. Life Is Sweet
    10. Playground For A Wedgeless Firm
    11. Alive Alone

    The Chemical Brothers With Robin Turner

    Paused In Cosmic Reflection

      Paused in Cosmic Reflection is the definitive story of The Chemical Brothers. Told in the voices of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, with contributions from friends and collaborators, it is fully illustrated with 30 years of mind-bending visuals.

      The Chemical Brothers

      For That Beautiful Feeling

        The Chemical Brothers - one of the most acclaimed and innovative electronic duo in the world - have announced details of their tenth studio album For That Beautiful Feeling.

        Recorded in the band’s own studio just near the south coast, this is a record that hunts for and captures that that wild moment when sound overwhelms you and almost pulls you under yet ultimately lets you ride its wave, to destinations unknown. It’s a record that pinpoints the exact moment you lose all control, where you surrender and let the music move you as if pulled by an invisible thread.

        STAFF COMMENTS

        Barry says: There is absolutely no sign that The Chemical Brothers are slowing down, with 2019's incendiary 'No Geography' blowing people away and 'For That Beautiful Feeling' set to do so even more. It's a triumphant, heavy hitting marvel that is enhanced perfectly by Halo Maud's distinctive vocal talents. Classic 'chems and then some.

        Matt says: Rocketing into orbit with the stadium inferno that is “Live Again”, there’s little chance to touch down, as Tom and Ed hit the thrusters for one of the most stratospheric ‘Chems LPs we can remember. A rousing & rebellious message for our times, with the usual smattering of guest appearances and sampled vox articulating their uplifting insubordination with soaring, memorable hooks.

        TRACK LISTING

        1. Intro
        2. Live Again (feat. Halo Maud)
        3. No Reason
        4. Goodbye
        5. Fountains
        6. Magic Wand
        7. The Weight
        8. Skipping Like A Stone (feat. Beck)
        9. The Darkness That You Fear (Harvest Mix)
        10. Feels Like I’m Dreaming
        11. For That Beautiful Feeling (feat. Halo Maud)

        The Charlatans UK

        The Charlatans UK V. The Chemical Brothers

          "Originally pressed as a four track promo 12" in 1995, and again as a five track CD for the US market in 2000, this is the first time all five Charlatans' Chemical Brothers remixes have been available together on vinyl.The remix of Patrol was originally released as a b-side of the Jesus Hairdo in 1994, whilst Nine Acre Dust and Chemical Risk Dub appeared on the Just When You're Thinking Things Over single in 1995.


          TRACK LISTING

          1. Toothache (Chemical Risk Mix)
          2. Chemical Risk Dub (Toothache Mix)
          3. Nine Acre Dust (Chemical Brothers Remix)
          4. Toothache (Instrumental Mix)
          5. Patrol (Chemical Brothers Mix)

          The Chemical Brothers

          No Reason

          Tom n Ed, possibly one of the UK's most influential and successful electronic music outfits, return with a brand new single: "No Reason". Featuring a bleak lyrical hook (provided by a vocal sample from Second Layer's "Courts Or War") - 'we have no reason to live / no reason at all / when will they kill us all' - the track's poignantly gloomy outlook is juxtaposed by one of their typically galvanized grooves - pairing up a punchy B-line with nuevo-disco drums, the odd vocal whoop and darting synth stabs. Add a lashing 303 and military snare rolls which allude to its shadowy war-mongering. It's stadium friendly, with soaring breakdowns and full fat processing; and has been going down a storm at their live shows for the past year or so.

          As much as dance music is about hedonism and escapism, there's always been a political and social commentary underlining the best bits. The Chems perfectly balance energy release with wry contemplation on a track that is destined to become a global hit.

          On the flip, they pop the cork off the dance tent, firing off sharp acid lines, precision beats and head-splitting reversals - layering up the incessant percussion lines for a fiery and frothy techno steam train that'll have everyone sweating and gasping for breath. Festival season better be ready! 


