#14 of 25
· Cratewise Editorial
Dig Your Own Hole
Chemical Brothers
Year
1997
Genre
ElectronicLabel
Virgin
Format
Vinyl LP
“'Block Rockin' Beats' is the most adrenaline-inducing four minutes in electronic music. Noel Gallagher sings on 'Setting Sun.' Big beat as art, not just aggression.”
The Chemical Brothers, the British electronic duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, emerged from the UK acid house scene in the mid-1990s to become pioneers of big beat. Their debut album 'Exit Planet Dust' (1995) established their signature sound of breakbeats, heavy basslines, and sampled vocals. 'Dig Your Own Hole' (1997) achieved massive commercial success and critical acclaim, while 'Surrender' (1999) showcased their evolving production sophistication and proved their staying power in electronic music. Throughout subsequent decades, including albums like 'Block Rockin' Beats' (1997) and their many collaborations, they've remained influential figures in electronic music, consistently innovating while maintaining their energetic, sample-driven aesthetic.
Style
The Chemical Brothers exemplify big beat and electronic dance music, characterized by heavy breakbeats, layered samples, thunderous basslines, and psychedelic influences. Their sound blends 1970s funk and soul samples with contemporary electronic production and often features prominent vocal samples.
Significance
The Chemical Brothers are essential to electronic music history and highly sought after by vinyl collectors due to their influential 1990s output and distinctive album artwork. Their releases represent a crucial moment when dance music crossed into mainstream popularity while maintaining artistic credibility, making their original vinyl pressings particularly valuable to collectors.
Dig Your Own Hole, released in 1997, marked Chemical Brothers' second studio album and solidified their position as leaders of the big beat movement. Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons recorded the album primarily at their own studio in London, working with an expanded palette of collaborators including Fatboy Slim, The Dust Brothers, and vocalist Beth Orton. The album showcased a more ambitious and layered approach to production than their debut Exit Planet Dust, incorporating live instrumentation alongside their signature heavy breakbeats and acid-house influenced synths. Key tracks like "Block Rockin' Beats" and "Elektrobank" were refined through extensive studio experimentation, with Rowlands and Simons obsessing over breakbeat chopping, sample manipulation, and the precise timing of their arrangements.
Historical Context
Released in June 1997, Dig Your Own Hole arrived at the peak of big beat's commercial dominance in the UK and Europe. The album's arrival coincided with the Britpop era's decline and the rise of electronic music as mainstream pop. The album was commercially successful, reaching number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and spawning multiple hit singles that received heavy MTV rotation. It helped Chemical Brothers win the Mercury Prize and established them as the era's most innovative electronic producers, influencing a generation of producers and DJ-producers who followed.
Pressing Notes
The original 1997 vinyl pressing on Astralwerks/Astralwerks Records came in standard black vinyl and limited colored vinyl variants. The gatefold artwork by Spike Jonze has become iconic among collectors. Subsequent reissues include a 2003 remaster and a 2013 deluxe edition reissue featuring remastered audio and bonus material. Collectors should note that original 1997 pressings are sought-after, particularly any limited color variants. All vinyl versions feature the album's complete tracklist and are generally well-mastered for the format.
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