          STAFF COMMENTS

          Matt says: Nihilistic in vocal content, with clever sampling of Second Layer (me neither) - The Chemical Brothers deliver a stadium slaying hit which still has summery connotations whilst biting hard at the jugular. Always the same, always different!

          TRACK LISTING

          A. No Reason
          B. All Of A Sudden

          "No Geography", the Chemical Brothers tenth studio album since 1995, features singles "Free Yourself" and "MAH" ('a short & bloody ride into our modern media psychosis' - The Guardian) and the forthcoming single "Got To Keep On". Many tracks feature vocals by Norwegian singer / songwriter Aurora while Japanese rapper Nene features on "Eve of Destruction".

          It's quintessentially a Chemical experience from start to finish - combining the duo's uncanny knack at sound design and break manipulation with their usual playful, stadium-slaying production. Like contemporaries Modeselektor, Tom & Ed never take themselves too seriously, yet ably compete with the world's best producers. They combine the myriad and often fractured, disparate influences and styles across the dance music spectrum into something that they can confidently declair their own. 25 years in the game and you still know when it's a Chemical Brothers beat! Unmissable stuff from two of Northern England's greatest dance music exponents.




          STAFF COMMENTS

          Matt says: Brothers Chem return ahead of another world tour. Have they lost their magic? Definitely not. Like good wine, they get better as time goes on. Effortlessly turning their hand to whatever trend dance music throws at them; Tom and Ed ride again!

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Eve Of Destruction
          2. Bango
          3. No Geography
          4. Got To Keep On
          5. Gravity Drops
          6. The Universe Sent Me
          7. We’ve Got To Try
          8. Free Yourself
          9. MAH
          10. Catch Me I’m Falling

          The Chemical Brothers

          We Are The Night - 2023 Repress

            Following their fourth consecutive #1 album, the double Grammy winning "Push The Button", 2007 saw The Chemical Brothers return with their sixth long player "We Are The Night"; twelve tracks that cover psychedelic warehouse party acid music, electro-breakers, dreamy Balearica, 80s inspired alt-dance sounds and even a bit of new rave, euphorically melodic and as uncompromising as their retina scorching live shows. Trailed by the madcapped, cartoony future funk of "The Salmon Dance", "We Are The Night" set its psychedelic stall out from the off, sweeping through krautrock killers "A Modern Midnight Conversation". As ever Tom and Ed gathered together a stellar list of contemporary vocalists to add depth to their tracks. This time round guest appearances come from Klaxons, Willy Mason, Fat Lip, Spank Rock, Ali Love and Midlake's Tim Smith. Grooves, bleeps and beats that sound like robots brawling - plenty of fuel for your salmon dancing party!

            TRACK LISTING

            No Path To Follow 
            We Are The Night 
            All Rights Reversed 
            Saturate
            Do It Again
            Das Spiegel
            The Salmon Dance
            Burst Generator
            A Modern Midnight Conversation
            Battle Scars
            Harpoons
            The Pills Won't Help You Now

            Wooah there! Let's start at the beginning then. One of many CLASSIC (and I really do mean that) Chemical Brothers LPs to be reissued this week. I actually discovered "Exit Planet Dust" AFTER the critically acclaimed, much lauded, "Dig Your Own Hole" (also in this week). Once "Dig..." had its clawed its way into a young 14 year old's psyche, one had to feverishly acquire everything that was released by these kings of breakbeat. I remember a CD shop in Aflecks selling me the CD of this record, originally released in 1995 (I think I got mine in '98) along with a load of 'live', 'B-side' and 'unreleased' CD-rs (cough cough). Anyway, they could do no wrong! This was their breathtaking debut - with a title hinting at the historical law suit which meant Tom and Ed went from being called The Dust Brothers to the Chemical Brothers. Meeting at Manchester university, the pair became synonymous with that late nineties breakbeat sound - along with people like Utah Saints, Fatboy Slim, Midfield General and Freddy Fresh. However, they also adapted and collaborated, with this record featuring the Charlatans' Tim Burgess alongside the (then relatively unknown) Beth Orton - both of whom would work with the dastardly duo again over their incredibly long and fruitful career. Although later veering into lots of different styles, for me the first three albums, this along with "Dig Your Own Hole" and "Surrender" could never be topped! Like Fatboy Slim's "Better Living Through Chemistry", or Leftfield's "Rhythm And Stealth" - undeniably British and essential pieces of our rich dance music legacy. Every home needs one!

            The Chemical Brothers

            Push The Button - Vinyl Edition

              As we move through the millennial years, so to The Chemical Brothers accompanied us on our musical journey. Onto album number five, and it's another winner, jam packed with breaks, hybrids, crossovers and collaborations. Opening with the monster new cut "Galvanize", featuring a killer rap by Q-Tip (and reaching no. 3 in the charts - their highest since "Hey Boy, Hey Girl"). Next came "The Boxer", featuring Tim Burgess again, but this time ditching the 'weedy' (his words) approach, for a more ballsy, anthemic chorus. "Push The Button" positioned itself at the top of the pile of heavyweight breaks-crossover LPs. While Fatboy Slim floundered and The Prodigy got all electroclash on us, The Chems stuck to what they did best; making block-rocking, chunky tracks (which have hooks!), either on a breakbeat tip, mellower moments or 4/4 electronic drivers (techno had, of course, began to take over breakbeat as the nightclub sound of choice), all of which create a proper, cohesive LP rather than a collection of singles and fillers. Other headlining colabs crop up: Kele Okereke (Bloc Party), Anna-Lynne Williams (Trespassers William), The Magic Numbers, Anwar Superstar (Mos Def's bro') all stepping up to the mic to contribute. By now they were global superstars, but they still had a foot in the underground club scene, and were still a formidable force live. One of the truly great British bands. 

              STAFF COMMENTS

              Matt says:

              The Chemical Brothers

              Further - 2023 Repress

                On "Further" The Chemical Brothers explore new grounds. From the first squeezed-out notes, those analogue dots and dashes that flash and spark from the speakers, "Further" sounds like a record that is trying to break out of its confines. Like an alien Morse code transmission, it pulses like an Earth bound signal that’s been bounced off the side of orbiting space debris. Snatches of voices found out in the ether cut through the machine fog, drifting across burbling analogue equipment lovingly kept working long after supposed sell-by date. By the time the click and thump of snare and bass drum arrive, the sounds are all encompassing, swirling around you with dizzying, disorientating effect. Noise is untethered by constraints of volume, seemingly leaping from left to right to middle with a life of its own. This was The Chemical Brothers' most psychedelic album to date, almost referencing Spiritualized's opus "Ladies And Gentlemen...." It shows Tom and Ed developing as they mature, veering away from the club and into the living rooms and coffee tables of the rave generation; music to lose your mind to, in the comfort of your own home! "Further" is the culmination of nearly two decades of psychedelic exploration, an immersive collection that sees The Chemical Brothers at their least-restrained and most free spirited, melodic best.

                The Chemical Brothers

                Dig Your Own Hole - Vinyl Edition

                  Ok, onto the second release of the Chemical Brothers life changing discography and it was this one that really set the world on fire. "Dig Your Own Hole" saw the pair hit the mainstream - mainly due to the extensive licensing for advertising the album saw - forcing the pair to address the issue in interviews at the time (underground dance music doesn't belong on adverts - said the critics...). But for the less elitist this didn't bother us, it actually shone a light on this incredible act OUTSIDE of the club (remember, I was only 13 years old at the time!) meaning a whole generation of teenagers suddenly started listening to dance music and reading Ministry / Mixmag - even though we were too young to go to any of the clubs! Such was the mystic power of the Chems. Tracks off this album need little introduction. "Block Rockin' Beats" - you know that one. "Where Do I Begin" - saw the return of the fragile, Elf-like beauty that is Beth Orton on vocals and became a comedown anthem of the times. "The Private Psychedelic Reel" showed that they could do epic, festival pleasing songs - earning them regular appearance at Glastonbury and the multitude of outdoor raves up and down the country. Then there's fuckin NOEL GALLAGHER (!!!) on "Setting Sun" - instantly aligning the baggy, floppy haired duo with the massive, fledging Brit Pop scene. The rest, as they say, is history - the Chems became a global act; they headlined the Pyramid Stage about 5 years on the trot, James Holroyd (Piccadilly customer and Bugged Out! resident) became their tour DJ, again, cementing their credentials with the dance music aficionados of the day. Nine more albums were to emanate from the pair, with countless remixes and singles to boot. But to me, the first trilogy of albums, with "Surrender" following in 2001, where the absolute zenith for me, and iconic slices of UK dance music heritage that should be displayed with pride at any instance. A classic.

                  The Chemical Brothers

                  Come With Us - 2023 Reissue

                    The Chems bring us another collision of breaks and 4/4 beats, with influences taken from acid house, electro, rock and funk. Their fourth album proper, it saw Tom and Ed deploy their tough but funky brand of breakbeat driven electronics alongside more radio friendly, dare I say it, poppier moments. Chemical Bro. favourite Beth Orton makes another welcome appearance on "The State We're In", while a newly formed relationship with the Verve's Richard Ashcroft results in album closer "The Test" seeing Brothers Chem conjure up a fiery broth of rumbling breaks and epic chord changes, with Ashcroft throwing down a very "Loaded"-era vocal. "Come With Us", "It Began In Afrika" and "Star Guitar" all ensured this would be getting maximum radio play, while tracks like "Denmark" and "Pioneer Skies" ensured those headlining festival slots would have fresh material to blow the roof off with. "Hoops" and "My Elastic Eye" sealing the deal with classic Chemical Brother breaks. Another wonderful set from the duo.

                    The Chemical Brothers

                    Born In The Echoes - 2023 Reissue

                      The undisputed masters of brain-altering, transcendent electronics return with their first studio album since 2010’s "Further". Released to coincide with headline slots at Glastonbury, Sonar and Bestival, The Chemical Brothers’ eighth studio album - "Born In The Echoes" - is a magnificent 11-track collection of lean, propulsive machine driven music. From juddering robotic funk to unhinged futurist freakbeat; icy spectral psych to rhapsodic analogue synthetics; from euphoric spiritual acid to harmonic ambient distortion, the album is the sound of a reinvigorated Chemical Brothers creating some of the most mind-expanding music of their career to date. "Born In The Echoes" features a stellar cast of collaborators including previous guests Q-Tip, Ali Love (EML Ritual) as well as first time visitors to the studio - St. Vincent, Cate Le Bon and Beck (his first new music since his Grammy winning album "Morning Phase").


                      The Chemical Brothers

                      Surrender

                        Continuing with celebrating 40 years of disruption of the Virgin Records label, we’re pressing a very limited number of the some of the labels land mark albums as single and double vinyl LPs.

                        Released in 1999 'Surrender' proved that the Chemical Brothers were always bigger and better than the one dimensional big beat genre they'd been lumped with earlier in the decade. Showcasing Tom and Ed's expansive musical tastes the album takes in motorik krautrock rhythms, 80s electro-disco ('Out Of Control' featuring Bernard Sumner), Beatlesesque psychedelic block rockers ('Let Forever Be' with Noel Gallagher), fierce technoid bangers, sun-dappled dreaminess ('Asleep From Day' featuring Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval) and mega festival smashes ('Hey Boy Hey Girl'). all given the widescreen Chemicals production feel.



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